To think that this couple should have purchased travel insurance?

[shrimponastick]

I can't find a more current link sorry, but this story is being featured on the morning news in my area.
www.radioaire.co.uk/news/local/leeds-mum-facing-weeks-in-homeless-shelter-in-spain-after-giving-birth-to-baby-13-weeks-early/

It doesn't say so in the link, but the updated news story says that they didn't have a travel insurance policy. The baby was b orn very prematurely, and has unfortunately had to have 3 operations so far. The baby now requires a fourth op, and the mother wants it to be done in Leeds - however to fly them home costs £12000.

I feel sorry for the couple in that they are havng to go through this - a prem baby. But on the other hand how lucky are they that this was an EU country where they are getting the actual treatment provided. What if they had visited the USA or somewhere else, where they would be paying a heck of a lot for any treatment.

Travel insurance can be bought for less than £20 - so AIBU?

Everyone should get travel insurance.

YANBU
Travel insurance exists for a reason. It's not that expensive.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Yes, they should've bought instance, but that's no help to them now. I hope the baby makes a recovery.

Yanbu

Yup. If you can afford a holiday, you can afford travel insurance.

When I travelled to France at 32 weeks pregnant my insurance company wouldn't cover me. I took my chances and I guess they felt the same. Hope there is a happy ending.

*insurance!

Absolutely. Who is paying the underfunded Spanish healthcare for the care? I hope it isn't the stretched and barely coping Spanish taxpayer.

I do really feel for the parents as they must be kicking themselves and going through a lot. But who goes abroad when pregnant (or any medical thing) without travel insurance?! It's very absent minded and as you say OP they are lucky they were in Spain.

I sometimes feel like a very cold and harsh person when stories come up of someone in a foreign hospital running up thousands of pounds of treatment and family back home wanting donations. While I feel desperately sorry for the families there's always a little voice asking "But why did you go quad biking in Thailand with no helmet and no insurance?"

People can be very naïve when it comes to travel insurance, probably more so in this case because they were staying with relatives. Presumably the medical care is being paid under EHIC but repatriation and their accommodation won't be.

lurked I agree.

I do have s sympathy for them, I couldn't imagine being in that situation.

But I just think for £10/£20 extra on top of the cost of the flight none of this need be happening.g.

Last summer I was panicking as DH EHIC had expired and I only realised just before our trip to France. Luckily it was easily sorted out with a phone call. But I wouldn't have been comfortable going without it - and a good insurance policy on top.

yes LIZS I think that could be the case too.

Staying with family is not the same as booking a full holiday package -. Thinking back I went to visit my DF in USA many times - as a child and later on under my own steam. I don't imagine that as an 18 year old I considered travel insurance.

Most travel insurance will cover you up to 28 weeks do they could've got it. I'm 24 weeks and travelling to Cyprus next week the insurance was £23 so not extortionate.

You could possibly use the hindsight argument fir a couple of daft 18 year olds going to kavos for a week, but not a heavily pregnant woman.

So no, YANBU.

People forget they may have it as part of a bank account anyway.

Actually haven't read link but is it possible they had insurance but wasn't valid? The one we had already said it covered up til 12 weeks before full term. I checked as I thought the wording was odd and was right. They consider full term as 36 weeks so only cover to 24 weeks. This is very misleading and I can see how even very intelligent people could get caught out.

I agree I feel sorry for them being in this situation but the added stress of cost could have been so easily avoided if they had got insurance. I really don't understand why anyone would leave the country without it.

YANBU

However, I also feel the same when there is flooding in the UK and the news shows people who never bothered with buildings and contents insurance on their homes.

YANBU but they didn't and now they need some help!!

Maybe they had that E1 11 form thingy and thought they didn't need any additional insurance who knows.

Still, regardless, shitty situation and I hope it has a happy outcome!

Anne - in many flood areas properties are uninsurable.

Actually, all, since the gender directive regarding insurance it has been illegal for insurers to refuse to cover pregnant women or to charge an additional premium in respect of pregnancy. Most say they provide cover for any abnormal complication of pregnancy. Which covers most things. In terms of premature birth, this would usually mean you'll be covered if you give birth before 36/37 weeks.
Given most airlines won't accept you for travel beyond 32 weeks, I think that covers most people.

When I worked in insurance, we saw an awful lot of people travelling to their country of birth under a uk travel insurance policy expecting it to cover them for a normal standard birth. Ouch.

I am pretty sure that when I went skiing in 1st trimester my insurance would have covered me for any preganancy related illness or emergency but not for birth or aftercare, and certainly not the resulting baby. (Obviously not an issue for me in 1st trimester as couldn't have had a successful birth).

I guess it's all about perception of risk. The highest group of people who become unwell abroad without adequate insurance are those with some kind of chronic cardiac disease.

Many people choose not to get adequately covered with vaccinations and medication when travelling abroad especially when money comes into it.

I am not sure why they need to bring the baby home? Surely as an EU citizen it can have free medical treatment under the E111 until it is fit to come home by car or as a regular passenger ?

I really don't think you can get insurance for an unborn child... so your policy would get the baby out but not care for it after that.