eoropean travel

[johntaylor99]

My wife & I are 71 & 73 years old and we would love to go to tenerife for a break. We both have the EHIC cards but we annot get insurance as it would cost a fortune because of our health problems.
So is safe to just get basic insurance and rely on the EHIC card if we become ill with existing h bad health conditions?

[bednobs]

it depends what you mean by "basic" and "safe".
If money is a problem, please bear in mind how expensive repatriation is.

[dzug2]

The problem with Spain (and I don't know if it applies to Tenerife or not) is that you can't rely on your EHIC card - you may well get taken to a private hospital and have to pay.

You would be unwise not to have insurance

[bednobs]

personally, i would say if you can't afford insurance, then you can't afford the consequences of not having it should something go wrong with your health

[carmalee]

I was led to believe that the EHIC card should NOT be considered adequate for travel and private travel insurance was required in addition to it and not instead of.

[boxtops]

The EHIC card on its own only provides limited emergency health care - if you had to go into hospital or need to be flown home, you won't be covered and would have to pay up front for those services. Have you tried somewhere like the Post office for travel insurance? I am told they are not unreasonable for people needing to declare health problems. Alternatively somewhere like Saga is for older people too, both have on-line websites with contact details.

If you have health problems as you say, it's simply not worth considering leaving the UK without adequate travel insurance, in case either of you is taken ill abroad. That chap in the Far East has cost his parents something like £80K to repatriate - if only he'd had insurance, it would have been covered.

I don't know what you mean by "basic insurance" - are you just talking about cancellation and luggage cover? That would be the least of your worries if one of you is taken ill a thousand miles away from home. Shop around - insurance rates do vary.

[bednobs]

have just done a quick search and air ambulance from canary islands to uk can cost £20k. Even repatriating a body could cost £10k (not that i am suggesting anythin WILL happen, just that anything CAN happen)

[Buenchico]

The EHIC card gets you exactly the same treatment that the locals get (at the same price, or lack of one, as a local would pay). As others have said, it doesn't cover repatriation costs.

I usually don't bother with insurance when travelling abroad but that's because I'm prepared to take the risk. It's up to you to decide whether you feel likewise. However you might like to ask this broker about insurance:
http://www.able2travel.com/
(That company is recommended on the websites of several charities for people with disabilities or medical conditions).

Chris

[dennisb66]

John try a quote from Columbus travel.My wife and i are 74 and 76 and have pre-med problems to declare.
Myself -Hypertension/hypercholestoral/prostatic hyperplasia.
Wife- Hypertension/hypercholestoral/amputation(with
in
last 2 years)and Peripheral vascular disease. total cost for 2 weeks £89.05.
I had quotes over £500.
Best of luck and don,t even consider going without insurance.

[pink-kittens]

what about your bank account? Does that come with travel insurance?