Not The Way We Treat Our None Paying Medical Tourists?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5407935/Man-39-died-kidney-failure-Egypt-holiday.html

[Old_Geezer]

IMO it a failure of humanity on the part of foreign countries not to cover medical emergencies. But also any UK citizen entitled to NHS treatment here should be covered when visiting elsewhere anyway since not all foreign countries have civilised practices. If you'd be covered at home you should be covered on vacation/business elsewhere. Deliberate queue jumping treatments excluded.

[bednobs]

i'm really glad that people in this country would not get treated like this man allegedly did. It's something to be proud of, yes?

[Sqad]

I don't believe that the report is a true representation of events.

[ummmm]

It doesn't ring true.

[emmie]

its a sad case, but one must be fully prepared to disclose any previous ailments on the travel insurance, if that is indeed why he was refused further treatment.

[emmie]

why doesn't it seem true?

[bednobs]

there is a lot of "alleged" in the article

[Old_Geezer]

Over a lifetime one can have had more ailments than one can recall. It doesn't appear to be a good system. If one can find out there's been an omission (intended or otherwise) why aren't those things checked prior to issuing cover ? Why rely on the applicant to get it right ?

[ummmm]

Because doctors don't just let people die.

[bednobs]

"why rely on the applicant to get it right"!?
i can think of many reasons why it's imperative to rely on the applicant to get it right

[youngmafbog]

OG, I dont think you would forget this:

"Mr King had failed to declare he had been hospitalised with a bout of peritonitis"

//Why rely on the applicant to get it right ?//

Maybe because they must have been there and there is not always a way for the insurance company to check?

Even said, I am highly dubious on this particular report.

[Old_Geezer]

Ok for the specific but besides the point for the general. They can find out when it suits them, if follows they could find out as a matter of practice.

[emmie]

whichever way, a British National died from a serious illness whilst on holiday, i feel sorry for that and his family.

[bednobs]

i would not be prepared to pay extortionate amountsfor insurance to cover the cost of the insurance company searching my medical records before they issue me with a quote, all for the sake of stupid people who can't remember that they've been in hospital

[anthro-nerd]

This is awful, there's no doubt about that!!

But, I am against medical tourism in a big way and I wouldn't dream of travelling without medical insurance. I have kidney problems and depression so I know my premiums would be higher, but I've needed to claim in the past and never had any problems, as I ensure my medical history on all the forms is correct.

[youngmafbog]

//They can find out when it suits them, if follows they could find out as a matter of practice. //

In some instances they can but others not easily at all. To acheive what you ask they would have to obtain every applicants medical records (expensive) and send everyone for a medical to ensure nothing obvious has been carried out outside the records. I doubt you(or anyone else) would want that cost added to your policy (circa £300) nor would you want the time and effort to do it.

[naomi24]

I watched someone die in a hospital in Morocco because he couldn’t produce insurance documents.

[youngmafbog]

I have asthma, I declare it and the medication pay a bit higher and all is good. Just one of those things.

[Islay]

He failed to declare a pretty important piece of information to his insurance co!
Not sure we are getting all the information here - but he it plays into a certain groups agenda!

[Old_Geezer]

No idea what the cost is, but one should be able to grant access to a relevant synopsis of the history at low cost. Or has the health service given up on a computerised system ? Alternatively one could pay an up front charge to cover search costs. It's all excuses, and tragedies occur as a result.