Your travel insurance almost certainly excludes elective surgery
Standard policies void the moment you have a planned procedure abroad. What medical travel cover needs to include, in plain terms.
Reviewed by Hannah Brooks, Director of Patient Care
Most standard travel insurance policies exclude travel undertaken for planned medical treatment. The exclusion is usually not hidden — it simply sits in a section few people read — and it can void cover for the whole trip, including matters unrelated to the surgery.
Dedicated medical travel cover is a different product. At minimum it should cover complications arising from the procedure, an extended stay if you are not fit to fly, repatriation, and the cost of returning for revision if that becomes necessary. Check the claim window: cover that lapses on the flight home is close to useless.
We include medical travel insurance in every surgical package and send the policy document with the quote rather than after payment. Read it, and if you would rather arrange your own, we will tell you what the policy needs to say.