Maureen’s £2,400 bill for care in a Spanish hospital
Money Mail has been bombarded with complaints from holidaymakers who have found themselves unable to use their free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in Spain.
Instead, they have been left owing thousands, often paying large upfront deposits because they have been referred straight to a private hospital when they have needed emergency care.
Private hospitals do not have to give British travellers with an EHIC free care.
The EHIC entitles those travelling in the European Union to the same treatment locals get at state-run hospitals, meaning care should be free in most cases. Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland also honour the health cards.
But it seems many travel companies, hotels and tour operators will refer sick guests straight to private hospitals, which are not covered.
Peter and Maureen Barnett had to pay £2,432 when Maureen got pneumonia during a family Christmas break in Malaga last year.
The 71-year-old grandmother was seen by a doctor after falling ill at Thomas Cook’s Best Trident Hotel. She was then in hospital for three days.
On their arrival, Peter discovered it was privately run and was immediately asked to pay £722 on his credit card as a deposit.
The hospital had tried to contact his travel insurer, Direct Line, but was unable to get hold of it because it was Christmas Eve.
Peter, 72, says: ‘You don’t think about where you are going at the time, you just trust what you are being told. All I cared about was getting Maureen treated, but then later, when you get a massive bill, it’s a nasty shock.’
Maureen recovered and flew home with her family, but two months later a letter arrived from the hospital saying that Direct Line had refused to cover Maureen’s treatment so she and Peter were left owing £1,710 to cover the rest of the treatment costs.
Direct Line says it refused to cover Maureen’s hospital bill, because she had failed to disclose an existing medical condition. Peter discovered the extra sum had been taken only when he checked his credit card statement.
Peter says: ‘We should never have had to pay this in the first place and now we have paid interest on it. The money was taken automatically and I’ve been scared they could just take even more without me knowing. It has been a big mix-up all over.’
After being contacted by Money Mail, Direct Line paid the claim in full and offered £ 150 as an apology for the confusion and misunderstanding.
The Barnetts’ experience is not uncommon as tourists are usually taken to the nearest clinic when they fall ill abroad and, in the urgency of the situation, coupled with a language barrier, they do not request a state hospital.
Those who are uninsured while on holiday face enormous bills if they receive private healthcare abroad with no way of getting the money back. Under an EU agreement, citizens can be treated free of charge in other countries as long as their government repays the cost.
However, the UK claws back just £1 for every £15 we pay for Britons to be treated abroad. Last year, the Government collected £50 million from EU countries, but paid out £750 million.
In 2013, Money Mail revealed how the European Commission had been forced to launch an investigation after travellers to Greece, Portugal and Spain were having their EHIC cards refused at state-run hospitals that were strapped for cash. A number of British insurers lodged complaints after being forced to pick up the tab for treatments that should have been free.
Although this practice has now been stopped, there are claims that travel operators are pushing tourists towards private treatment, meaning they are still left with care bills and have to make insurance claims later.
Pensioners Thomas and Hazel Downey, from Whitley, Coventry, claimed a Thomson Holidays rep in Majorca told them that if they fell ill or got injured they would be taken to a private doctor. The couple, both in their 70s, asked where the nearest state health centre was, but they say the rep refused to tell them.
Thomson was unable to tell Money Mail what its policy is on informing its customers what health care is available to them abroad and Thomas Cook says its policy is to send tourists with travel insurance to private health centres. A spokesman says: ‘If a referral is required, we would look at what resources are available. If there are state and private facilities available, tour operators usually suggest the private option because of the quality of English- speaking staff and levels of care. ‘It is common practice for our reps and the private hospital on admission to check whether the customer has holiday insurance.
‘If the customer does not have this, then they would be advised of the high costs of private treatment and recommended to go to state facilities.’
The Association of British Insurers said getting the best and quickest care should be the priority and that language barriers should not be an issue because insurers offer translation services 24 hours over the phone.
Ross Penstone- Smith, policy adviser at the Association of British Insurers, says: ‘ Private hospitals should not be routinely charging tourists. Contacting your insurer before going to a private clinic can help prevent this because insurers will be able to speak to the facility and reassure them an insurance policy is in place.’
A spokesman for the Financial Ombudsman says: ‘In most travel insurance policies, private care is excluded unless 100 per cent medically necessary, but sometimes hotels will automatically take someone to a private clinic if they fall ill. This can put people in a difficult position when they come to make a claim.
‘The ombudsman has seen some cases where a patient’s symptoms meant they were unable to have a say about where they were being treated, but we find insurers are usually mindful of this.
‘If a patient is first taken to a private clinic and it is safe to later move them to a public health centre, this can keep costs down and insurers will usually cover the initial private fees incurred.’