A P&O cruise ship passenger has shared a warning after her sister shattered her ankle and was told her injuries wouldn’t be covered by Medicare.
The pair were on board the Pacific Adventure from Queensland to NSW when her sister became injured on the dance floor.
Doctors on the ship quickly tended to her and X-rays revealed her ankle had been dislocated and fractured.
The woman was shocked to learn that despite her sister’s injuries happening on Australian waters, Medicare would not cover the $8,000 medical bill.
She took to social media to warn others that without travel insurance they would have been forced to pay the bill themselves.
‘Don’t play Russian roulette with your health and safety, get insurance,’ she wrote.
‘We don’t leave home without it.’
The injured woman will be transported to hospital for surgery once the cruise docks in Circular Quay where an ambulance will be waiting for her.
A woman who injured herself on a domestic cruise was shocked to find that Medicare would not cover her $8,000 medical bill despite the injury happening in Australian waters
Her sister wrote on social media that without travel insurance they would have been made to cover the costs themselves
The woman’s sister said the experience was a ‘great reminder why insurance is so important’ and added that theirs only set them back $60.
She wrote that many other passengers said they did not think travel insurance would be needed for a domestic cruise.
1Cover head of marketing Natalie Smith agreed that it was a common thing Aussies overlooked.
‘One of the biggest mistakes Aussies make is not buying travel insurance when cruising Australian waters,’ she told Yahoo.
‘You are not covered by Medicare or your private health fund if you need medical treatment once your ship has set sail.
‘Without travel insurance, any medical fees and emergency transport expenses would be at your own cost and these can quickly soar into the tens of thousands of dollars.’
The woman who injured herself on the dancefloor will be covered by Medicare again once she arrives back on land.
The woman ‘shattered’ her ankle travelling from Queensland to Sydney aboard P&O Cruises’ Pacific Adventure, with X-rays revealing she had several serious fractures and a dislocation
Ms Smith said it was lucky that she did not require emergency travel back to the mainland – which is another cost Medicare would not cover.
When buying travel insurance for cruises, Ms Smith advised travellers to opt for comprehensive cover with additional cruise benefits, which is usually an add-on.
Additional cruise benefits cover passengers with any cruise-specific travel benefits, such as missed port cover, she said.
