Many Kiwis go on holiday overseas underestimating the need for adequate travel insurance – and ignoring what may happen if they put off buying a policy.

With research finding that one in six Kiwis still travel uninsured, Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) has revealed its 10 most expensive medical claims from 2018 as a reminder of the cost of travelling without insurance

Topping the list is a $261,000 claim filed by a traveller to Europe who required air transfer for surgery to remove a brain tumour. This is followed by a $212,000 claim for hospitalisation in the US for a heart attack, $204,500 for hospitalisation in the US for a cardiac arrest, $168,000 for being admitted to a hospital for a severe leg laceration in China, and $136,000 for helicopter transport to a hospital for abscesses in the US.

Rounding out the list is a $134,000 claim for hospitalisation in the US for chronic heart failure that required cardiac valve surgery, a $130,000 claim filed by a traveller to Europe for twisted bowel surgery, a $129,500 claim for treatment for a stroke in Europe, a $116,000 claim for an appendectomy in the US, and a $114,000 claim for transport to another country for surgery after a heart attack in Southeast Asia.

“Travel insurance is accessible and affordable when you consider the cost of going overseas, so there’s no excuse to travel uninsured,” said Chris White, chief executive at SCTI.

“As the saying goes, ‘if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel,’” he concluded.