Travel Insurance pays out £5.3m a week in medical bills
British travellers abroad are receiving £5.3m a week in medical claims payments from their travel insurance policies. The number of medical claims is running at around 360,000 a year.
The most common travel illnesses are upset stomachs, ear infections, allergies and heart problems. A heart operation in the USA and emergency flights home can cost £50,000. The cost of medical expenses claims has risen by 270% in the last five years and medical treatment accounts for 60% of the total of all travel insurance claims.
The Association of British Insurers advises people to make sure they take details of their policy with them when they travel, including emergency telephone numbers so they can seek their insurer’s assistance if they fall ill.
The Foreign Office is campaigning for everyone to take out travel insurance because they reckon that as many as one in five people travel abroad without it. They say that the average person spends as much in the shops at the airport waiting for a flight as it would cost to buy a travel insurance policy.
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