Emergency Cover Abroad

Claims

Day to Day Claim Form

 

Treatment Abroad Form

 

1) For Medical Emergencies, Call Vhi Assist:

 

USA & Canada (Toll Free)

Tel: 1800 364 9022

Fax: (+)353 1 44 82 442

 

The rest of the World (collect calls accepted)

Tel: (+)353 1 44 82 444

Fax: (+)353 1 44 82 442

E-mail: worldassist@vhi.ie

 

 

2) For all other non-medical queries

Including assistance queries while you are away and claims queries upon your return:

Call MultiTrip Travel Helpline on: +353 46 9077358

E-mail: vhitravelclaims@collinsongroup.com

 

Your Vhi Healthcare health insurance plan covers all your eligible in-patient hospital charges up to a maximum* of €65,000 / €100,000 if you need emergency treatment while on holidays abroad.

*Check your policy documents for the maximum amount on your plan.

 

You should note that, to claim for eligible out-patient charges you will need to complete an Out-Patient Claim form. Out patient benefits are subject to an annual excess.

 

To be eligible to claim Emergency Cover Abroad benefits, you must be resident in Ireland for at least 180 days per calendar year.

 

 

Claiming for emergency cover abroad is very straightforward. Below, you'll find an outline of our process and what you'll need to do.

 

  • First of all, you need to call the Assist helpline before you receive any medical treatment. In the event of an emergency or where you are physically unable to make the call, you should appoint a relative to call for you. The relevant emergency numbers can be found on the back of your World Assist Card
  • Please note that you should call the Medical Assistance/Pre-authorisation line before you receive any medical treatment. In the event of an emergency or where you are physically unable to call you should appoint a relative to call for you. The relevant telephone numbers can be found on the back of your World Assist Card
  • You won't have to pay any bills upfront as we will arrange for approved hospital treatment to be paid to the hospital directly
  • In the event that you do have to settle some hospital bills yourself, you can claim the money back from Vhi Healthcare by completing an Emergency Cover Abroad claim form. This can be sent out to you by post or you can print one from here
  • You need to keep all original receipts/invoices/accounts in relation to hospital and professional fee charges, and send them to us with the completed claim form
  • You must complete part one and part two of the claim form. The attending doctor must fully complete and sign Part 3 of the claim form
  • If you were treated in a public facility in an EU member state, you should apply to your local Health Board for an European Health Insurance Card prior to submitting your claim to Vhi Healthcare. A copy of your Health Board's response must also accompany any claim
  • If you had travel/accident insurance covering your trip abroad, a copy of the policy document must accompany the claim

 

 

 

Elective (Planned) Treatment Abroad

 

Treatments covered include procedures currently available and not available in Ireland.

Treatment must be:

 

  • Approved by Vhi prior to travelling
  • Considered to be a proven form of treatment and meet specific criteria
  • Recommended by your Irish Consultant

 

Outpatient consultations, assessments, investigations and/or some specific outpatient diagnostic testing are not covered but certain expenses may be eligible as part of an outpatient claim.

 

Check your cover and waiting periods in MyVhi. Please note that cover outside Ireland is outlined in detail in the Rules, Terms and Conditions of Membership under Rule 6.

 

To proceed:

 

  • Your Irish Consultant must complete the application form
  • A copy of the referral letter from your Irish Consultant to the Consultant abroad must be included with the application form
  • You can submit any additional information you would like considered to support your treatment request with the application form and referral letter
  • We must receive the application 20 business days prior to commencement of your treatment

 

Your application will be reviewed by our panel of medical advisors and you will be contacted by phone with an update. A letter will proceed this confirming the decision.

 

We offer 2 ways to claim your Vhi Benefit, either through direct payment to the facility/medical professional (referred to as 'Direct Pay') or by paying yourself & claiming back the costs from us (referred to as 'Pay and Claim Back').

 

Direct Pay

Following approval of your application and discussion with you we will contact the facility abroad to arrange direct pay between Vhi and the facility for your treatment up to the eligible amount approved. Where the facility accept the direct pay agreement the facility will submit the claim to us and we will pay them directly.

 

Pay and Claim Back

Where the facility does not accept the direct pay agreement or where you choose to settle directly with the facility, you claim your eligible benefit on your return home. You will need to include a fully completed claim form when sending in your claim.

You can submit the completed claim form along with the original receipts by post to:

 

Vhi Insurance

PO Box 10143

Dublin 18

 

 

  • Where prior approval has been sought and granted, the approval for your treatment is valid for 60 days
  • The eligible benefit amount approved may not cover the full cost of your treatment
  • You can submit a claim for your expenses, as soon as your treatment is completed
  • Claims can be paid directly into your bank account within 10 working days

 

For general queries, to verify your plan benefits or queries on your assessed claim please call 056 444 4444 or by email to info@vhi.ie

For assistance on the application process, request an application form, to verify status of your application or to discuss the outcome of your application please call us on 056 7753114 or by email to medical.approval@vhi.ie.

 

This guide is designed for Vhi customers. The advice and guidelines are generalised without taking into account your personal health cover situation. The information contained in this guide is correct as at 25/05/2021. Rules and benefits may change from time to time.