Would you travel to Europe without medical insurance?

callum9999

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Your luck could change, and just one incident could cost far more than all the money you have saved...

My father always used to go to Europe and further afield, and never had any problems that would warrant an insurance claim. After perhaps fifty journeys, a freak accident put him into intensive care (he was unconscious at the time he was taken to hospital so was certainly not in a position to choose either the ambulance service or the type of hospital that he used). He was repatriated to the UK by air ambulance, and that alone cost a sum of money equivalent to the price of a flat at the time.

He had not arranged travel insurance before popping over to France, but fortunately the credit card that he had used to pay for the ferry crossing provided medical insurance.

It's all well and good sitting back saying "what if, what if??" but it's a fact that you're more likely to not need to claim (over your entire life) than to claim - otherwise the industry wouldn't be viable.

Yes it would be terrible if you needed intensive care and didn't have any way to pay for it, but so are lot's of things in life. I still fly despite the risk it will crash. I still sail despite the risk it will sink. I still go in cars and buses despite the risk it will crash. I don't take out private medical/dental insurance in the UK despite the risk I will fall seriously ill and priority over waiting lists would help.

And so does everyone else on here who are sitting up on their high horse going on about how you shouldn't be taking the risk!

Voyager2002

callum9999 wrote: »

It's all well and good sitting back saying "what if, what if??" but it's a fact that you're more likely to not need to claim (over your entire life) than to claim - otherwise the industry wouldn't be viable.

Yes it would be terrible if you needed intensive care and didn't have any way to pay for it, but so are lot's of things in life. I still fly despite the risk it will crash. I still sail despite the risk it will sink. I still go in cars and buses despite the risk it will crash. I don't take out private medical/dental insurance in the UK despite the risk I will fall seriously ill and priority over waiting lists would help.

And so does everyone else on here who are sitting up on their high horse going on about how you shouldn't be taking the risk!

More precisely, it is more likely that the total you claim over a lifetime will be less than the total you pay in premiums for travel insurance. That is certainly true in my case.

However, it is not just a question of amounts of cash. If you are involved in a travel emergency your insurance policy will give you access to a telephone helpline; you will be put in contact with appropriate English-speaking professionals close enough to help immediately; you will not need to rush around getting enough cash to pay for professional help before treatment can commence.

And I stand by my original point: it is rational to pay modest amounts of money to remove even a small risk of catastrophic harm: in this case the risk may be small but is definitely not zero.

callum9999

Voyager2002 wrote: »

More precisely, it is more likely that the total you claim over a lifetime will be less than the total you pay in premiums for travel insurance. That is certainly true in my case.

However, it is not just a question of amounts of cash. If you are involved in a travel emergency your insurance policy will give you access to a telephone helpline; you will be put in contact with appropriate English-speaking professionals close enough to help immediately; you will not need to rush around getting enough cash to pay for professional help before treatment can commence.

And I stand by my original point: it is rational to pay modest amounts of money to remove even a small risk of catastrophic harm: in this case the risk may be small but is definitely not zero.

When have I ever claimed travel insurance is "irrational" or that the risk of injury abroad is zero?

Though as I've said several times now... If I'm in an area of the world where I DON'T have immediate access to free or affordable healthcare then I WILL get medical insurance...

gregg1

zagfles wrote: »

Don't understand what you're saying. Are you saying that if a PEMC flared up requiring emergency treatment it wouldn't be covered?? That's not my understanding - AIUI the EHIC doesn't make exceptions like most travel insurances do.

The EHIC won't cover you if you are going abroad specifically to have treatment, but that's not the OPs plan.

It has been in the news recently that an increaing number of countries are refusing to treat people under the EHIC. They are making them use private doctors and claim on their insurance.

choccyface

2yrs ago, my 2 young boys got gastroenteritus the night before we were due to fly home from minorca - there is no way the eldest could have got away with flying - they both ended up in hospital for 3 days (2 nights) and the eldest was really ill. If we had not had insurance the bill would have been horrific - on our return, the questionnaire we got sent had to go to the doctor to confirm that they had no pre-existing conditions which would have made them exempt from getting cover.

as it was, the insurers argued that hubby could have come home and left me with a 2yr and 5yr old. In the end they paid for his flight along with the rest of us.

a simple sick bug can prevent you from flying....I would never travel without insurance.