Purchasing travel insurance will protect you from the fact that, in addition to nice memories, you will bring a s alty bill for treatment from abroad. All you need is an acute infection, hospital stay, outpatient care, which happens often, especially when we travel with children. The cost of treatment abroad increases many times over when more serious accidents occur.

The issue oftourist insuranceof Poles is important because more and more often we go on holiday abroad. According to the latest CBOS research, every fifth person decides to go on such a trip. European directions predominate, such as Germany, Greece or Italy. And here we can feel quite safe. We are not threatened by tropical diseases or those related to the need to adapt to completely different hygienic conditions. Does this mean that we should not have additional insurance to coverthe costs of treatment abroad ? - Regardless of the purpose of our trip, there may always be an accident or other situation requiring medical attention, e.g. acute illness. In order to be able to use at least basic medical assistance in Europe, the European He alth Insurance Card, or EHIC, is necessary - explains Urszula Borowiecka, mfind.pl insurance expert.

EHIC card - what does it en title you to and what medical costs does it not cover?

1. Where can you use he alth insurance on the basis of the EHIC?

EHIC is a document confirming the fact of being insured with the National He alth Fund. Issuing the card takes a maximum of three days, and if you go to the National He alth Fund with a completed application, you will probably arrange it right away. It en titles you to use state medical care on the same terms as nationals of a given country. The list of countries that accept the EHIC include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, Iceland, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, M alta, Germany, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Hungary, UK and Italy.

The issue of the EHIC is free of charge.

2. In which cases the EHIC card does not provide coveragemedical expenses abroad?

Unfortunately, the EHIC has many limitations. First of all, under this card, you can only use facilities that have signed a contract with the counterpart of our National He alth Fund. Moreover, it does not cover the costs of medical transport to the country. And this one is extremely expensive - the cost of only one hour of medical helicopter operation is around 3,000 euros. Contrary to appearances, the need to use this option is not very rare. Imagine breaking your leg on skis - lifeguards take you from the slope, but in difficult terrain there is no other way to transport you to the hospital than by helicopter. More than 1,000 such events took place only on Polish slopes in the 2015/2016 season, and more serious rescue operations took place in half. In foreign ski resorts the statistics are slightly better, but also there are about 700 accidents a season. The calculus of probability is obvious here. It is better to spend PLN 30-40 on travel insurance than to pay hundreds or sometimes thousands of euros for help. The EHIC card in a ski resort is of little use. You are not skiing and you think that such cases do not apply to you? Primary care is not easy in some countries either! In Germany, the first visit to the doctor is payable, and in Italy, dental services are not reimbursed at all. In the event of an emergency with a tooth, you have to take into account the expenses. Inflammation of the ear in a child costs several hundred euros, and for example, on the Greek islands, you do not have to count on clinics, you have to call a doctor for a fee. In addition, private medical facilities that do not accept this card prevail in popular holiday resorts, 'says Urszula Borowska.

Worth knowing

How much can you save with travel insurance?

According to the Blue Media report from 2016, only 28 percent of Poles going on holiday abroad purchased additional travel insurance. This is almost half the European average. In many cases, this carelessness costs us dearly.

Example? According to a list prepared by Mondial Assistance from 2015, the most expensive medical assistance provided to a Polish tourist under travel insurance amounted to over PLN 800,000! This case concerned a tourist who fainted in the water while on vacation in the USA. The heart was in arrest and the patient was in a critical condition. In the absence of an appropriate insurance policy, he would have to cover the costs of treatment himself.

What are the medical costs forabroad?

Even the most complicated cases can ruin your holiday budget. Poles are more and more willing to choose exotic places such as the Middle East, Africa and Asia. And here we are exposed to various exotic ailments, such as "legionnaires' disease" (legionellosis), pharaoh's revenge or West Nile fever. A visit to an outpatient clinic in Egypt costs around 75 euros. In turn, the bill for one day of food poisoning treatment in the local hospital already exceeds a thousand euros. Remember that we often have a calculated budget for holidays and we rarely provide so much for the help of a doctor.

The highest cost of the entire treatment is usually transport to the country.

- It should be remembered that if it is necessary to transport the patient to the country, in addition to adapting the machine to his needs, the presence of a nurse, and sometimes even a doctor, is also required. And in many more serious cases, when it comes to hospitalization, this is how it ends - the patient is not able to return on his own - adds Borowiecka. In such a situation, the medical bill may amount to up to a six-figure amount.

Travel insurance and the nature of the trip

The main factor influencing the selection of the appropriate policy is the nature of the trip. In the case of an organized holiday, the organizer is responsible for taking out a policy covering the consequences of accidents and the costs of treatment. Unfortunately, due to, inter alia, competition among travel agencies, the policies they choose are usually limited in scope, and the guaranteed sum of travel insurance may not be sufficient to cover the entire cost of treatment. Therefore, before leaving, it is worth checking what the scope of insurance is and, if necessary, extend it.

When we decide to travel on our own, we should take care of insurance issues ourselves. Buying an appropriate travel policy is a moment, it can be done online and not wasting valuable time right before departure. It is worth comparing several options, e.g. using an insurance comparison website. In case of doubt, we can quickly contact an advisor who will help determine the details of the insurance. We always get more offers in the comparison engine, unlike in the company's representative office or agent. Thanks to this, it is easier for us to choose insurance that meets our needs. How to do it?

How to choose travel insurance?

Travel insurance, like most voluntary policies available on the market, comes in many variants. Already at the stage of planning a holiday trip, it is worth analyzing what are the potential onesthreats occur in the country or region to which we are going. When choosing insurance, you should consider:1. The specificity of a given country.The website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can help with this, where you can find information on threats to travelers, applicable law, as well as tips on insurance.

2. Planned activities.Basic packages usually do not include the consequences of practicing extreme sports, such as climbing. It is therefore worth making sure which sports are excluded from insurance coverage.

3. The occurrence of tropical diseases.As in the case of extreme sports, the costs of treatment and hospitalization resulting from contracting tropical diseases are not reimbursed by every travel policy. To check it, please refer to the catalog of liability exclusions in the general terms and conditions of insurance (GTC).

4. He alth condition.Before a trip, especially to exotic places, it is worth visiting a doctor to assess your he alth condition, and to consult on the required vaccinations. The doctor will also provide information on medicines that are useful in the country to which we are going.

This will be useful to you

Travel insurance: what should be covered?

We buy travel insurance to ensure a peaceful rest. The package that allows us to do this must include the following insurances:

  • Civil liability in private life (OC ) - provides compensation in a situation where, as a result of our actions, third parties have suffered damage (he alth or material). Before signing such an agreement, check if the policy covers only damages caused during the stay, or those caused during the arrival and return from the trip.
  • Consequences of accidents (NNW)- helpful in the event of a he alth impairment that occurred during an accident. It should be remembered that the insurer will refuse to pay the compensation if the event occurred, for example, during activities excluded from the scope of the policy.
  • Medical treatment costs abroad (KLZ)- guarantees coverage of the entire treatment process. The KLZ policy should also cover the costs of a possible rescue operation, as well as transport to a medical facility. An important factor is also the amount of the guarantee sum, i.e. the limit set in the contract, up to which the insurer is liable. This amount should not be less than PLN 10,000. euro.
  • Assistance services- it is possible to use the hotlineemergency, which will help in organizing, for example, a visit to a doctor or bring help in a crisis situation. Assistance will be especially useful when we fly to an area with poor infrastructure or when we travel with children.

The above list can also be extended to include insurance for e.g. luggage, sports equipment or flight cancellation, and detailed information on the scope of coverage is always available in the GTC.

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Patient's kit