A friend from the UK is currently visiting and has had the misfortune to suffer from an exacerbation of the emphysema from which she had suffered for several years.
As a result we had to call out the Sapeurs Pompiers who have taken her to Poitiers CHU where she will stay for 4 days.
It transpires that her travel insurance excludes all pre-existing conditions (why do people buy insurance like this???) and as a result will probably have to make a contribution to the cost of her care. She does have a valid EHIC card.
Does anyone have any idea what sort of amount she is likely to have to pay for hospital stay/ blood test/x-ray?
And does the fact that emphysema is (I believe) an ALD in France affect the required payment?
She was passed as ‘fit to travel’ by her GP and consultant so she wasn’t travelling recklessly before anyone hijacks the thread in that direction!
I’m not an expert by any means Brian, but my understanding of the EHIC (and GHIC?) is that it gives the same level of free cover as enjoyed by the citizens of the country one is visiting. So I guess she’ll be liable for the expenses our mutuelles cover. A percentage of the room, etc. etc. Maybe a way to get an estimate would be for the hospital to print out the matrix with the division of those charges. As for ALD, I think my MT had to register me for that, so it may not apply to visitors.
Your warning on travel insurence is very valid. I had a fall in the shower in London in the summer that ended up costing me £1,000 in missed flights and hotel bill but neither my nor my wife’s travel cover paid out a penny. I’ve been using the same firm for decades but they just wriggled out it on my policy and then used another wriggle on my wife’s. At least we know now. I’m going to keep complaining about it and escalate it until I reckon I’ve wasted at least £1,000 of their admin time so that it would have been cheaper to pay me.
That accorded with my thinking. I’ve been to see the hospital admin team but they were unable to give me a cost-to-date or, for example, a daily room rate as <c’est très compliqué> and I didn’t have sufficient excess brain power available to get into an in-depth conversation!
And your insurance report is disappointing but not, I’m afraid, surprising. I’ve worked for a few insurance companies and they could all be described as heartless profiteering bastards. Except that I called them something other than bastards…
Not sure this will help but when Fran spent 9 days in hospital recently we have been charged €600 even though she is ALD. It appears to be the daily (journalier) cost rather than treatment but in the past (and online now) it was €20/day and this amounts to €66/day. So maybe she will get away with around €266 unless they levy a treatment charge as well.
This might not be correct however and I will have a meeting with the AS soon to see if it must be paid.
That may be a factor, but the sheer length of the average insurance contract means that people are reluctant to read them properly. In addition they make the (almost always incorrect) assumption that the cover will apply whatever happens.
It may be a bit of an assumption on my part, but I usually use an insurance aggregation site to get a decent deal. One of the questions always asked is about pre-existing medical conditions - there’s usually a drop-down list and my wife’s glaucoma is listed but isn’t usually a problem. Next time I book I’ll check whether declared conditions are excluded or not.
Being declared fit to travel applied at the time of the conversation and ceased when the attack occurred.
Applying for Travel Insurance requires that the proposal is completed correctly and pre-existing conditions declared. That being so by failing to declare such conditions “travelling recklessly” seems appropriate to use your phrase?
They will have to pay €19.61 for the urgences, €20 a day for hospital and 20% of the costs of all treatment if they have an EHIC card that the hospital accepts. If hospital doesn’t accept card they"ll have to pay the lot and reclaim it. Which can be done.
The ALD is a red herring as she is mot registered here.
And it’s not just blood tests but canula’s, oxygen and all the bits and pieces but if in a public hospital it should not be too horrifuc
Staysure regularly advertise on UK TV on the basis that they do offer cover to customers declaring existing medical problems. They are on line for more details. However, mosty such travel insurance policities, as far as I am aware, have clear restriction that they do not cover existing conditions or dangerous activities or sports.
My advice is to wait at least 3 months from receiving any invoice to claiming it back from GHIC system. When I was hospitalised in 2019, bills came in in slowly, especially Lab fees for blood tests, and it is simpler to make one claim.
Indeed they do, although if you try to take out insurance with them you will discover that there is a huge range of conditions that they will not cover.
Maybe it then warrants a complaint to UK Advertising Standards ? I have not used their services and from what you say it tallies with my belief that all travel insurance exclude existing conditions and rightly so.
They plan to discharge her tomorrow. Her breathing is much more controlled now, and they have given me an ordonnance for a nebuliser hire together with relevant drugs. Fingers crossed she’ll be fine for her flight home on Thursday of this week. One way and another it’s proven to be a memorable, but not necessarily enjoyable, holiday!
