To think that it should be illegal to go abroad without travel insurance

Because when that person returns to the UK than they are out responsibility

No I don’t think it should be mandatory. If a person gets ill or has an accident, the bill will have to be footed by them or their family. No one is forced to contribute to an online fundraiser.

There are also some people with multiple health conditions who can’t get insurance. Obviously they’re taking a risk by travelling but if it was mandatory they’d never be able to leave the country.

If people are daft enough to travel without insurance, they’re usually the ones who have to pick up the bill.

I don’t see why it’s anyone else’s business whether someone has travel insurance or not.

You don’t need to contribute to a go fund me and the government doesn’t step in to pay, so it’s just up the person if they’re willing to risk it.

Yes. Absolutely. What would he do if he fell ill while away? Is he a millionaire who could pay for private treatment or repatriation?

Sometimes those of us with long term illness, chronic conditions or (in my case) disability have to accept the life limiting nature of our situation.

They can take the risk and travel abroad but shouldn’t expect anyone else to pay their medical bills if they fall ill whilst away and / or can’t get home.

I don't think it's quite that black and white. Whilst I agree it is generally very unwise and I would never contribute to a Go Fund me for a "regular" person who just didn't bother taking out travel insurance I think there are exceptions. A friend of mine revisited her honeymoon destination with her terminally ill husband a few years ago. He couldn't get insurance for any amount of money but they could afford to pay for a medical repatriation or (more likely) return of his body if he died. They knew the risks and had plans to cope with the worst case scenarios-they wouldn't have been dependent on anyone else. He died fairly soon after their holiday but they had a wonderful time leaving my friend with very happy memories. Had insurance been a legal requirement they would not have been able to leave the country.
To be honest, I transiently considered going on a short break without insurance myself last year. I was awaiting a CT scan and then some (very routine) surgery. Most insurers refused to cover me as soon as I ticked yes to "are you awaiting any investigations or treatment" and the quotes that I did get were astronomical. The chances of my condition causing any kind of emergency whilst I was away were miniscule- I wouldn't have been going if I thought otherwise, and I do know what I am talking about! At worst a flare up would have meant extra painkillers and a day by the pool instead of being able to manage a busy day sightseeing.In fact given that I generally improve in warm weather the chances of a bad day are actually less in holiday.It really galled me that I was having to pay through the nose simply because I was scheduled for an investigation that is always done before the operation I was awaiting and put me at no greater risk of needing expensive care whilst away than anyone else. But obviously I was at the same risk as anyone else of having an accident/developing appendicitis/losing my luggage etc and if I had not declared my pre existing condition I wouldn't have been covered for any of that either. So I had no real choice but to suck it up and pay nearly as much for my insurance as the whole of the rest of the trip. Fortunately I could afford it but I do have sympathy for people in a similar situation with a lower income. Not that I am saying I think it's a sensible decision but I can see why people do it.
I think there's also a problem with people taking out inadequate cover. They tick the box and pay a few quid for the basic insurance when they book a holiday and are not aware of the exclusions. A few Go Fund Mes I have heard of in recent times have not been people who didn't take insurance out but who have for some reason or other discovered they're not covered for whatever has happened to them. I sometimes have a bit more sympathy for them. I'd always urge people to read the small print very carefully as in my experience insurers of all kinds will do everything they can to minimise or avoid payments.

um.... OP's suggestion is way too big brother for me.
Ignore a GoFund page if you don't like it.

Yes.
If he can’t get insurance, they’re not insuring because of comorbidities. Then definitely shouldn’t travel abroad.
Rather foolhardy doing so.

If he can't afford to pay for the treatment he might require, yes.

If the people mentioned in the OP are UK residents with NHS cover, then they should not need to pay for emergency medical treatment in Spain, on condition that they go to a public hospital. They don't even need a GHIC card, as the cover can be sorted out by NHS Overseas Healthcare Services. If they have been taken to a private hospital then it may not be too late to move them to a public one, which will at least slow down the rate at which expenses accumulate. Unfortunately the kinds of people who don't take out travel insurance are also the least likely to realise that they need to call 112 and get a public ambulance when something goes wrong.

Also, if the accident was the fault of a third party (e.g., another driver), then all of the costs from that will be paid for by that driver's insurance. Your friend can perhaps get their cousins to ensure that this angle is investigated. And if they were driving a rental car then they may have taken out accidental injury cover with the rental. That might feel unlikely if they skipped the main travel insurance, but maybe they just ticked every box and got it by mistake.

As to whether it should be illegal to travel without insurance... no. There are hundreds of ways in which people who don't think ahead can screw up their (financial) lives. If travel insurance was mandatory then it would be very expensive because there would need to be a subsidy component for very ill people (and where would it stop? Mandatory insurance for a day out to Frinton?). This incident results only in a loss to the cousins themselves and while it's immensely frustrating to look on while this sort of thing happens, you can't fix irresponsibility.

I would think so, yes.

I was in a similar situation a couple of years ago, while having to travel to the US multiple times a year for work.

I had to find a very specialist insurer and pay a small fortune, would be happy to pass the details on via DM if you'd like? As far as I'm aware there are only a very tiny set of circumstances (someone being so ill that travel would be detrimental, someone terminally ill nearing the end of their life or someone needing constant/regular access to care) where they're unable to offer anything at all.

To answer your question though - I think it's something the destination country should have a policy on, rather than the home country or any travel company. Perhaps people unable to access insurance could be compelled to put money into escrow until they leave the country?

I had to purchase tens of millions of pounds worth of coverage - if your relative has that kind of cash available, they're going to be a massive edge case.

Are the Americans actually setting up go fund me appeals for accidents when traveling or for medical bills in their home country? A lot of American people are uninsured in the U.S or even with insurance still get whooping great big bills.
I have a lot more empathy for them having lived there and seen how expensive U.S. insurance and copays are. I wouldn’t compare that to someone not getting travel insurance to go abroad on a holiday.

Perhaps, if it was illegal to travel without it, insurance companies would be forced to cover people like your relative, @Inks, or there would have to be some sort of exemption where someone could travel if they could show they had the funds to cover medical treatment if it was needed?

I think you’re unreasonable for your naivety that having travel insurance = insurance company will pay out. We were almost left stranded on an island with no medical care, and then after the eventual airlift to another island with a hospital, the insurance co stopped paying for treatment midway through. We had an expensive policy with a major insurer, had answered all their Qs diligently and honestly. But they didn’t want to pay so they said one inhailer prescribed in childhood (long pre-dating the Qs and something my husband had no memory of) meant we weren’t covered. They were wrong and after 9 months the Ombudsman ordered them to pay up. But that’s of little use if you die waiting for the airlift or have to sell your house to pay the hospital back in the meantime. Read the Ombudsman case studies - it’s commonplace with big claims.
I wish everyone got travel insurance….but don’t assume that getting it will mean you’re actually going to be helped.

Your dad was Churchill?

It would be a little time consuming to check At passport control but I don’t know why this isn’t put into place it could be uploaded beforehand onto an app

my insurance has hugely increased because of a health condition. I travel less now but travelling isn’t a right (even with a parent living abroad)

it’s utterly idiotic to not have travel insurance

This is true for lots insurance - my life insurance went up exponentially because I take an SSRI (very low does and for PMDD) but SSRi's have a possibible risk of relating to suicide, if I didn't declare they can and do just say you insurance is invalidated because you commited fraud on your declaration.

I don't think this right or a good thing (quite the opposite) but this is how it works.

@inks as long as your family member understands that if things go pear shaped they have to pay for it, not start a go fund me page and expect everyone else to chip in

It’s very important that all medical issues are declared as insurance companies will do anything to wriggle out of paying, even if it’s non life threatening. Include hospital admissions, waiting for investigations/treatment, medication, anything!

I have medical conditions and my annual Europe cover insurance is around £25.

I don't get people who don't get insurance. If you can afford £3k for a family holiday, you can afford the £60 for a family insurance cover.

This is a complete derail and not the point of the OP. If he can afford to pay for all of it including medical repatriation which is £££££££ then this thread isn't for you/him. He can do what he likes, travel where he likes. But he is the outlier here the majoirty of people who travel without insurance aren't able to pay their way out. The very rich can do what the hell they like (and do). Insurance is for those who can't afford those costs, and are too naive, daft or don't want to pay.

I think travel insurance is the only insurance Martin Lewis recommends unequivocally because people do need it and do not understand the costs.

He’s a millionaire then? Because that’s at least what you need to be if you fall ill In the US.

The ambulance, surgery and hospital stay are covered by the NHS via the GHIC. If he didn’t have one before travelling, he can apply online for a PRC - Provisional Replacement Certificate. He would get it the same day.

www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/get-healthcare-cover-travelling-abroad/get-temporary-cover-emergency-treatment-abroad-provisional-replacement-certificate

No I don’t think it should be illegal. People should just use their common sense. And when the idiots who don’t get insured set up GoFundMe accounts, people should be asking this question, were you insured? Even better, these crowdfunding things should be better regulated it’s not right that people should feel they have to dip into their pockets to fund folk who who are too complacent/lazy to get proper insurance.