Health Insurance VHI and cover abroad during Erasmus

[Xraylady]

My daughter is a vhi customer. Travelling to Australia for 6/12 Erasmus starting Feb 1st and as part of her visa had to take out a specific medical cover plan (BUPA) for this time while applying. She is covered for her six month student time there. The group are travelling out two weeks early to do some touring and I am lost as to how to insure her for this. In order to insure for single trip covering first two weeks she would have to be returning to Ireland but she will be staying on in Australia. It’s the health cover that I care about not flight/ baggage etc . I just wondered if her current basic VHI policy - not global VHI - would offer any cover for those two week pre studying period. Thanks

 

[Sue Ellen]

Perhaps Google might provide some advice along with previous AAM threads which are quite dated at this stage.

Have you checked with VHI or perhaps HIA might give some advice.

BUPA might be able to help considering they are doing the other cover.

 

[Xraylady]

Thank you that’s a good idea. Will contact BUPA. VHI offered no advice on her current cover when away, other than recommending VHI global which would be ‘doubly’ insuring her. I understood your VHI standard policy gave some cover while abroad but can’t find info on this.

 

[Sue Ellen]

which would be ‘doubly’ insuring her.

Which is never a good idea as in the case of an accident it can cause problems.

I understood your VHI standard policy gave some cover while abroad but can’t find info on this.

All the more reason to get advice from possibly HIA.

AFAIK both Australia and Canada are strict on the insurance so best to get it sorted. When my son was travelling back and forth to Canada they were very strict about visitors having insurance presumably because it is so expensive for hospital cover.

 

[Annieindublin]

Can’t her BUPA cover be extended?
When my son was on a similar trip I took out a VHI policy for the year and cancelled his laya cover here for the duration, laya didn’t do overseas.

His Erasmus funding was sufficient to cover it as well as his other expenses

 

[Sue Ellen]

This may not be of any use or relevant but if you run into problems, in reply to a question at week-end Charlie Weston in Indo did mention that other providers in the market are as follows:

Depending on your age, an annual multi-trip travel policy is not expensive and there are many providers such as VHI, Blue Insurance and AA that offer this type of cover.

Even if its not multi-trip that you need you could sound them out about other options.