18, February 2015: New surveys have revealed that up to a third of Britons venture abroad without travel insurance. When quizzed as to what they think the prices of foreign medical bills are, almost all estimated thousands of pounds below the correct price.
The Cost of Treatment Abroad
While staying in Europe, treatment for a broken nose including an operation and overnight stay in hospital could cost the equivalent of £2,132, which most Brits surveyed estimated would cost under £1000. Industry experts say European medical costs are reasonable in the face of US health bills, which can be as high as £80,000 for the treatment of a broken leg.
A spokesperson for top online insurance company, InsureMore, says that without travel insurance Brits would be paying for these bills directly out of their own pocket, as many falsely believe that a European Health Insurance Card is enough to cover any health care problems that they have on holiday. In fact, many holidaymakers surveyed were surprised to discover that health care regulations differ from country to country, including what an EHIC card will cover them for. Many had presented their card only to be told that they would still be liable to pay a fee for their treatment. Some countries may even reject the EHIC card if travellers do not have further private cover.
Family Insurance
Just fewer than 50% of British parents have admitted to travelling with children who do not have the EHIC card or travel insurance. The spokesperson from InsureMore said, “It’s concerning the amount of parents that opt to travel without their family’s health covered, especially when companies like us often include free coverage for children in our packages.”
18-34s
Out of the one third of Britons who travelled without travel insurance, it was the 18-34 age group who made up the majority. Experts say that many people from this age range didn’t realise the extent of the problems they could encounter, especially when holidaying in places like India, Mauritius and South Africa, which are among high-risk destinations when it comes to problems such as flight and baggage delays.
The spokesperson from InsureMore backs this up. “Many Britons overestimate the costs of travel insurance and choose to go abroad without it, not realising that medical bills could cost them thousands of pounds. We have insurance starting as low as £11 so really it is a question of raising awareness of low fees like this so that everyone can have peace of mind when travelling.”
About Insuremore:
Insuremore provide a range of low-cost travel insurance policies for the B2C market, including single-trip, multi-trip and family insurance. Contact them at http://insuremore.co.uk/
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InsureMore Travel Insurance
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