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Travel Insurance


Trevor
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I spend about 10 weeks per year at our house in France. Sometimes on my own an a £20 return flight, sometimes with my wife and son.

 

Is there any point in having travel insurance?

 

With regards to health aren't we covered by reciprical arrangements?

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With regards to health aren't we covered by reciprical arrangements?

Yes we are - but that doesn't mean free treatment, it means treatment on the same terms as the locals, which in the case of France means you would be reimbursed for 60 - 70% of the cost. However, what if you had a serious accident or major illness? You could be left with a bill for 30% of your treatment, which could run to thousands of euros! And what if you needed / wanted repatriation for medical reasons - travel insurance would arrange this, pay for it, even provide a nurse to travel with you, sometimes on a private flight. This could cost tens of thousands of euros. The French health service would not pay for it.

Annual travel insurance can be had for under £50 - it's very foolish to travel abroad without it, as many people learn (to their cost) each year.

M

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Boring but relevant tale.

In Dec 99 Di and I were in Lanzarote on holiday. Back twinge one day resulted in being unable to get out of bed or even move much next morning. Result = 7 days in hospital then flown back to Heathrow via Madrid on scheduled flights (charters won't take stretcher cases) with nurse in attendance. No-one was allowed to sit below my stretcher so 14 tickets were needed. Heathrow to Ipswich hospital by private ambulance. This whole thing was covered by a really cheap travel policy bought at Post Office or Boots or somewhere like that.

We could of course have saved the £20 or whatever puny amount the policy cost and self insured.

John

not

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[quote user="Iceni"]

We could of course have saved the £20 or whatever puny amount the policy cost and self insured.

[/quote]

Totally agree would never travel without it, following very expensive repatriation for me with a badly broken leg in August 1999. Must have cost the insurance company a packet viz nurse, specially chartered plane, private ambulance at the UK end and all courtesy of a b*g standard 15 day Eurotunnel policy.

Sue

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Another cautionary tale here too.  A friend of mine came out here to visit.  On the way, she was taken ill whilst driving down the motorway.  The ambulance came out and she was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack.  She remained in hospital for 8 days while tests were done and the hospital waited for her heart rate to stabilise (she had not had a heart attack, happily).  She had an EHIC but no travel insurance.  A couple of weeks after getting back home, she got a bill for just under £5,000 for the portion of her costs which were not covered.  It could happen to you.
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I have just looked at my cover ............Standard Annual Multi - Trip Policy ..........Medical and Treatment cover £5.000.000 , Holiday abandonment  £3,000 plus loads more and they pay you benefit while in hospital......Premium £49.00.....cost you more than that for a decent meal out ......We feel happy to travel without thinking about the consequences of not having cover ....seems you can not or you would not have posted ..........spent the £49 quid and sleep easy .

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The policy I had not only paid for the hospital treatment but also arranged a driver to collect our car and drive it back to the UK and also a taxi to airport,flights for myself and wife and car waiting at Gatwick to take us home-excellent.
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Hi  JC

We also had a policy that we used to get me back home when I broke my leg a few weeks ago, but they told me that although they could rearange my ferry, they could not bring the van back. Who did you have your policy with? if you don't mind me asking.

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[quote user="Pixie Toadstool"]Call me naive but I was under the impression that one could claw back most of the extra costs of treatment in France from the UK Government on one's return.  I wouldn't have thought they would pay for repatriation though!

Please enlighten me - anyone out there?

Pix
[/quote]No, you only get the equivalent of what a French person would get (70% or so.)  The rest you, or your travel insurance, have to pay.  That is the point.

That's why most of us have top-up insurance here, because the French system is not 100% for all treatments, as in the UK.

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I have always had travel insurance, but I can't find it and suspect it's run out. Fellows brits next door in France who spend a couple of months there say they don't need it which made me ask the question (they are in their 60's).

 

I just used onsurewsupermarket and was going to purchase the Post Office polict at £54, but when you follow through to the PO site it thewn goes up to £72. 

 

There are some at £38 but never heard of them.

 

Any recommendations?

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Moneysaving expert is my first call for anything financial but the company mentionmed there (via Insuresupermarket) doesn't come up.

 

Have now purchased Post Office at £72, however it says you mustn't have visited a hospital specialist in the past 3 months . I have been twice in the past week for different things, neither  of which I'll ever claim on.

 

Martin Lewis site also says to check whether you're covered for unaccompanied trips - I make a lot of trips to France on my own. (Having purchased annual multi family insurance)

 

The other thing that has occurred to me - I work over the internet for 2/3 days per week when there - does this class me as a business traveller and count me out as well?

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[quote user="cooperlola"]

[quote user="Pixie Toadstool"]Call me naive but I was under the impression that one could claw back most of the extra costs of treatment in France from the UK Government on one's return.  I wouldn't have thought they would pay for repatriation though!

Please enlighten me - anyone out there?

Pix

[/quote]No, you only get the equivalent of what a French person would get (70% or so.)  The rest you, or your travel insurance, have to pay.  That is the point.

That's why we have to have top-up insurance here, because the French system is not 100% for all treatments, as in the UK.

[/quote]

We don't HAVE to have top up insurance - it is optional!

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A couple of years ago we arrived at our holiday home, it was about 11pm. I went up the stone stairs by the side of the house to look at the render that was blowing, started to go down the stairs, slipped fell right down, in pain couldn't move, so within 30 mins of arriving we were waiting for the ambulance to hospital. Arrived at hospital x rayed and told I had 5 fractures on my pelvis, spent two weeks in the hospital in France, flown home to the UK by air ambulance ( small aircraft with the seats taken out !) and then spent another two weeks in UK hospital. Out of action for about 4 months. Didn't cost me anything except for the excess of I think £40.

We have a yearly policy, well worth the cash.  Much cheaper then insurance for each trip.

Steve

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Hi

I note your web search criteria  - thank you for that it will be helpful.

we are permanent residents in France and the only trips abroad we make are to the UK. Is there a company who will provide travel insurance for just those trips or does it have to be for world wide travel or is it all the same ?

 

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