A sorry tale......travel insurance.....

Molly56

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Don't have diabetes
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I do not have diabetes
Was watching a news story the other day where a family were trying to raise awareness of the issue of not having the correct travel insurance when abroad.....think it was partially a mistake on their behalf as the EHIC card (European Health Insurance Card) was not valid in the country they travelled to and for some reason they did not have additional travel insurance.....how they were going to pay the medical bills and get the person home was currently under question....


.....on the same train of thought I heard recently that a previous acquaintance had gone away on holiday on their own to the Caribbean and had the misfortune of breaking their hip whilst there .......plus to compound matters further they had not taken out any travel insurance for this trip.....a stupid decision that is now paying consequences big time.....

.....not sure of the outcome other than a family member mentioned they had to have a hip replacement operation......a costly procedure in any country but I guess very expensive in a country without the benefits of our NHS.....plus I guess medical facilities on a Caribbean island are nowhere near the same as in the more developed world....

...with no means of paying for it I wonder how things stand in terms of financing this and the necessary recovery needed before getting the green light and 'fit to fly' certificate to return to the UK.....the news story stated at the beginning of this post mentioned that the Commonwealth Office will not pay for medical expenses....

...or indeed if they were allowed to leave the country without paying the bill....they may well still be there .....am sure other countries must be much more stringent in getting amounts due to them rather than some of the stories you hear in our press about 'health tourism'.....

..in the case I mention above the person is very much on their own in sorting out the situation they have got themselves into as the family member I had contact with (and other family members) has cut all ties with the person following various family issues over the years and wants nothing to do with them anymore or the current situation.....a tough decision but can fully understand their reasons for this .....

...not sure that I will ever get to hear the outcome of this sorry tale as no longer in contact with the person who suffered this mishap but thought I would mention it on here to highlight the importance of making sure you are properly insured before any travel.



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