I Have The Ehic Do I Still Need Travel Insurance

W hat would happen if you        medical treatment at a state       arrived at your               hospital (but not a         bougainvillea-covered         private one). It would not cover   holiday villa in France and found     repatriation costs. It also would  that a family emergency meant you     not cover repatriating the body    had to drop everything and return     of you or a loved one in the       home immediately? Suppose you         event that your luck had run out!  arrived in Malaga to find that        These unexpected costs would be    your luggage was lost? What if        your problem!                      you loaded the family into the                                           car and took them on the ferry to     All of the above are typical of    France and were involved in a bad     the coverage you could expect      car accident resulting in serious     from a good travel insurance       injuries? What if things were         policy. The EHIC has other         much, much worse… and there were      limitations: For instance, it      fatalities? Which would you           might not provide coverage for     prefer to have - the EHIC or          many of the treatments you are     private travel insurance?             used to getting for free on the                                          NHS. This is where your travel     You may be surprised to learn         insurance policy would kick in -   that the European Health              to cover those extra costs         Insurance Card (EHIC) would not       (subject to the terms and          be of much help in any of the         conditions of your particular      above scenarios. It would not         policy).                           cover costs involved in                                                  cancellation or curtailment of        The EHIC basically entitles you    your trip. It would not cover for     to free, or lower cost necessary   your lost luggage. As long as it      treatment in participating         was a participating country, it       countries. At the time of writing  would cover some or all of your       these are: Switzerland and the     EEA (European Economic Area). To      for eligibility. The card          clarify, the EEA is comprised of      contains personal information      all EU (European Union) countries     such as your name, birth date and  plus Norway, Liechtenstein and        National Insurance number.         Iceland. Switzerland has a                                               separate agreement with EU. For       Many major touristy areas in       up-to-date information about the      Europe have private hospitals in   countries you plan to visit and       the immediate vicinity and if you  to see whether the EHIC is valid      end up there your EHIC would be    you should check with the             of no use. If you're taken to a    Department of Health.                 state hospital the EHIC should                                           cover for any necessary medical    Do you have an old E111 stashed       treatment due to accident or       away in your document drawer? If      illness during your trip. Should   so, you'll need to discard it and     you be injured or unconscious you  apply for the new EHIC. The E111      would not have any opportunity to  was phased out in early 2006. The     choose where you are taken!        new EHIC is provided free by the                                         Department of Health and the NHS      Note that neither your EHIC nor    Prescription Pricing Authority.       your private travel insurance      Unfortunately, it means you'll        will provide cover if you travel   have yet another plastic card to      abroad with the intention of       put in your wallet along with all     obtaining medical treatment -      the credit and debit cards,           perhaps to jump the NHS queue in   loyalty cards and your plastic        the UK. However, there may be      drivers license. The card is          exceptions, or the EHIC rules may  normally valid for three to five      change for certain conditions, so  years. It is not automatically        check with your GP or the          available to any UK resident, so      Department of Health for updates.  if in doubt you'll need to check                                         There are other countries and         the EHIC should never be    territories around the world          used as a substitute for           which have reciprocal agreements      purchasing a travel insurance      with the UK for state-provided        policy. If you don't believe it,   healthcare. How do you get an         go to the Department of Health     EHIC? Application forms are           website and look for yourself.     available at the post office or       They clearly advocate taking out   online. Note that it is your          private travel insurance along     responsibility to check the           with your EHIC!                    accuracy of the information on                                           your card after you receive it.                                          If you need to use it in an            purchasing travel insurance.          align="center">                    However, the bottom line is that       About the Author: Jean Andrews is a freelance writer living in the UK. She regularly contributes articles for TIA Ltd who offer travel insurance at great prices online. Published At: www.Isnare.com