Holidaymakers Can’t Rely on Giving Pages to Dig Themselves Out of Medical Cost Hole

-       Only 18% of the public would give any money and 88% are not impressed by those who rely on others to cover their costs

With Insurance Awareness Day on the horizon on June 28, Europesure Travel Insurance, a travel insurance provider to holidaymakers and business travellers across the UK and many European countries, has a strong warning.

Europesure highlights how consumer research shows that only 18% of consumers say they would contribute to a fundraising page seeking to ‘rescue’ a holidaymaker.  The rescue and urgent request for donations is typically required because the traveller did not buy travel insurance before heading abroad, or because they invalidated a policy, by withholding material facts or doing something in contravention of its terms.

Setting up such ‘giving’ pages has become a go-to strategy for the family of loved ones who have been stranded in a foreign hospital.  These holidaymakers are unable to afford to be repatriated back to their home country or, in other cases, leave the hospital or country until medical bills have been settled.

Such a situation causes major distress for family members.  Having no travel insurance, those who find themselves in need of urgent fundraising, also lack anyone who can liaise with medical teams and family back home.  They often have a language barrier to overcome as well.  

Most importantly, they are typically facing a medical bill running into five-figure sums and, if requiring repatriation by air ambulance, can be looking at a bill of £22,500 to be moved, with medical support, from Turkey to the UK.[i]  Come back from a location such as the Caribbean in such medical transportation and the cost would be around £60,000 or the equivalent in Euros.

Sometimes, the failure to buy travel insurance has been a deliberate ploy, to save money.  At other times, the situation is caused through lack of honesty about pre-existing medical conditions. The holidaymaker has gambled on such conditions not causing an issue whilst they are overseas.  

88% of consumers told Europesure that they feel that too many people choose to buy travel insurance, relying on others to “dig them out of a hole”.

In some instances, the holidaymaker has simply forgotten to buy travel insurance before travelling.  Nearly one-in-five (19%) consumer has admitted to having previously, quite innocently forgotten to buy insurance before travelling.

Often, it has been a case of believing that the EHIC or GHIC health cards will cover any medical care required.  What holidaymakers fail to realise is that these cards only provide cover for state health care.  They will also not provide any repatriation support or recompense for extra expenditure on changed or special travel arrangements, or additional accommodation required for medical recuperation pre return flight, or for somewhere for accompanying travel companions to stay, whilst you are in hospital. 

In many holiday locations, the only care available is not state healthcare but private healthcare and the only ancillary services, such as ambulances, are also privately run.  This leaves the holidaymaker, who is without insurance, in a situation where they are then left paying the care bill.  

In some countries, such as Spain, the traveller can unwittingly be given private healthcare, even when the hospital also offers state healthcare.  It is important, on hospital admission, for any holidaymaker to make it clear that they want state healthcare and, if travelling in Europe, to show their health card, to try to make that point.

For expats who lack insurance it has sometimes been a case of thinking differently since living abroad and having too much confidence in not falling ill or requiring repatriation when travelling in mainland Europe.

If travelling to the USA or Canada, the cost of healthcare is eye-watering. A day’s stay in a US hospital costs about $2900 but the average stay is 4-5 days.[ii] That means a 5-day stay alone could set you back about nearly £11,500 or €13,420. 

However, it is also worth reflecting on the situation in areas of the world such as the Caribbean, where the specialist healthcare required by a holidaymaker might only be available on another island, or on the US mainland, in a city such as Miami.  This means repatriation expenses immediately being incurred, as no other choice exists.  It could also mean that huge American medical bill being inadvertently racked up.

With perhaps a hardening attitude towards ‘giving’ pages, as budgets are squeezed by other costs, the risk that many holidaymakers are taking is just not worth it.

Europesure’s sales and marketing director, Paul O’Sullivan, says: “Our message is the same whether it is Insurance Awareness Day or any other day. Do not even contemplate travelling without insurance.  It can put your financial future in jeopardy, as well as your health and wellbeing.  

“Travel insurance is highly affordable and offers priceless support, if called upon to assist. It covers many aspects of loss that could be incurred during a trip and will provide recompense for holiday cancellation, if circumstances force that to happen and the cover has been purchased early enough in the planning phase. 

“However, the huge losses are undoubtedly those that surround overseas medical care.  That – or the sad repatriation of a body – is always what the ‘giving’ pages are focused upon.  Knowing that 82% of people will not give money to such a ‘cause’, because the whole scenario was totally preventable, should make more holidaymakers think ‘what if?’ and buy a travel insurance policy for their trip immediately.”

Europesure Travel Insurance offers comprehensive single trip and annual policies, backed by Lloyd’s of London, and has a number of optional add-ons, such as terrorism cover, golf cover and Covid cover.  It offers travel insurance to residents of the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco and Gibraltar.  Head to https://www.europesuretravelinsurance.com to find out more.

[i] https://www.iasmedical.com/europe/air-ambulance-turkey/

[ii] https://www.valuepenguin.com/hospital-bill-costs-study#:~:text=typical%20hospital%20stay.-,The%20average%20per%2Dday%20hospital%20cost%20is%20%242%2C883%2C%20but%20the,hospital%20stay%20cost%20increased%20161.7%25.

Ends

Editors notes

Europesure Travel Insurance is a respected travel insurance provider, offering a range of travel covers to residents of the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco and Gibraltar. With the added peace of mind of having policies backed by Lloyds of London, holidaymakers and travellers can gain peace of mind of knowing their cover will be comprehensive and ready to step in, to offer whatever level of protection was selected, in line with the policy wording and terms and conditions.