Rather pay than give in

I agree why would anyone travel without insurance and rely solely on the EHIC?

I broke my arm in Austria thankfully I had insurance as the EHIC did not cover anywhere near the costs involved.

One of our Children has to have mouth/dental surgery whilst we were in Cyprus the bill run into thousands not all covered by EHIC.

Because GG13, for many EHIC was the only cover they could get- and because the emergency part was covered by EHIC, irrespective of age or pre-exisiting conditions- Travel Insurance reclaimed that part- which made Travel Insurance accessible to most. No longer.

Callistemon

GillT57

Chewbacca, the physical movement of people from airplane to terra firma is not what Biba is talking about. She is discussing travel insurance, medical cover for when we are out of the country and she is right, people with existing, potentially expensive to treat conditions will effectively be barred from travelling unless they have very deep pockets indeed. This is yet another loss that people were warned about, but politicians dismissed as project fear.

GillT57 only someone very foolish would have travelled to the EU or anywhere if they had pre-existing conditions.

How truly nasty and totally insensitive. So if someone suffered any heart or kidney condition in the past, any form of cancer, etc- should be condemened to never visit their family who have moved to EU- even a short flight or drive away- through no fault of their own.

Trump ? Maw and a nasty face - thought better of you really.

Oh, what a ridiculous post.
Truly - that is silly.

I am saying that anyone with pre-existing conditions would never have relied on the EHIC alone and would have taken out travel insurance wherever they travelled.

The EHIC would not have covered extensive medical care.

Calm down biba. It has always been the case that anyone with pre existi g health conditions paid a much higher premium for overseas health insurance than anyone else. I clearly remembering there being a thread, not so long ago, by a Gnetter who was hoping to fly to Rome but all of the travel insurance quotes were coming in at over £2000 simply because her health was so poor.

Trump ? Maw and a nasty face - thought better of you really.

And what is that supposed to mean?
I think you are getting yourself wound up over a misunderstanding about what the WHICH report said.

I don't know anyone who travelled anywhere without taking out insurance.
And I dont appreciate the dig at me about those with family overseas because you know my family are in another country.

GillT57 only someone very foolish would have travelled to the EU or anywhere if they had pre-existing conditions.
Without travel insurance

GillT57 only someone very foolish would have travelled to the EU or anywhere if they had pre-existing conditions.
Without travel insurance

The EHIC would not have covered extensive medical care.

Any one with an ounce of common sense would know that.

Chewbacca there were often threads on GN which discussed the best travel insurance options for anyone with pre-existing conditions, the relative costs etc.
They were very helpful - and always supportive.

It does cost a lot but I will repeat that anyone with a pre-existing condition would be foolish to go abroad without travel insurance, the EHIC was not extensive enough and in fact anyone would be wise to take it out.

It is a cost that has to be factored into any trip or stay overseas.

I have multiple health conditions and as a frequent traveller to EU countries have always purchased specialist travel insurance.
The E111 only covers basic treatment, I would never risk travelling without insurance, that would be totally foolhardy. No-one with comorbidities should ever consider not buying insurance and leaving family with huge bills, if they become seriously ill abroad.
No-one is being insensitive, just practical.

The cost of insurance also varies, depending on which area of the world you live in.
You also have to bear in mind that you need to be covered in the event of having to be flown home for treatment or even worse, dead!
Some posters on here seem to be very ill informed.

Thank you for your voice of reason Marydoll

Anecdotal only but I heard of someone who had to sell their house here because they fell ill in the USA and didn't have full travel insurance.

Australia has a reciprocal arrangement with the UK and DH and I have both received emergency treatment but would never go without proper travel insurance; thank goodness not had to use it so far but it is an expense we know we have to add to the cost of an extended stay. To leave the airport in Singapore for just half a day would have cost an extra £50 each so we gave it a miss last time.

Likewise when going to European countries although the insurance cost was considerably less.

It brings peace of mind.

Chewbacca

^The EHIC would not have covered extensive medical care.^

Any one with an ounce of common sense would know that.

Yes, but we are here talking about EU days, when medical insurance for people with pre-existing condition/s was very expensive, but accessible, available even- because EHIC covered the emergency part - private insurance covered the interim and the earliest possible safe repatriation to NHS care. Travel Insurance recovered the emergency part of cost- and this made it as cheap as possible.

Read the WHICH report - this will all change. EHIC even covered for dialysis when in the EU.

I do not have square brackets, so can't use the emoticons available on GN - hence 'nasty face/grin' comment.

Good post Callistemon.

My father usually spends a month in Goa each winter and comes to Spain with us for the odd week in summer - as he’s 86 with a couple of pre-existing conditions, he pays an absolute fortune for insurance.

He jokes about being frivolous with our inheritance but I’m perfectly content for him to spend his money on his precious holidays (my brother? Not so much ?)

Having a holiday abroad is a little bit like buying a fancy car - it’s not just the initial cost, it’s the extras that also need serious thought.

Yes, Australia is a lot further to repatriate from than France- strangely enough.

We travel to our place in France armed with the EHIC and travel insurance through our bank. We paid into the French system for many years but still had to provide all sorts of documents to prove this if we rocked up at the hospital.
I have accompanied a fair few British visitors and school children to Urgences during their stays in France and before any treatment was given we always had to go into le bureau to fill out the forms in triplicate.

The way they have treated us just because the people had decided they wanted a change and come out of the EU is disgusting! Why do they so desperately want us to stay? Surely if the EU was so marvellous they should just let us find out the hard way? Their behaviour just convinced me more that leaving was the right thing to do.

I agree

With Parky

I spent a fortune on travel insurance last year, when I travelled to New York, part of my bucket list.
As Callistemon says, Peace of mind, not only for me, but my family.

I was fortunate that I could afford to pay for insurance, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have even considered going.
The way things are going I will be uninsurable soon, so I will just holiday in the UK, lots of beautiful and interesting places to visit.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WHICH is scaremongering.
They say premiums may go up.
Of course, they may not, because the more people who take out insurance and do not claim, the more money the insurance company makes therefore premiums would remain competitive.

All these attempt at scoring points, nasty comments and inaccurate information is detracting from the thread.

I would be interested to hear from someone with multiple conditions, who has gone to Europe, relying soley on the EHIC card and has had extensive treatment, without travel insurance.

A number of years ago, I went on on a study trip to the University of Lyons, funded by my Local Education Authority and the British Council.
The EHIC card was not enough. I had to be covered by the LA through their insurance policy. They obviously didn't think the card was enough either.

I know no-one who has travelled to Europe either, without travel insurance, even young people who are fit and healthy. Travel insurance covers many eventualities including delays, lost baggage as well as the health aspect.

The EHIC card may be useful within its limitations.
From the Government website:
It's important to have both an EHIC and a comprehensive travel insurance policy that includes healthcare in place before you travel.