Six-figure medical bills abroad ‘not uncommon’

● Insurers warn of costs of emergency treatment for holidaymakers

Six-figure medical bills are “not uncommon” when British holidaymakers need emergency medical treatment abroad, travel insurers say.

Nearly 3,000 travellers needing treatment in another country are helped by insurers every week typically, according to the Association of British Insurers. Around £200 million is paid out each year to help people who fall seriously ill overseas.

The ABI said a claim for treating a stroke in the United States cost £768,000 – a figure that would take someone more than a quarter of a century to earn on an average UK salary.

The bill included £60,000 for an air ambulance back to the UK.

The US, which attracts 3.8 million UK visitors a year, has some of the highest medical costs, the ABI said.

In another case, £252,000 was spent treating a tourist’s brain haemorrhage and broken shoulder when he fell off a bicycle.

The ABI said: “Six-figure medical bills are now not uncommon.”

Elsewhere around the world, examples of emergency medical bills faced by British travellers which have been paid out by travel insurers include:

£136,000 for treating complications following an insect bite in Chile. This included paying for a nurse to escort the traveller home.

£125,000 to pay for surgery after a jet-ski accident while holidaying in Turkey.

£74,000 paid to treat a brain haemorrhage in Cuba.

The ABI said the cost of the average medical claim, £1,300, had increased by 40 per cent between 2011 and 2016.

It has launched a guide to travel insurance at www. abi.org.uk to help travellers ensure they have the right insurance to cover any “skyhigh” overseas medical bills and emergency repatriation.

When travelling in Europe, the free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives holidaymakers access to stateprovided healthcare available to a resident.

But it is not a substitute for having travel insurance because it will not cover all medical costs or the cost of emergency repatriation. For example, from Spain, an air ambulance can cost £25,000, the ABI said.