Posts Tagged ‘EHIC’

Do we understand the EHIC?

Thursday, August 26th, 2010

We have all probably heard the very sad story in the news over the last week or so, about the honeymooning couple. 

Carrie-Anne Dudbridge broke her spine in three places after falling 20ft from a balcony while on her honeymoon in Corfu. The honeymoon was a surprise gift from wedding guests.

Unfortunately, the couple were then left stranded because they travelled without any travel insurance. They wrongly believed they were covered by the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), formally known as the E111.Thankfully, an appeal to raise the £16,000 required for a specially equipped air ambulance has reached its target. An appeal was also placed on the Millwall FC website, as the couple are fans.

Do you know what your EHIC card really means when you require treatment while on holiday abroad?

We are very pleased that the couple are now getting to go home, but this tragedy really does raise the important point of EHIC. Unfortunately, it is quite confusing what is, and is not covered, so I just wanted to open the forum for a bit of a discussion around this. 

Basically the card guarantees the holder will “receive the same level of medical health care as a local resident”, but the important distinction is that it does not cover any travel costs to come back to the UK. Therefore, given the costs of medical transport back to the UK, it is clear that the EHIC is not a substitute for private travel insurance. – you need both.

So I just wondered what other people’s experiences were of the EHIC card? Have you ever used it when you were away? Has it helped? Or have you had problems trying to use it?

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Posted in Holiday Stress Buster, Travel Health News, Travellers Experience | 3 Comments »

Steve Redgrave and travel mishaps

Wednesday, July 21st, 2010

When we think of Steve Redgrave, Britain’s 5 times Olympic Gold Medalist, we automatically think of rowing. But lately he has been involved in a different physical activity – bike riding.

According to this article, he was part of The Redgrave Crew, an eight-man relay cycle team of ex-rowers, competing in the infamously strenuous RAAM Race, a 3,040-mile dash from California to Maryland. Known as ‘The World’s Toughest Cycle Race’ , it is  a one-stage, start-to-finish, clock-never-stops pelt across America, taking in mountain climbs, sheer descents and rush-hour traffic. Unfortunately, near the end of the race, Steve fell of his bike and crashed. He suffered from with a badly broken cheekbone, three cracked ribs, a double-break in his wrist and a dislocated finger.

His wife, Lady Redgrave, is an osteopathic doctor and she studied the X-rays and CAT scans sent from the USA saying he would need an immediate operation on his cheekbone when he returned home. This involved an incision from the bottom of the right ear and round the hairline, peeling back the face and inserting a titanium plate held in place by screws.

Very glad to hear that Steve is now recovering well, but these kind of incidents do get you thinking about the things that can happen when you are travelling away from home. Ok so not many of us will be competing in a 3000 mile bike race but we do often see our holidays as a chance to try something new and different – whether it is sailing, scuba diving, horse riding, quad biking or just sampling a new and very exotic restaurant. And there is always a risk of the unexpected happening. It might be something like food poisoning from the new restaurant you tried that meant you missed a few days of your break, or your passport being stolen  or something worse. For example, in this article a man had to pay 4500 euros in costs for mountain rescue and transport after a skiing accident. In another article, a 19 year old man from Surrey who had a moped accident in Asia was forced to pay £20,000 for repatriation to the UK. Although he had insurance, he did not read the small print which said he needed a license to ride a motorbike. 

Winter cover travel insurance

If you are go skiing, make sure that you are fully covered!

These stories do shock you and may make you think twice about your holiday activities, but that doesn’t  seem right either– a big part of your holiday is sampling new cultures and trying new things. So what else can you do? Well really it is just making sure that you are as prepared as possible before you go. In both the incidents above, there was not adequate travel insurance to cover the activity. So, although it is something we always hear, you should make sure you read the small print of your insurance policy and check that it covers you. Also, make sure that you have a valid European Health Insurance card (EHIC) if you are travelling in Europe, in case you need medical care. What is more, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommend reading up the local laws of the place you are visiting before you go, so that you know what to expect and can help prevent possible incidents. This sounds like a good idea to me too!

Hope that this info helps you as you go about your travels this summer. Please add any other tips that you think may help out fellow travellers.

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Preparing for the worst

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Ok, so let’s face it, when you buy travel insurance, you often don’t really expect that you will actually get ill while you are on holiday, and you certainly don’t anticipate falling ill before you go, having saved your money, prepared for months, and used up all of your remaining annual leave. But unfortunately this sometimes happens – no matter how prepared you are, you may end up falling ill abroad, or possibly beforehand, and need to cancel your trip. So we have put together some little hints and tips that should help if the worst happens, including how to go about making a claim from your travel insurance company.

Holidays aren't always all sun and fun...

Holidays aren't always all sun and fun...

> If you are feeling ill while on holiday, try to write down the symptoms. If you are familiar with the symptoms, use any suitable medication that you have with you –see the AllClear 4 you site for more information on travelling with medication. If the symptoms persist, seek medical help as soon as possible and notify your travel insurance company’s claims line immediately. If you fail to notify them on time, there might be delays in receiving the appropriate support from your insurers.

> While seeking medical treatment, inform your close relatives back home about the situation if you are travelling alone.

> It may be that you would rather travel home for further medical treatment. You should still be in touch with the claims line, as they can ensure all your travel arrangements back home are taken care of

> If you are hospitalised abroad, ensure you collect all the medical documents, bills etc from the hospital before you are discharged. Ensure you submit these documents as soon as possible to your Insurance company for claim reimbursement. Without adequate travel insurance, the costs for emergency medical treatment and repatriation could result in a hefty medical bill running into many thousands of pounds

> Always check with the Foreign Commonwealth Office for information regarding your holiday destination that may affect your health – for example a heat wave or cold snap

> Make sure your travel insurance covers you for cancellation and curtailment in case an unexpected medical condition, or another situation, arises causing you to cancel or cut short your holiday

> If you plan to participate in adventurous activities on your trip, make sure you have read your travel insurance policy wording beforehand to check you are actually covered to do these

> The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) may entitle you to free or discounted medical treatment in a European Union country but remember it’s no substitute for travel insurance as it does not cover repatriation or cancellation

> Given this information, it is a good idea to take some time exploring the many holiday insurance options, and that doesn’t always mean the cheapest. For example, if you have pre-existing medical conditions, it is important to check that your travel insurance policy covers them in case you fall ill abroad – take a look at AllClear for more information. Also, you should consider whether it is better to purchase single or annual multi trip insurance – annual insurance is often better value if you’re a regular traveller and travel more than once a year.

We hope this blog provides some useful information for you about your travel needs. If anyone has any additional information they would like to add, or have a question that is not answered, please do so in the comments box below.

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Holiday Preparation Hints and Tips #1

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

 Hello and welcome to the stress buster part of our blog. We decided to put up this section because we know that actually preparing for a holiday can be pretty stressful – we have all been there! And if you have pre-existing medical conditions it means that you have even more to think about. So we have been trawling the blog, and speaking in the office, to come up with some tips that might help you in preparing for your holiday. Future blogs will focus in more detail on some of these points, but we thought this was a good ‘starter for 10’:

Beach_woman_jumping

1. Check the formalities: Ensure your passport is up to date – it is best to make sure that it is valid for 6 months from the date of your entry into the country. To answer all your questions check out www.passport.gov.uk. If in any doubt, you should check with the relevant embassy if you need a visa.

 2. Travel insurance: You should purchase your insurance as soon as possible after booking your holiday to ensure that you are covered in case the trip is cancelled; and certainly no later than 3 months before if you have pre-existing medical conditions. Make sure you are fully covered by declaring all your pre-existing medical conditions (link to AllClear FAQ), and that the policy is suitable for your needs. Also make sure your policy covers any specific activities such as winter sports. If you purchase an AllClear travel insurance policy, you automatically gain membership to AllClear Extras which entitles you to discounts when purchasing  your holiday essentials –  Less stress and less expense!  If you would like to get an AllClear Travel Insurance quote click here. Remember to take the emergency contact details of your travel insurance provider with you.

3. European Health Insurance Card (EHIC):  If you are travelling with the EU, then get a FREE European Health Insurance Card for free or reduced emergency care – you still need full travel insurance though!

4. Vaccinations: Check with your doctor as soon as possible to find out if you need any vaccinations before you travel. Information on the vaccinations for different countries can also be found here www.allclear4you.com.

5. Medication: Visit your doctor and make sure that you have adequate supplies (and additional supplies in case any is lost/damaged) of any medication that you might need for a pre-existing medical condition. Check out www.allclear4you.com for more info on travelling with specific medical conditions, and how you can prepare before you go.

6. Secure your house: It might be worth making arrangements to have your garden looked after – especially if you are away during the summer. Not only do overgrown lawns, beds and borders indicate that a house has been left unoccupied, but you don’t want your lovely patio plants to die! If you can, set automatic timers to turn household lights on and off at credible times, to create the illusion of an occupied house. Don’t just have these set up in the hallway! The best thing is if you can ask a neighbour or friend to keep an eye on your home while you are away. Try to arrange for someone to collect your post, draw the curtains etc to generally making the place look lived in.

7.     Travel Games: If you are travelling with children, make sure that you take some paper, colouring pencils and colouring books with you to keep them occupied and avoid that cry of ‘Are we nearly there yet’.

8. Contact from home: Tell a friend or relative where you are going and for how long for – give them some idea of your itinerary if possible and an emergency contact number. Check before you leave whether your mobile phone will work abroad – you may need to contact your provider – and also check the roaming charges to avoid an unpleasant surprise when you get back

9. Money: Take enough money for your trip and some back-up funds in the form of travellers cheques. Travellers cheques are good because they can usually be replaced if lost or stolen (if the owner still has the note issued with the purchase of the cheque), but you do need to have somewhere to cash them. If possible, check that out before you go. Credit and debit cards can also be a convenient way to travel when abroad, but watch out for the hidden charges.

10. Travel Guide: Look for a good travel guide to help you plan your trip and ensure you visit all the places you want to. Find some FREE downloadable guides at www.allclear4you.com

11. Digital cameras: Make sure your camera pictures/video have been downloaded so that you don’t run out of space for your new holiday snaps. It might also be worth investing in an spare memory card so that you don’t need to worry about downloading pics while you are away, and don’t have to limit the number of pics that you take

12. Packing: Make sure that you do not need to pack last minute if at all possible, and try and make a list, at least of those essential items (go here for a checklist http://www.allclear4you.com/checklist.aspx). That way you can ensure you have everything you need e.g. medication, money, toiletries (remember things like insect repellent), plug adaptor etc.

 And we haven’t finished yet! Here are some links to some other useful sites that you might want to take a look at them in more detail.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/checklist. A useful checklist

You also might want to check out the FCO travel advice for the country you are visiting http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/

http://www.car-travel-games.co.uk/ – contains lots of fun travel games for kids

 Please let us know if you have any more hints and tips or websites that you think would be useful to share.

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Posted in Holiday Stress Buster | 2 Comments »