2 nights Paris by Eurostar - is insurance necessary?

lolly5648

We have been given two train tickets to Paris and will book the hotel last minute. We have EHIC cards and are taking hardly any luggage.

Is there any risk in not getting insurance bearing in mind we can get back quickly? (My husband had prostate cancer and has just passed the 5 year mark but the premiums are still loaded).

chocolateteddy

lolly5648 wrote: »

We have been given two train tickets to Paris and will book the hotel last minute. We have EHIC cards and are taking hardly any luggage.

Is there any risk in not getting insurance bearing in mind we can get back quickly? (My husband had prostate cancer and has just passed the 5 year mark but the premiums are still loaded).

We went to disneyland paris last year and i was taken ill on the train journey home which resulted in me being taken off train at Lille to go to local hospital, where I had ct scans, bloods, consultant on call as it was 11pm at night. I showed my ehic card which meant bill was reduced but I am glad I had insurnace as they paid the hospital bill direct. Up to this point in time I was a healthy 38 year old and had what they suspected was a stroke luckily tests confirmed it wasn't but had I not paid for insurance I could have ended up with a very large bill even worse if they had had to fly me home.
I wouldn't consider going without insurance as the tickets are free the extra cost of insurance would give you piece of mind.
HTH

omelette451

If it were me I wouldn't bother. It's up to you whether you take the risk though. (Bear in mind that emergency cover is provided by the EHIC, but as the previous poster said it doesn't necessarily mean it's completely free).

AHAR

How much more than 'normal' have you been quoted if you don't mind me asking?
I've just bought insurance for a short trip to Paris myself and it cost a really trivial amount. Are the premiums for your circumstanes expensive?

sodamnfunky

When we went to Paris in October, it cost me £20 for the 2 of us for 4 days. NY cost us £47 for 7 days, its an added expense, but not sure I would take the risk of not having it

miamoo

It depends on the price, if the insurance is stupidly expensive given your circumstances I would go without it.

luci

If you can afford to pay hospital bills or being airlifted home due to an accident or illness out of your savings then I wouldn't bother. Otherwise it would be prudent to get insurance.

chocolateteddy

omelette451 wrote: »

If it were me I wouldn't bother. It's up to you whether you take the risk though. (Bear in mind that emergency cover is provided by the EHIC, but as the previous poster said it doesn't necessarily mean it's completely free).

The ehic card reduces you bill but not sure if that would apply to everything, like others have said you can take the risk if you have savings but have you hunted around for insurance cover from companies reccommended on mse as I found they was a huge difference in prices when I looked (and at that point was healthy!!!!!)

colmil

Aynone who travels abroad without insurance deserves everything they get-surely it it worth a few pounds for peace of mind?

thatsfabulous

I think for piece of mind and only £20-30pounds its worth getting as you just never know do you...

omelette451

chocolateteddy wrote: »

The ehic card reduces you bill but not sure if that would apply to everything, like others have said you can take the risk if you have savings

The EHIC entitles you to emergency care under the same terms as nationals of the country you're visiting. So for visitors to the UK care in A+E would be completely free (as that's what UK nationals get themselves), and in places where local patients (or their insurance companies) would be expected to contribute towards the cost, so would we.

Visits to GPs for minor ailments aren't normally covered, but my own view would be both that it's a very short trip (surely minor ailments can wait a day or two?) and that there are so many connections between France and the UK that I could easily get back if I needed to, unless it's an emergency, in which case the EHIC kicks in. I know that's not the best attitude to have, but being completely honest it's what I would think in that situation. Having said that, for me it's entirely hypothetical, as I have an annual policy to cover my relatively frequent trips to the continent - but it doesn't cost much as I'm young and generally healthy.