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?

I went to Rome at 30 weeks pregnant and the baby, if she'd been born there, was covered by my insurance, and yes, I checked first. I had to get a note from my doctor saying I was fit and well with no complications, but that was it, no extra cost. I wouldn't dream of going anywhere, Europe or not, without travel insurance for me and the DCs. although DH always has to be reminded because he is an idiot

Echoing what toast says, I have been hospitalised in America and was very glad I had iron-clad insurance.

We now buy and annual family policy each year that covers us for any holidays in the UK or abroad (inc USA). The thought of being in the US and one of the DC needing treatment without proper insurance makes me feel sick knowing what I know after my experiences TBH.

I booked a last minute holiday to Spain when I was about 32 weeks pregnant. Then couldn't find a company to insure me and had to quickly phone and cancel.
my friend was killed on a holiday in Europe. He had no insurance and the family had to pay a lot of money to get his body back etc. his wife spent her first day grieving looking through drawers for a policy he might have taken out and phoning round his friends trying to find the insurance. It's not just about the person on holiday taking risks but those they leave behind.

I am starting to wonder if when you book a plane ticket etc you should have to prove you have insurance - there just seem to be so many of these cases nowadays.

I agree with whoever said earlier I feel sorry for all these people, its awful, but they should have had adequate insurance.

It should not be mandatory.
It affects the person, not others.

However, perhaps people should be made to be more aware of the risks.

I'm shocked at people not being able to get travel insurance - I went to Canada at 28 weeks, and called to check I was covered as it mentioned existing medical conditions. I was assured that I was fully covered, and that pregnancy didn't count as a medical condition in these circumstances.

Lueji why do you think it shouldn't be mandatory?

I'm not a fan of making rules and regulations generally but surely this would benefit everyone? I just can't see any reason why you wouldn't purchase travel insurance?

It annoys me when I see the "sad face" pictures in the Daily Mail, etc of people behaving as though it is unreasonable for them not to have been fully covered despite not having insured themselves

One piece of advice that I would give to everyone is to sort your insurance as soon as you book the trip - not before you go.

We booked a holiday for three weeks time last October. Booked the holiday on the Saturday' found out I was pregnant on the Monday, started bleeding the following Monday, on Thursday had emergency scan and with 9 days to go was advised to cancel the holiday as they thought I'd probably miscarry over the next 2 weeks.

Luckily we had sorted our insurance on the same day as we booked thye holiday (although it was more by good luck than good management if I'm really honest) so we got the full cost back.

Until then I always thought of insurance as something that you need to sort before you leave in case of medical bills etc but unless you can afford to lose the cost of the holiday it needs sorting straight away.

(For those who love a happy ending "bumblebee baby" clung on and he(!) is now a 30 week bump waking me up at least 3 times a night to go to the loo.)

YANBU I saw this in the local news this morning too, and while I hope everything is ok and understand its stressful for them, they should have had travel insurance.

I understand why they want to come home, but the healthcare is Spain is good too, it's not like they are in a country with poor healthcare.

I really hope the baby is ok, the main thing is Spain has good healthcare and the baby stands just as good a chance there.

I did think about starting a similar thread this morning but was worried I would be jumped on.

I think anyone who goes skiing whilst preg badguider needs their head examining by someone very medically qualified.

I imagine they want to come home because they are scared for their tiny baby in a country where I assume they dont speak the language and they may well have to pay for interpreters.

In my previous job I was often asked what I thought about holidays abroad and I generally said double check that mother and baby are fully covered by insurance, the airline rules and consider implications of not speaking the language should the worst happened.

A friend of mine had a scare when in spain - she was given something by injection (she was ?appendicitis and vomiting) - could have been for pain, could have been anti-sickness - she has NO idea.
All was well (child now 6!) but it haunted her for long time!

' it should not be mandatory. It affects the person, not others.'

of course it affects others. my friend was dead and was out of it but it cost his grieving family a lot of money. if someone i loved needed money for medical costs, family and friends are going to pay up.

It staggers me how stupid some people can be. I was in the Far East a few years ago and spend half the holiday in hospital (and I am never ill!) I used to sit in reception occasionally to pass the time as being in the room on my own for 24 hours a day was dreadful.

Whilst there a couple of chaps came in and one had fallen quite badly. He and his friend and clearly had a few lemonades! They claimed they had no money and there was no one in the UK who could pay for their treatment!

They were eventually escorted off the premises shouting that they would call the British Embassy!

GET TRAVEL INSURANCE!

Sorry but people take these risks and most of the time they work out, however when they dont you cannot just claim anyway otherwise there is no point in travel insurance.

YANBU

I'd never travel without insurance. I did when I was wilder and younger but going abroad whilst pregnant or with kids without it is just stupid.

I always thought travel insurance was a bit over the top, until I went on my first proper foreign holiday to the US and broke my wrist snowboarding. Thank god I had insurance. I spent one afternoon (barely even a couple of hours) in the emergency medical centre and it cost me over £1600. Which I had to pay before leaving and then claim back! Insurance paid everything back (minus the deductible) and the nice ski pass people gave me 4 days back on my pass when I walked in in a plaster cast, but I could have claimed that back too.

I did find, when I went to Italy at about 26 weeks pregnant, that some insurance policies cover pregnancy and pregnancy complications, but don't cover birth or the care of the baby afterwards.

I have sympathy for them, but yes, they should have taken out insurance. There seem to have been quite a few stories like this recently, you would hope that people would take note.

you're entitled to your opinion hopefloats but my GP and MW were both more than happy for me to ski in 1st trimester, and both of them are "very medically qualified" as you put it.

I think it's very easy to go and visit relatives wihout considering that you are off on holiday and need extra insurance. Or to realise just how expensive a hospital stay can be, beyond the medical treatment.

The EHIC will cover the actual medical costs, but as they are finding out, not repatriation or any additional costs at all. Staying in a hotel away from home for 10 weeks would be very expensive.

It has never occurred to any of DP's family to take out insurance when they go 'home', abroad, or come here - we do now because I insist on it

If you're a good skier, then doing it int he first trimester is no more dangerous then taking part in most other exercise/sports. People ski while wearing their babies too. If you are sensible and competent then it's not an issue. I would never do it because I suck at skiing.

Yyy to buy travel insurance when you book your holiday.

In September last year we paid £££ for tickets to visit DB in the USA. I couldn't afford insurance at the same time ( we were due to travel this summer so I thought I had plenty of time) I was going to buy insurance in October.

1st October DS was diagnosed with cancer and we can't travel due to his treatment.

BA didn't give a monkeys and just said: well, that's what travel insurance is for. I appreciate they probably get this quite often but they were fucking rude when they obviously had plenty of time to resell the tickets and just have me an earful about buying travel insurance at the same time as tickets (it was less than a fortnight between me booking the tickets and trying to cancel them).

Fortunately DH remembered we have travel insurance on a bank account and we were covered but we stood to lose well over £1000 of our savings for the sake of waiting for my next pay packet.

But sadly Trazzletoes - you didnt buy any insurance so consequently you arent covered for cancellation whatever the reason.

maisie well in the end we fortunately were, as we have travel insurance on our bank account.

My point, anyway, wasn't "oh, poor me!", it was reiterating that you need to get travel insurance when you buy your holiday.

We'd have taken the hit if we had to, obviously, because there wasn't anything else we could do. We'd paid the money.

I just personally felt that BA customer services were rude in the way that they spoke to me. There are ways of stating your policy and you don't necessarily have to be rude about it. Even though the answer was always going to be no, there's no harm in being polite, is there?

I agree with others re: buying insurance at the time of booking. DP & I have insurance as part of our bank account. I informed them I was pregnant shortly after we booked.

Unfortunately I had a mmc at 11.5 weeks, 2 days before we were due to fly to the USA. Thankfully, our cancellation was covered by insurance.

The EPU nurse said, had the m/c happened mid-flight, they would have had to land the plane elsewhere & I would have required hospitalisation.

I would never travel outside the uk when pregnant, insurance or not. The small print can be very vague.

YANBU. I always think this when people's pets get ill or injured. I am very sorry for them and their pet - but always think that the expense could be avoided if they just took out pet insurance. My PIL are prime examples of this.

We dont have pet insurance (although we have all the other sorts of insurance!) Mainly because they last quoted us £95 PER MONTH!

So, we have a fund if she gets ill. However she is getting on in years and if I was presented with a bill of say £5k - well tbh - I think that is too much for an elderly dog...