Travellers underinsure their health, says survey

An investigation by ASDA Money, the wing of the ASDA supermarket which offers financial services, has found that travellers both underinsure themselves and underestimate the costs of falling ill while overseas.

Parents taking their families to European destinations often relied on obtaining a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), with one third of parents questioned believing that carrying a card with them meant that they were fully insured. In fact, carrying the card only entitles you to medical treatment at the same cost as would be charged to a national of the country that you are visiting and it doesn’t cover non-medical expenses, such as having to fly home early. As few countries have healthcare free at the point of use, like the British NHS, using an EHIC is likely to leave you paying a bill in most other countries.

Another finding by ASDA is that a quarter of parents admit that they did not realise that each child needs their own EHIC.

When ASDA asked people to estimate the cost of treating certain relatively common conditions overseas, respondents’ answers were very much underestimates. Respondents thought that appendicitis could be treated for under £1,000, but the cost is likely to be over £6,000 in Europe and over £20,000 in the USA. Respondents estimated the cost of treating a broken leg as £5,000, but the cost is more likely to be nearer six times that sum in Europe and could be over £80,000 in the USA.

Travel insurance can be cheaper than you’d think, so do give it serious consideration. You may get away without having any, but if you are unlucky enough to find something goes wrong, the cost could be very serious.

•You can apply for a free EHIC online via the NHS at:
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx.