EHIC + travel insurance?

The cost of reimbursing the NHS and repatriation to the UK may well outstrip the cost of the insurance unless you can know how much that is going to be and could afford to pay it then I would err on the safe side and buy the insurance.

That is just what I would do.

I'd buy the insurance if I could manage it - but then I'm a worry wort.

How far are you going in France, Luckygirl?
It seems that experiences vary a bit, but some people have to pay for part of the hospital stay which they then get reimbursed by the UK via the EHIC and I have heard other people say that they have paid nothing. As you know those of us who live here get 70% paid by our state insurance and 30% from top-up insurance and that is what causes a bit of confusion.
Having said that when we travel outside France, we have travel insurance, cover from our top-up insurance and cover from our bank cards (bizarrely) so I guess you could say we go for belt and braces!

We had travel insurance as part of our bank account package. Someone advised me that I should tell them about our pre-existing conditions, so I did, and they asked for another £120 for a year's cover ( that's over and above the monthly fee for the account!)

I cancelled the account package and looked at the compare the meerkat site, where I got single trip insurance for £20 from Saga. I'd always take separate insurance, as you're covered for other things too.

Bon voyage!

I would always have both. Travel insurance covers you having to cancel the trip from the date you take it out for example. It can also cover many other things apart from illness.
It is an expense and hopefully you will not use it, but you could be left with a substantial bill if the worst happens.
It is a gamble that I would not be willing to take.

We are only going to northern France (Brittany) for one week. We have had a quote from Meercat of £93 just for this one week.

If I understand correctly the EHIC would cover 70% of the treatment cost and we would have to stump up 30% with the possibility of getting it refunded via the NHS in the UK.

This is why I am debating about whether it is worth it as the EHIC seems to cover most things.

As long as you are sure that you would never need medical-aided repatriation. Look at one of the worse case scenarios - stroke - or a serious car accident. You would then need specialist help to get home. It is fustrating, I have to pay extra, but at least I know I've got everything covered - and very happy when I don't have to use it

Absolutely take out insurance to cover all pre existing conditions and hope you never need to use it.

I wouldn't dream of travelling abroad without insurance, EHIC or not.
A friend tripped and fractured her femur in Italy, without insurance the air tickets for her and her husband (she needed four seats so she could sit along them with her leg in plaster) cost £2500. Then the cost of private ambulance each end etc.
She wishes they'd had insurance now.....

I have been researching this in great detail, which of course involves repeatedly entering the answers to identical questions (sigh!), and it seems that with our problems we cannot have annual multi-trip health insurance but only single trip.

Luckgirl, apologies if you have tried Age UK Travel insurance, but if not, give them a go. We have just booked a holiday and insurance costs ranged from £800+ , to mid £300's. Guess which one we chose?

I travel back and forth between the UK and France using my EHIC and a separate travel insurance. The insurer I have used for the last three years is Staysure.

Just tried Staysure - £45 for one week without our medical conditions; with the conditions it rises to £158!!

My wife has to have specialist travel insurance due to pre-existing conditions and we always use Staysure. I think it helps that we have been using them for years and have never had to claim. They don't actually advertise a no-claims discount but I have found that I can usually get a reduction in price by ringing them and quoting our history with them after we get the initial quotation. Last year we paid around £120 for the two of us for a 4-week road-trip taking in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Italy.

That compares very favourably with the £158 for one week in France that we have been quoted!

Staysure was recommended on the Martin Lewis site.

We have used them for our trip to the USA. Quote for dh and I for single trip was £139 for basic joint policy. Then we added medical conditions. I was ok, no extra loading for any of my conditions until they asked if I took a statin, that immediately added £74. For dh it added only £66 even tho he has diabetes. So total was £279 for two weeks.

Dh was possibly less because I am over 65 and he is under 65.
USA is in Band 4, the most expensive for insurance.

A friend went to Greece without private insurance. He collapsed and woke up in a private hospital I.e. not covered by EHIC. I don't know the final cost but he was in the hospital for 5 days and deeply regretted not having private insurance.

We had to use EHIC in Madeira last year. First class medical service and we only had to pay for bandages, ointments and tablets (all very reasonable). We have travel insurance via DHs bank account. He's informed them about pre existing but treated conditions and there was no extra charge.

We also used our banks free travel insurance. DH delared his medical problems and paid £90 for an annual travel health policy.

Even with an EHIC it costs money. DH went down with a respratiry virus when we were in France. He visited A&E and then we had to buy the prescribed antibiotics from the local pharmacy. Something as minimal as that, hospital visit plus medication cost over £100.

Warning story: My parents used to visit our house in France regularly. DF always sorted out the travel insurance then one year, he completely forgot to do it. He wasn't too worried, the house is within 90 minutes of a channel port so he could get home quickly if necessary. My mother died while they were there. It was both sudden and unexpected, she had no serious pre-existing medical problems. It cost many thousands of pounds to get her body repatriated home.

Hubby and I have pre existing medical conditions and this is the second years we've used " Get Going" travel insurance it has been the cheapest. Luckily we've never had to claim but I wouldn't go abroad without it.

Some events in France are covered completely by the state wherever you are from - such as severe road accident and I think an event such as a heart attack. With the French Health service any hospital stay for 'normal' sort of thing cost €100 a night in our area - that includes three meals a day but the costs vary with areas and hospitals. It is if you need any form of repatriation that it really costs the money. I think it is about time that Ins Companies accept a letter of some sort from a doctor who knows the patient to say if the patient does regularly take their meds and the condition is controlled.
Interestingly in France holiday insurance companies are not allowed by law to ask any medical questions! This also applies to the Health Assurance schemes. To give you an example of costs - apart fron the cost of the flights ( covered by the Credit Card) to be away from home for seven weeks - two in UK and five in USA holiday insurance covering everything else cost us €110 each. In fact that was a belt and braces approach as the house insurance actually covers us for any problems including repatriation! I have also heard that this is true with another company.

We use the Caravan Club for travel insurance. It's reasonable and they don't ask the long list of questions. You can use it for non-caravan holidays.

The Post Office does very good travel insurance. A friend has just arranged single trip cover to the USA for £73, which includes £2 million (yes, million) health cover, and he does have a pre existing condition.

We go to visit family in France often and always take out insurance as it becomes expensive if anything does go wrong whilst you're there ,I have had cancer and it is expensive to get insurance but worth it for my peace of mind !

Not all pre existing conditions carry a loading onto the basic policy cost. I have several conditions but it was only when I came to the question..... do you take statin medication (yes) ...... that an extra charge was incurred.