In Reply to: On Friday posted by Tezzasgirl on Sunday, 16. March 2008 at 10:15 Bali Time:
I have never and do not intend to claim anything done overseas. I get free glasses every year from HBF in Australia but if you are planning to claim I will just warn you I received this on Friday along with a heap of other changes. These changes come into effect 1st April
"Overseas treatment: The new legislation now prohibits the payment of benfits for ANY treatment that occurs outside Australia. You may want to consider taking out travel insurance that covers benefits for emergency treatment received overseas."
Being me, rather than take their word for it I look up the wording of the legislation, drawn up Nov 07. It reads thus..
5. Overseas treatment
(1) For the purposes of paragraph 131-15 (1) (d) of the Act, the business described in subrule (2) is specified.
(2) The business is the undertaking of liability by way of insurance for the provision outside Australia of treatment that is intended to manage a disease, injury or condition, but only when:
(a) the disease, injury or condition is chronic and permanent; and
(b) the liability is confined to treatment that would be required routinely, whether or not the person had remained in Australia; and
(c) the amount of the liability incurred by the insurer for any particular treatment does not exceed the amount of the liability that would be incurred by the insurer for that treatment if it were provided in Australia; and
(d) the liability does not extend to any treatment administered to a person more than 60 days after the person last departed from Australia.
I actually seems that they can cover you for certain things despite their letter to me saying they will cover for nothing, perhaps treatment for diabetes or something that you would be treated for and they would be paying for even if you were in Aust, as long as it is not more expensive overseas. Having said that, things like glasses and dental may not be classed and chronic and permanent.