Travel Insurance -Medical Cover 2023

Might be an idea to check the small print in your own Travel Insurance Policy… ignoring/overlooking the “small print” can prove expensive…

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That’s becoming a bit of a recurring theme here on Survive France…

Its the “nobody expected cover to last for 30 days”. In the UK and possibly driven by the EU is that short sheet saying what is and what is not covered.
Low cost cover is just that, higher cost or extensions to the basic for winter sports, diving etc is absolutely normal. RTFM.

We’re all so busy it’s easy to misunderstand or miss completely… something which is very important…

I was horrified when I read the News article this morning… especially as I reckon I might well have presumed that I was “well-covered” for medical needs… and not bothered to dig further into the details of the policy/small print…

"“Nobody would have ever thought that one of the caveats would be that every 30 days you would have to land back in the UK,” said Lucie.

"It was worldwide insurance, and for a year. It seemed convenient to have the same bank and same insurance. Everybody should definitely read the small print."

You dont have to land back in the UK every 30 days, you buy an add on and most of the basics are not fine print these days. Sad tale but if you travel then take a look at your policy.

@LauraW do be careful how you arrange your Medical Cover for while you are in France for an extended stay…
As you will see from the article I opened this thread with, things can go wrong and prove horrendously expensive… and that’s when one needs the Insurance to take command of the situation.

best of luck…

It’s unlikely that riding motorcyles was covered by basic travel insurance along with other restricted activities.

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I’m just wondering how many people have actually read the article… before responding… :roll_eyes: :roll_eyes:
On the other hand, even if they can’t be bothered to read the article… if this thread makes 'em consider their own situation (now and/or in the future)… that’s fair enough.

I read it. Doesnt change my thoughts on people who take out a policy without giving it a cursory read, you get 14 days to cancel if it doesnt suit. How much more do you have to do before people actually take responsibilty for their own actions?

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I’m glad you did read it.

On seeking/buying Worldwide Travel… one needs to know the shortcomings.
The chap thought he had got a Year’s Insurance and went off on his trip…
If he’d not had an accident… he’d have come home none the wiser and no harm done.

So. I think it’s useful to remind folk to check… and double check… dot the i’s and cross the t’s…

It’s not even small print, it’s was a WW (as opposed to just Europe or US) multi trip policy with no one trip exceeding 31 days. That’s standard stuff. It cost me a small fortune to extend my cover to WW and from 30 to 90 days for a trip to Oz this year.

BTW, three skull fractures? No helmet I guess.

EHIC card is vital Stella and will give Laura the same access to public healthcare as a French citizen. .

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Indeed… and just like a French citizen, she’d be advised to have a top-up/whatever… as medical thingies can be very expensive despite the EHIC benefits. :wink:

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Exactly, that’s what the travel insurance should provide. Cover for just the EU is quite inexpensive.

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A timely warning tale for Brit travelling with AXA travel insurance

You never know your insurer until you claim and then its too late.
Public shaming seems to be the only way to get these multinational corporations attention.
Shame the article didnt mention the other insurer that did take action to fly her friend home.

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That would have been good but perhaps more investigative than the jolly LBC is capable of producing.

True, they could be accused of advertising for 1 company.

As I have written at length about on another thread, all travel insurance is a scam. The trick is to find the least scammist. There are metrics that help with this. Such as how much of premia are paid are in sales commissions. If you pay a premium of 100 and 80 goes to paying a commission and the 20 left has to pay for admin, profit and claims then don’t expect the claims process to be easy.

Interesting! Where do we find this information?

What about brit holiday home owners who come to France and do building/repair works on their properties, especially roofing work and then have a bad accident? We never bought holiday insurance when we first came at least four times per year and never gave it a thought. Makes you wonder!