Idiots get help for been stupid.

[TheAnimus]

To be fair I've never had travel insurance and nothings ever happened to me..

Idiot!

By that logic nothing ever happens to anyone, ever.

I've probably spent about £70 on travel insurance over the last 10 years, nothing has happened to me. I'm off this next weekend on a relaxing, no sporting, low risk, weekend break with a friend of mine. I'm of course insured.

I really do hope, that given the events in this thread, if anything happens to you, your just left to sell off all your wordly goods.

When a mate of mine came of a bike in Tunisia, it cost over $30k before they were even considering repatriation. It was something obscene in the region of $15k for the ambulance.

[[GSV]Trig]

Why am I an idiot, because I've never had travel insurance?

I'm not an idiot because I've never been in a situation where I have needed it.

Technically your the idiot for paying for something that you dont need.

[Bugbait]

I'm not an idiot because I've never been in a situation where I have needed it.

So far...

This is probably the same mentality this couple had. They're young, not doing anything out of the ordinary, why do they need more insurance?

Would you live day to day in your home country without any sort of insurance? Would you be comfortable without the safety net National Insurance affords? I would guess not. How is this different when you travel overseas? Should host countries simply pick up the bill? Have you seen the annual bill in the UK for treating foreigners?

Technically your the idiot for paying for something that you dont need.

That's like people who "save" on car insurance by only buying third party cover for their expensive car because they're such perfect and excellent drivers. Until the day they're involved in an at fault accident...

[TheAnimus]

Why am I an idiot, because I've never had travel insurance?

I've never needed it myself so far.

That doesn't mean I might not need it next weekend. My current policy is a benefit from HSBC Premier, these things are so cheap they get bundled up as a freebee.

I mean do you even need annual trip, we are probably talking about the price of a pint.

It is this attitude, that its OK, i'll be fine, that pisses me off, because as soon as something goes amiss the feelings entitlement will shine through.

Like the couple in the story, I bet you they make no real effort to give anything back to the community which gave them so much after they'd been stupid.

[[GSV]Trig]

I've never needed it myself so far.

That doesn't mean I might not need it next weekend. My current policy is a benefit from HSBC Premier, these things are so cheap they get bundled up as a freebee.

I mean do you even need annual trip, we are probably talking about the price of a pint.

It is this attitude, that its OK, i'll be fine, that pisses me off, because as soon as something goes amiss the feelings entitlement will shine through.

Like the couple in the story, I bet you they make no real effort to give anything back to the community which gave them so much after they'd been stupid.

Thats a point, I did have insurance at one point then, years back when I had my Natwest gold account thing.
As for them giving back to the community, thats upto them, personally I would give back but thats me.
My issue with insurance is mainly based around car insurance, its my grate of the month, 5 years ago it was costing me £520 to insure my Calibra with all mods declared, now they want £536 for the Cavalier, standard and I've been driving longer and have more no claims, they say its because of more uninsured drivers that the costs have gone up, thing is if they put the costs up then surely there would be more uninsured drivers...
They should give everyone a decent premium until they have an accident, then they screw them over, I've been driving for 12 years and havent made a claim in 10 yet they increase my insurance.

[Funkstar]

they say its because of more uninsured drivers that the costs have gone up, thing is if they put the costs up then surely there would be more uninsured drivers...

To a point perhaps, but I don't believe this completely and think it is a bit of an easy get out.

Cars are easier to write off these days, crumple zones, air bags and all the other amazing (no sarcasm) safety features means more damage to the car and less to the people inside. Now you have manufacturers designing front ends that will absorb the impact of pedestrians too, this means higher costs to insurers as the vehicle is more likely to be damaged.

Then there is advances in rescue techniques and medicine. Where as before passengers might have died at the scene, they are surviving but may need extensive long term heath care, much of it iwll be paid for by insurers. This wasn't the case years ago.

So in short, on average, it costs a lot more to insure all the drivers on the road than it ever used to. I can't see this chaning any time soon either.

[TheAnimus]

But this is like £3.50 for a single trip we're talking here.

About as much as two bottles of water at departures. Car insurance, and the cost of 'un-insured' drivers should be a separate discussion, as whilst criminal, its something a lot safer to do in the UK than go abroad without adequate insurance.

[Mike Fishcake]

Why am I an idiot, because I've never had travel insurance?

I'm not an idiot because I've never been in a situation where I have needed it.

Technically your the idiot for paying for something that you dont need.

So what would you do if you were on holiday somewhere and something happened to you that required expensive medical attention? Would you not kick yourself for not spending a tiny amount on travel insurance?

[Steve]

Would you not kick yourself for not spending a tiny amount on travel insurance?

Well that's just going to exacerbate things, particularly if he's broken his foot.

[Saracen]

I have a lot of sympathy for this poor woman's injuries, and her ruined honeymoon. I have no sympathy at all for the being stuck. Travelling abroad without insurance is a risk, and indeed, is doing without home insurance. If you take the risk and nothing happens, you save some money, But don't expect those that do pay for insurance to have much sympathy for your predicament if you take the risk and come unstuck. If you get burgled or your house burns down and you aren't insured, don't expect me to help pay for a new one, because it won't happen.

Earlier, the suggestion was made that insurance ought to be included in the cost of the holiday. I'm vehemently against that. For a start, many of us have annual policies and I don't want to pay for it twice. Second, if you need travel insurance and have any sense, you shop around, and you compare not just prices but the level of cover. Only that way can you know what you are, and aren't, covered for, and pay for what you want. And that's the third reason for not having it built in .... different people may want different levels of cover, like some people want comprehensive car insurance and others want TPFT, and some people want personal property or all-risk cover on their home contents policy and others want the basic cover.

And, of course, of you have no choice but to buy travel insurance fro he holiday company and can't ship around, you can bet that the lack of competition will lead to over-priced "built-in" cover .... just like it used to be. It's why the OFT took action to prevent mandatory short-term travel cover bundled with holidays in the first place.

I can see two possible approaches. First, like car insurance, stipulate a legally mandatory minimum level of cover and require people to have it before travelling, just like you have to have car insurance. But the problem with that is the cost and administration required to enforce it. Or second, as we have now, require people to be adult and to take responsibility for their actions .... and the consequences. I don't think people are idiots for failing to take travel insurance. It's a calculated risk, cost versus cover. But they would be idiots if they then expected much sympathy from me (or, I suspect, from a large majority of people) for the mess they find themselves in if they then come unstuck. I have sympathy for this couple because of the injuries, but none at all over the mess caused by the absence of insurance.

[neonplanet40]

I can't believe people are saying they never buy insurance because "they never needed it".

Are you a psychic? If we could all tell the future we would all be very rich people.

Im going to New Zealand on Monday to do all kinds of extreme activities such as Sky diving, bungee jumping, glacier trekking, abseiling etc. Do i think I will need travel insurance? Well no, because I always think I'll be one fo the peopel that the bad stuff never happens to. But I hope I dont need it! Did I get insurance anyway?

Of course I did, I'd be a fool not too. Cost me £120 and im covered for everything im going to do.

What would happen if I slipped on the glacier trek and fell down the mountain and I wasnt insured? Well i'd be screwed wouldnt I?

But to be honest, people are fools not to buy insurance. Its cheap and covers you IN THE EVENT you need it. Its like house insurance - your house will probably not burn down but its better to be covered IN CASE an accident happens.

I do have sympathy for this couple though. No one wants to see that happening to anyone but they were stupid not to get the insurance that would have cost 1% of the amount they spent on their honeymoon.

[[GSV]Trig]

Travel insurance should be an opt out thing tbh

[MadduckUK]

Travel insurance should be an opt out thing tbh

you don't say

[Bugbait]

Travel insurance should be an opt out thing tbh

Were you a consultant for Scan when they implemented Scansure?

P.S. I use Scan all the time but still wish Scansure was opt-in and not opt-out.

[Spud1]

I don't quite get the big complaint here..or even more why this is news.

The way I see it she had a terrible accident - horrible and I do feel sorry for that, BUT their EHIC has done its job and she is now being treated, in a hospital, free of charge.

Flying her home makes no sense and is a luxury that she/the family wants, but doesn't need. She will get cared for, treated as much as possible and then will (hopefully) be able to fly home when she has recovered a little.

In this case she didn't *need* insurance to save her life, or to cover her healthcare..so has no right for complaint, no cause for complaint and I think its retarded that all these people have donated to get her flown back here. I have compassion for her injuries but not for the luxury of flying back to the UK.

[peterb]

And on that excellent summing up by Spud1 - I think the thread has run its course. Clearly it was a slow news day when the original 9no) story was published!