Travel insurers saw claims up

Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) figures show that last year travel insurer paid out £274m for emergency medical treatments for UK travellers who fell ill abroad – or £5.3m every week.

The ABI says the cost of medical expenses claims has leapt by more than 270% in the past five years.

Medical treatment

Travel insurers dealt with 366,000 claims for overseas emergency medical treatment – more than 7,000 cases a week. This number rose threefold over the past five years.

The costs of medical treatment accounts for 60% of the total cost of all claims paid by travel insurers. It was 33% five years ago.

Stomach upsets, ear infections, allergies and heart problems are the most common illnesses requiring medical treatment while abroad.

Claims include:

• £49,000 to cover the cost of a coronary artery bypass and an emergency flight home for a holidaymaker taken ill in the USA.
• £16,500 to treat back injuries, additional hotel costs, and ambulances suffered separately by a husband and wife while on the same holiday.
• £10,000 to attend to and fly back to UK from Slovenia a child who suffered head injuries from falling rocks.
• £9,000 to cover the cost of treating a woman who suffered a severe allergic reaction while holidaying in Cyprus.