Nobody likes to think about getting ill during their precious two weeks in the sun over the summer holidays, but every year thousands of people find themselves in just that situation. Luckily, most of the people who fall ill or have an accident recover very quickly, and do not to seek medical attention. For the minority who do require more intense medical intervention, the costs associated with getting medical care are often a lot more than they had anticipated, especially if they have travelled uninsured or without EHIC cover.

Survey Shows Lack of Knowledge

A recent survey by a holiday company asked respondents to estimate what it would cost to treat someone in Spain for a heart attack and fly them home, if they had neither EHIC nor private medical insurance. Most respondents thought the cost would be around £15k, whereas the actual cost is a lot more at £25k. Costs for treating a complicated hip fracture – a common complication of a fall – is higher at £35k, but again respondents thought that the costs would be around £15k. Now, it’s worth remembering that EHIC will only cover the cost of treating your heart attack or hip fracture in a Spanish hospital, and won’t pay for flying you home in a special air ambulance, although good private travel insurance will pay these costs. Costs for treatment alone can be over £20,000 for a heart attack requiring surgery and hospital admission, and over £10,000 for a complex break to an arm or leg. Can you really afford to cover these costs yourself rather than spending 5 minutes applying for an EHIC for each member of the family?

Travelling Uninsured and with no EHIC

The survey also showed up the alarming number of travellers who jet off abroad without insurance or EHIC cover. Over half of all travellers admit to chancing their luck and travelling on occasion without proper insurance or EHIC cover, and 10% say they have never had travel insurance of any type. There’s also a lot of confusion about what EHIC does and does not cover. EHIC allows UK citizens to get public healthcare in the countries of the EEA on the same basis as residents of the country concerned, as long as they have applied online and can present the card to the doctor or hospital when asked to do so. Worringly, 6% of respondents to the holiday company’s survey thought that EHIC and travel insurance were the same thing, and 18% thought that EHIC gave the holders free private medical cover throughout Europe.

Our Advice

  • Always get your EHIC in place well before you plan to leave the UK on holiday
  • Remember cover isn’t the same in every country – make sure you know how the system works in the country you’re visiting
  • Take out additional travel insurance to cover getting you home in the case of emergency, theft and loss.
  • Take your EHIC cards with you in your hand luggage, and show the cards to staff if needed.