British Holiday Makers Advised of Value of Health Insurance

British consumers and holidaymakers are being urged to ensure they have insurance policies before travelling abroad this summer. Given the economic difficulties facing families in the UK, it is feared that health insurance policies and travel insurance will be among the first cutbacks, though this could end up being a false economy. Over three million Brits are expected to go on holiday this year without travel insurance, exposing them to a number of potentially vast expenses, none more costly than medical expenses while abroad.

While warnings of expensive hospital bills are commonly associated with winter ski holidays, hospital bills can be considerable if injuries are incurred while on any type of holiday. Indeed, the Association of British Insurers estimates the cost of a broken ankle in Menorca is around £28,000, once hospital care and repatriation back to the UK are considered.

Most travel insurance policies contain a significant degree of health insurance cover, entitling policyholders to medical costs of around £5 million. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is not a replacement for health insurance when abroad, but simply entitles travellers to the same medical treatment as nationals, but there will be costs associated with this treatment in many countries which do not have free healthcare systems.