Pre-term babies born overseas now covered by travel insurer
New Zealand’s Southern Cross Travel Insurance (SCTI) will cover the cost of childbirth and neo-natal care of a pre-term baby delivered overseas, up until the time both mother and child can safely return home
SCTI has also extended the cover for costs or losses related to pregnancy from a gestation period of up to 20 weeks to up to 24 weeks.
When it comes to pregnancy cover, if a customer goes into early pre-term labour while travelling internationally, travel insurers often only pay the medical expenses for the mother and won’t necessarily cover the costs related to the birth itself or the ongoing care of the newborn.
Chief Medical Officer of Southern Cross’ Health Insurance business, Dr Stephen Child, said medical and technology advances mean the chances of premature babies surviving is improving. “Babies born at 20 weeks are unlikely to survive, but the survival rate for those born at 23 to 24 weeks increases to nearly 60 per cent. However, there are many medical challenges that can come with such an early delivery,” said Dr Child.
Peace of mind while travelling
In New Zealand, the mean length of a hospital stay for babies born at 20-23 weeks is approximately 60 days because they require a high level of hospital care and follow-up.
SCTI Chief Executive Jo McCauley said extending its pregnancy cover is another way the travel insurer is committed to giving customers peace of mind when travelling. “For anyone, a pre-term delivery is distressing, but this can be even more difficult if it happens for a very pre-term baby whilst overseas. The changes we have made to our pregnancy cover can help to provide reassurance that the costs of medical care for the mother are covered in addition to the costs for the newborn who is likely to need a significant level of extended care at birth.”
SCTI’s pregnancy cover is available under its TravelCare policy which has just been launched in plain language. “Making sure our customers have clarity on what they’re covered for in their insurance policies has always been important. While we believe our policies are already well written and clear to understand, we’ve gone one step further to have these policies awarded the WriteMark,” added McCauley.