£5m medical cover - is this enough for Spain?

Annie1612

Just in the process of buying travel insurance for a 7 day holiday to Majorca. I have got a quote for medical cover of 5m. The next level up of medical cover (10m) is an extra £25. Is 5m enough coverage or 10m excessive? I honestly have no idea what is recommended.

Also, I read that to board the plane you have to provide proof that you have adequate medical cover on your insurance if flying to Spain. Is this actually true now?

MyRealNameToo

Most of your medical needs will be covered by GHIC card, the insurance will pick up the bits around the edges and any repatriation etc.

Something very complex would need to happen for you to get close to the £5m but the risk is never 0

eskbanker

I read that to board the plane you have to provide proof that you have adequate medical cover on your insurance if flying to Spain. Is this actually true now?

No.

As to what's adequate, I can't think of any reason to pay extra to upgrade from £5m to £10m when taking a short break in a mainstream western European country.

user1977

Absolutely no enquiries about insurance when I arrived in Spain a few weeks ago (there's enough faff with passports, can you imagine them checking the details of everybody's insurance?).

And no idea how you'd get anywhere near £5m in costs.

brianposter

I use a GHIC card regularly and have had excellent treatment.

twopenny

I used to post on a forum with a lady who's job was medical repatriation. She told me £5m was enough for somewhere near like mainland Europe but £10m was better. Of course Majorca isn't mainland but not much further.

The costs are for lengthy care in hospital, time until you are well enough to fly, ambulance to the airport and the stretcher takes up several seat spaces with medical equipment or air ambulance etc. You are accompanied by a specialist nurse or doctor from one hospital to one in the UK. Then the return of nurse and equipment to the original country.

You may have a partner with you that you want to stay while you're in hospital so accommodation and the flight back with you

The costs can be found with a search for medical repatriation.

Just turned the computer off but if I find the details she sent me I'll post them. It's interesting and the costs can blow your mind 😵‍💫

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81927460#Comment_81927460

The largest travel claim I saw was for someone who had a stroke whilst on a cruise ship. The cost of the med bay on the ship was astronomical, they then had to be medi-vaced from the ship to the nearest island hospital. They were then medi-vaced for a second time from there to the US for better treatment and then medi-vaced a third time to a more specialist hospital in the US. Unfortunately the policyholder died whilst in that hospital and so the claim wasnt as big as it would have been had they survived.

If you use UK inflation rates that claim would have been circa $5.4m if it happened today and potentially much higher had they survived. There is a reason why medical care is the most common cause of bankruptcy in the US.

NoodleDoodleMan

Taking ill on a cruise ship is a far different scenario than that of such happening in the Balearics.

Palma de Mallorca is the third busiest airport in Spain so to all intents and purposes can be considered on the mainland.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81928651#Comment_81928651

Hence already said that £5m is only going to be a problem in an exceptional circumstances, that said it is a modest sized island and so could be more likely to need a medivac for more specialist treatment on the mainland but thats a modest cost compared to the limit.

Others asked how you can get to such large claims, I was just pointing out the biggest Travel claim I've come across. Should note that travel has been a rather small part of my work so shouldn't be seen as a total outlier and others more focused on the product may have seen much more.

Doshwaster

I would be perfectly happy with £5m in Europe and most of the rest of the world. Even £1m would cover 99.9% of cases.

I wouldn't set foot in the US without £10m.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81929222#Comment_81929222

I'd extend it to the Caribbean too as per the previous example, its not unheard of people being transferred from their exotic island to the US for better hospital facilities