Do I need travel insurance for The Netherlands?

bigadaj

esuhl wrote: »

But... I don't need most of the cover offered. The trip is cheap and I won't have any expensive belongings.

The only thing I'm worried about is medical bills.



I'm not sure I'd be worried about repatriation if I was too ill to fly normally. There would be no language barrier as everyone in The Netherlands speaks English. And I live alone, away from family, have no partner or children, and if I die, I'd be happy to be scooped up and put in the bin!

I suppose the main question I have is whether the standard of care in the Netherlands would be the same or better than in the UK. And, if I had just an EHIC, would it be more complicated to sort out emergency care than if I also had insurance...?

The quotes for insurance are only £10 to £25, so it's not a big expense. But, in my situation, I can't see myself wanting to claim for anything, even if something happened.

Thanks for all the comments, everyone. I'll ponder it a little longer.

One other question -- I'd be flying out in just over two weeks' time. How late can I leave it to book insurance? I imagine I could do it the day before I fly out, could I?

Flex account cover is free, included with provision of the account so long as you cycle the required money through the account. It's not a replacement for ehic but is good to sit alongside it and provides reasonable basic cover for a European trip for many people.

daveyjp

All insurance depends on the risk appetite of the individual and how far they are willing to self insure.

My parents found out too late that their annual policy didn't cover costs in the event of a loss of a passport. When they worked out it had cost them 4 figures to get new documents they now ensure this cover is included.

NiftyDigits

Voyager2002 wrote: »

If you read the small print, I think you will find that if your trip is 91 days or longer then you have nothing -- even the first part of such a trip would not be covered. Obviously that policy works well for you, but would not be appropriate for me.

I didn't write 91 days, I wrote 90. Nor did I suggest that trips longer than ninety days would be covered.
Most of my trips are ninety days and under and if I was going to take a longer trip, I could purchase relatively inexpensive single trip insurance.
As to whether I would be covered for the first ninety days of a ninety one day trip....I can book the return for ninety days or less and then change it if I decide to extend....dependent of the cost of a inbound date change.....or as aforementioned, buy a single use policy.

maman

Seems a huge amount of fuss just to save a few pounds. For the medical cover alone, surely it's worth the price of a meal and a few drinks?

SW17

maman wrote: »

Seems a huge amount of fuss just to save a few pounds. For the medical cover alone, surely it's worth the price of a meal and a few drinks?

Many would agree it's an easily justifiable expense (one reason why the insurance industry is so profitable ), and the OP also agreed in the end, given the nature of healthcare provision in the Netherlands.

However, I think it was a reasonable question to ask about self insurance, and the OP appears to have a bigger appetite for risk of this nature than many, at least for this trip.

hollydays

Last year a friend of mine slipped and damaged his ankle,but didn't break it . he was young, fit travelling alone. He went to the hospital where after being xrayed he was kicked out, not being able to walk, with no crutches ( hospital doesn't supply them in this country)no medication. This was in Europe.this is what equivalent healthcare means.
Just something to think about.

FBaby

I'd have to be so ill that I couldn't take a normal flight, but not ill enough that I couldn't fly at all... It seems unlikely

Unlikely indeed, hence why insurance for someone like you is very cheap, but unlikely doesn't mean impossible, and if does happen, you might very much regret missing out on the best healthcare for the sake of a few £££, especially if this result in lasting damage.

Not talking about best healthcare = NHS, talking about getting the additional therapy that can make the difference between full recovery and lasting effects, where the country might consider that therapy is not part of the emergency episode and therefore not funded by EHIC.

In the end, your choice.

pollypenny

My aunt broke her hip in Ypres. Great treatment, but then would have been discharged to a 'convalescent home' in Belgium.

She had to have an ambulance home to Kent. We had to pay for that immediately - in cash! Luckily, we had insisted on her getting insurance, which she and her late husband had never done.


Eta: the EHIC agreement covered just 75% of the treatment in Belgium.