Travelling with no insurance?

louism

Before I start, please don't think I'm advocating travelling with no insurance. I'm merely trying to find out the pitfalls with potential examples if possible?
So my question is.... what could be the potential pitfalls/costs if you were to be involved in an accident overseas (lets assume with a valid Ehic/Ghic in Europe eg Spain) with the accident resulting in operations and hospitalisation. Lets assume a bad fractured ankle resulting in immobilisation and no weight bearing.
The reason I'm suggesting the above is because it happened in the UK but a month later, this could have occurred in Spain and I know the person involved doesn't travel with insurance so I'm trying to enlighten the person to the potential pitfalls or costs with travelling without insurance. Any examples from those unfortunate or know of any examples to have been involved in an accident abroad and costs associated would be appreciated if possible. Likewise for those who did have insurance also.

lisyloo

1) EHIc has only ever covered what locals would get for free not what you’d get in the uk.
so for example in some countries ambulances are not free. So you could have costs for ambulances, dressing etc.
2) transport costs e.g. taxis to a doctors/hospital in places where you don’t have access to a car. (Very expensive to get a helicopter from a cruise ship)
3) curtailment (lost days) due to being ill/in hospital
4) travel back costs e.g. you might need 9 seats on an airplane to get back with a broken leg. You might even need a nurse
5) costs for a translator
6) costs for a family member to stay with you or fly out to be with you e.g. hotel/flights 
7) legal costs if you get throw in jail (those could be high)

I do know of someone who’s mother had a serious stroke and the insurance paid for her daughter to be with her and for a translator but I don’t have costs I’m afraid.

 ankle
1) transport costs if immobilised
2) loss of your holiday
3) extra accomodation/change of flight
4) Several seats on return flight
5) extra hotel/food costs for you and partner
6) care costs if immobilised
7) dressings, prescriptions, ambulances, jabs (tetanus?) etc. not covered by EHIC which is bare bones

louism

Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm trying to educate the person and I've mostly mentioned the points you mentioned. I think in the UK, we just take it for granted and expect to be taken care of come what may and even complain when that doesn't happen.
Problem is the person has been away multiple times and has adopted the attitude of "it won't happen to me" and then "I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it" thinking it might be a few hundred quid.
I guess it's a case of horse to water.....

katejo

louism said:

Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm trying to educate the person and I've mostly mentioned the points you mentioned. I think in the UK, we just take it for granted and expect to be taken care of come what may and even complain when that doesn't happen.
Problem is the person has been away multiple times and has adopted the attitude of "it won't happen to me" and then "I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it" thinking it might be a few hundred quid.
I guess it's a case of horse to water.....

Ask them to imagine a severe incident leading to them being unconscious and on life support in a foreign hospital and their family members are presented with a massive bill to continue treatment/bring them home. 

lisyloo

I’m sure you can find a few horror stories if you Google, but it’s difficult to change people’s minds because they’d have to accept that they’ve been wrong which is often difficult for people to do. Sometimes I find their intransigence is related to the time they’ve been wrong for.

ask yourself do they have the capacity to listen and change their mind (which means accepting they were wrong).
if they don’t have that capacity then you’ve absolved your conscience by trying.

I’m not sure amount of evidence is the issue here.

heatherw_01

As lisyloo said, it is hard to change someone's mind if they have made a decision and they often try to make up reasons that they don't/won't need it.

For the small cost, it is worth every penny.

I have been on holiday and the person I was with had to go to A&E. In the US. It cost over $11,000. 
They didn't have to pay as we had insurance.

I could give lots of examples from my experience alone, and there are thousands of examples online.

Wouldn't ever go without insurance overseas! The cost is literally nominal compared to the holiday.

I think of it this way. If someone happened, could I afford to pay for it? The answer is no so I need insurance.

Doshwaster

Worst case scenario is that you need to pay for a medical evacuation back to the UK (Just lookup the hourly cost of an air ambulance)  or your family has to pay to fly your dead body home. For the cost of a few pounds travelling without insurance is insane. 

TELLIT01

louism said:

Thanks for your prompt reply. I'm trying to educate the person and I've mostly mentioned the points you mentioned. I think in the UK, we just take it for granted and expect to be taken care of come what may and even complain when that doesn't happen.
Problem is the person has been away multiple times and has adopted the attitude of "it won't happen to me" and then "I'll cross that bridge when it comes to it" thinking it might be a few hundred quid.
I guess it's a case of horse to water.....

A work colleague of mine had a friend who was a merchant banker (not rhyming slang - a real one) who had the same attitude, although he could clearly afford to pay for insurance.  He broke his back in a ski-ing accident and had to pay out literally thousands of pounds in medical treatment, repatriation etc.  Very much a false economy in his case.

Pollycat

You take a risk if you don't have insurance.
If the person you're trying to convince isn't listening, I guess there's not a lot you can do.

You only have to Google 'accident on holiday crowd funding' to read what dire situations people allow themselves to get into.
Car/bike accidents, falling from balconies etc etc

izawa

Please take insurance. For a short trip it will cost 3 lunches in London.

Thrugelmir

What if personal posssessions get lost or stolen?