Two people in as many weeks have fallen from balconies whilst abroad on holiday, both are in hospital with serious injuries and neither of them had any travel insurance. The families of both have launched appeals to raise in excess of £15,000 to bring them home. Both cases are extremely sad, but the added stress and worrying about trying to find the money to get home could easily have been erased if they had bought travel insurance for their holiday. In one of the cases the couple assumed that the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) would cover them and that they didn’t need travel insurance, it is not clear why travel insurance was not bought in the other case.
A recent report by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, British Behaviour Abroad highlighted the number of Britons travelling abroad without travel insurance and requesting consular assistance. The government must do more to publicise the need for appropriate travel insurance when you go abroad. Many Britons who do fall ill while abroad are facing costly treatment and repatriation bills, because they have either not taken out travel insurance, omitted to declare a pre-existing medical condition or have wrongly presumed that if they are travelling in the European Union their EHIC would fully cover them for all medical costs and repatriation. It is
left to their families and friends to raise the money to pay for medical costs and to bring them home, some taking our huge loans or bankrupting themselves in the process
There is a serious lack of information from the Government about the EHIC cards, even the name European Health Insurance Card gives the public the impression they have health insurance whilst in Europe and they naturally assume it will be the same health care they enjoy in the UK. This is not the case and the Government needs to do some sort of publicity to clarify the situation or we will> continue to hear about families saddling themselves with debt to pay for their loved ones medical and ancillary costs abroad or to bring them home.
Travel insurance is something we all grudge paying for, but is worth its weight in gold when we do need it. Buying travel insurance does not have to be prohibitively expensive even if you have a medical condition, www.insurancewith.com specialises in providing affordable travel insurance for people diagnosed with cancer and other pre-existing medical conditions.
If you have a medical condition or you are travelling with someone with a medical condition it is advisable that the whole of your travelling party is on the same travel insurance policy.
If for whatever reason the person with a medical condition needs to claim then the rest of the group are also covered.
For example if the person is taken ill abroad then the policy will pay for one of the travelling party to remain in the country with them until they are well enough to travel, and if the holiday needs to be cancelled because of a problem with the medical condition then all of the travelling party are eligible for a refund.
If you or your travelling party would like a travel insurance quote for a very minor pre existing medical condition, or you do not have a pre-existing medical condition please visit our sister site Holidaysafe.co.uk
Purchasing travel insurance is a must for anyone who intends to go on holiday, but if you have a pre-existing medical condition, doing so can be both expensive and difficult. Going on holiday is exciting; you shouldn’t have to worry about filling out form after form and getting stuck with a policy that doesn’t actually provide you with all the cover you need. Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Specialist providers
In order to get insured for your holiday with relative ease, it’s best to purchase from a specialist insurer, such as Insurancewith. We provide cover to holidaymakers with a variety of medical conditions, including cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and more. Although the premiums will always be higher when compared with standard travel insurance, purchasing cover through a specialist will be cheaper than buying the same product through a non-specialist insurer. Not to mention the process will be easier!
Tips for applying for specialist travel insurance
Be honest: One of the most important things to remember is to always be honest about your condition. Lying on your application form, or not being totally accurate, can have serious consequences later down the line, especially if you have to make a claim.
To make sure you’re completely covered, include as much detail about your current condition(s) as possible – even information you think is unimportant. For example, just because you take medication to lower your blood pressure doesn’t mean you shouldn’t mention the fact you have high blood pressure. The insurer will decide what’s important, and what isn’t.
Shop around, but don’t just depend on comparison sites: Whilst they can be handy at times, comparison sites aren’t all great for researching the cost of specialist travel insurance.
If you’re having trouble finding insurers that will cover your condition, try getting in contact with a relevant organisation or charity, as they may have a list of providers.
Pay attention to the policy’s inclusions and exclusions: The cheapest policy isn’t always the best, so it’s vital to check its features and exclusions. It’s better to pay a little extra and have insurance that covers every eventuality, rather than purchase a cheap policy and discover you can’t make a claim later down the line.
No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, you must purchase travel insurance every time you go away. It gives you financial protection against circumstances you can’t predict, such as illness, emergency evacuation, theft and loss, accidents, injuries and much more. Even if you are suffering from a debilitating condition and are finding it difficult to obtain cover, you shouldn’t let that discourage you from purchasing the right travel insurance.
We provide cover for a whole range of different medical conditions. To receive a quote (with an additional 15 per cent off), simply fill out our online form. If you have any questions, please get in touch. We’ll be more than happy to help.
Please Note: If you have an existing European Health Insurance Card, you can continue to use it until it expires, visit the Government website for up to date information on passports, GHIC, healthcare and more.
The Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) was introduced to give the holder access to treatment that becomes medically necessary during a temporary visit to the European Economic Area (EEA). The cards gives access to reduced-cost or free medical treatment from state healthcare providers in the EEA.
It is important to note that the medical treatment is from the state healthcare provider, so you get the same treatment as a national of the country you are visiting would be entitled to free of charge, but it must be remembered that no other country enjoys the broad level of healthcare we enjoy on the NHS. Furthermore, the card may not be used in some regions of the country you are visiting, as there may be no state provided healthcare available. It is also important that you ensure that you are treated by a state healthcare provider as you will not be covered for private healthcare. You should be particularly careful if the healthcare arrangements have been made by a hotel or travel representative. Currently, some 30 countries subscribe to the agreement, of which four are non EU-member states, namely; Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
The scheme covers the medical treatment only and repatriation back to the UK or any kind of convalescing will not under usual circumstances be covered. It is essential to note that in numerous countries it is literally just the emergency treatment itself that is covered and not the journey to the hospital in the ambulance, or the hospital bed you will occupy. However, you may be able to seek reimbursement for some of your treatment you have had to pay for when you are back in the UK. Therefore travel insurance is essential even if you do have an GHIC.
If you have a medical condition you should look for a specific pre existing medical condition insurance. When purchasing travel insurance with medical conditions, you must be careful to declare all you conditions no matter how minor you consider them to be. If you are unclear whether to declare something or not, declare it and let the travel insurance provider decide if it is relevant or not, and make sure you get everything you declare confirmed in writing.
It is important to remember that pre existing medical condition travel insurance does not only cover your medical treatment, it also covers other things such as; theft (your holiday money and personal items etc), cancellation, personal liability and various other eventualities depending on the type of policy you have purchased.
Hopefully after reading this you will decide to take out some form of travel insurance for your next holiday, after all piece of mind is priceless.
To get a pre existing medical condition travel insurance quote, or for more information please click here or give our UK customer service centre a call on 0333 005 1066.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published their 2011 Retail Conduct Risk Outlook. The report hi-lights concerns for 2011 and one concern is the rise in packaged bank accounts being sold. Packaged accounts are fee-bearing current accounts bundled with a number of other products, such as travel insurance and other consumer benefits, and are usually designed to target as broad a range of consumer as possible. The FCA estimate that approximately a quarter of all current account customers have been sold a packaged account, and they are concerned whether the products offered the consumer value for money.
Insurancewith has long been concerned about the level of travel insurance cover in packaged bank accounts for people with medical conditions. Travel Insurance for pre existing medical conditions can be complex and relying on a travel policy as part of your bank account to fully cover your condition can be a false economy. The customer must fully read the documentation provided by the bank with the packaged account to ensure that any insurance they will be relying on actually suits their needs. Because the customer does not ask for all the benefits the packaged account offers they don’t always check it to see if it is suitable for them, and only realise that it does not fit their needs when they come to rely on it.
Advising someone on travel insurance for existing medical conditions can require a specialist understanding, particularly for cancer travel insurance, therefore is it always advisable to seek out a specialist in pre existing medical condition travel insurance if you have a medical condition.
The FCA said it had noted that consumers could be better off purchasing products individually and that the level of cover from the bundled insurance was often lower than was expected, stating ‘Consumer research suggests that these products have some positive aspects, e.g. for the convenience they offer to some consumers. However, consumers should consider whether they represent value for money for them. It is important that firms are clear about how our standards apply to packaged accounts. We will be conducting further work in this area during 2011.’
Banks have heavily marketed packaged accounts in order to increase fee income from current accounts after profits from traditional bank activities like lending were hard hit by the financial crisis.
The FCA also voiced concerns about banks bundling deposit accounts with investment products which it warned could lead to poor outcomes for consumers because of the complexity of the products and higher switching costs.
‘We believe a desirable outcome would be one where firms do not bundle products with disparate appropriate target markets or product risk profiles. It is crucial that where the bundled investment product poses an increased risk of mis-selling, firms put in place strong point-of-sale and other controls that ensure that consumers purchase products that meet their needs,’ stated the FCA.
Packaged accounts are fee-bearing current accounts bundled with a number of other products, such as travel insurance and other customer benefits, and are usually designed to target as broad a range of consumers as possible. The volume of packaged current accounts has grown sharply in recent years and these have been sold across all age groups, income brackets and socio-economic groups (Figure 75). Based on figures provided by some banks, we estimate that approximately a quarter of all current account customers had a packaged account at the end of 2009.
