To be sick of people starting to fund me pages when they go on holiday without travel insurance and can’t afford medical bills when they end up in hospital?

[AngeloMysterioso]

A woman with chronic pulmonary disease and mobility issues couldn’t afford the travel insurance she needed for her four week holiday to Disney World in Florida with her sons and grandson. So she went anyway, without any travel insurance, and you can guess what happens next… she caught covid and flu, then developed pneumonia, and is now in a critical condition in hospital.

And of course, her family has set up a go fund me to go begging to the public to cover the considerable financial cost of this woman’s utter foolishness.

AIBU to think if you can’t afford the travel insurance, you don’t go on the fucking holiday?? Especially if you have pre-existing conditions which make you particularly susceptible to falling seriously ill?

I must be the exception because I read that story earlier and yes, felt how stupid was she, but then looked to donate but didn't see the link, I would have gave a tenner, noone wants to be in her situation and she's paid the price, I'd ike to see her get home, how terrified she must be.

I'd say they already know she's stupid.

Why are you funding other people's bad decisions???

Unfortunately there is sometimes a price to pay.

And realistically, unless you can afford to pay six figure sums for treatment in the US, then yes, if you don’t want to buy insurance (and let’s not pretend this woman couldn’t afford it, she clearly could) then you don’t go on holiday. Because there is 0 guarantee that if you do fall ill you’ll be able to tap the public for their cash before you end up being thrown out of hospital or worse - dying from your pre-existing condition you already knew you had.

It’s not disablist to say that.

There are various reasons that people develop COPD. She may never have smoked in her life.

It is senseless bullshit from British people who have been lulled into stupidity by the NHS. She could have gone for 2 weeks and got the insurance. Entitlement and greed. I run a children's charity and trying to get a penny from people is like getting blood from a stone but these chancers seem to have no problems. I find it baffling.

We/ they could always holiday in the UK where health care is free at the point of use, or in countries with some level of reciprocal health care system for which insurance premiums won't be so bad. How arrogant would you have to be to assume that some foreign country owes you free healthcare just because you fancy a visit?

YANBU, and actually I think you are a right to be a bit annoyed. While I understand pp who say “YABU because it doesn't affect you, just ignore it/don’t donate then” - the problem is some of the genuine Go Fund Me’s (often heartbreaking ones) can get lost in the shuffle of all the “forgot to buy insurance” ones, which is why I wish people would think twice. If you are the cause of your own misery, I think it’s a bit unfair to go begging, when it means others might miss out - but that’s life I guess.

I have no issue with people setting up these GoFundMes. I would never donate, but I don't care if others do. If others don't feel for her they won't and it'll fall flat.

But yes, if you can't afford travel insurance you can't afford to travel.

Haven’t RTFT. I feel sorry for her family as they’re the ones lumbered with sorting this out and they could be lumbered with paying the bills. Without insurance, her medical care could be running into hundreds of thousands given that she’s been in hospital for a while.
$20K won’t even touch the sides.

It's telling that this woman has paid for this 4-week holiday in Florida for two of her sons and a grandson, but it is her only daughter who didn't even go on the holiday who has had to fly out there and is trying to raise the funds to bring her home.

I feel very sorry for the daughter but her mum, who has holidayed in Florida at least 20 times, took a reckless decision not to take out travel insurance, despite having a number of possibly life-threatening pre-existing conditions.

What a load of nonsense. If you have pre existing conditions you get travel insurance. There are plenty of companies who will cover you- I know because I’ve done it myself (I have Addisons, lupus, asthma, all sorts of complex things). If you can’t afford the insurance you don’t go. It’s that simple. It’s not disabilist. It’s just finances and life!

Shes been a bit silly, doesn’t mean that she and her family deserve to be bankrupted. I will find this page now and donate a few quid.
Bet she’s learnt her lesson.

I have autoimmune diseases which increases my travel/health insurance. I always get travel insurance.
So far I have never been quoted 3k. I take out yearly insurance so that I am covered in UK and Europe. It was same price for 2 × 2 week trips.

I assume if I went yo USA it would be mega expensive.

Remember you can get basic health care in the EU with a free GHIC.
Obviously, it doesn't cover private GP, private hospitals or repatriation.

I think the lady in question and her family were very irresponsible in not getting her insurance.
One does wonder if she learnt anything during the pandemic. It would be obvious someone with her vulnerabilities would need to take extra precautions from covid whilst travelling.

Saw one the other week where a family had gone on holiday to Turkey without insurance and one of them got hit by a paraglider and needed surgery. Cue the scrambled beg on toast go fund me.

Some people have no shame. I'd never show off in public that I was too tight/ stupid to go abroad with no insurance and then expect others to foot the bill. It should be illegal.

Yeah this is what I don’t get.
Surely she could’ve went for 3 weeks instead of 4 for example and then used the money saved for the travel insurance.

I spent 4 weeks in the US recently and I’m late 30s and in generally good health and made sure I had my insurance. Of course it wasn’t 3K but I wouldn’t have went if it was that much.

And given she has been so many times before it’s likely she didn’t pay travel insurance all those times either, so this wasn’t just an innocent one off gamble. It was only a matter of time this happened.

But if anyone is that ridiculous enough to donate that’s on them really. I guess there’s all sorts of daft things people spend their money on.

Or she realises that other people will pay.

Or maybe private insurance companies shouldn't be able to gouge they eyes out of the most vulnerable people in society.

We never got to go on holiday outside the UK because the insurance was ridiculous and wildly unaffordable for my mams health issues.

Never got to go away in her whole life outside of a short trip to the seaside and that was sad.

Despite the fact that on those UK holidays there was hardly any issue (a burst ulcer dressed by a pharmacist on one holiday, thats pretty much it) it wasn't worth risking LIFE not being able to get treatment IF an emergency happened.

Your attitude sucks though and is angry at the wrong people... its not the vulnerable persons fault that their options is take the risk or never live their life, its the exploitation of massive profit companies who rub their hands at the thought of charging insane prices for stuff people can't control. Predatory discrimination in action.

I had an aunt who lived the last 5 years of her life in almost complete isolation due to being high risk. Its no life to live, many disabled people choose to take the risk of actually LIVING a shorter fulfilling life than to rot to death long term unable to do anything but its not fair they can't have access to the thing insurance/health care specifically designed for that because of greedy capitalism.

Like people who are disabled should 'suck it up' and just don't deserve the same little things, joys, a once in a lifetime experience or luxuries occasionally in life that other people are allowed. Selfish of them? Pure ableism from the tower of privilege that has never had to live with long term disabilities.

I was raised by if you cannot afford travel insurance you cannot afford to go on holiday. Even when my DF was sick with cancer we paid a premium for his travel insurance. A friend's FIL with chronic health conditions was going to just go without but then what? Sell the house or go fund me to pay? Insurance isn't cheap unless you are young and/or well but you cannot just wing it.

I've drummed how important it is into my two and admittedly it's cheap for them. I think we are just used to the NHS and we don't appreciate how expensive health care is everywhere else. I know I couldn't settle without it because accidents happen.

So no I don't contribute.

But this was a 4-week holiday at Disney in Florida for 3 adults and a child. That would be massively expensive. She could have reduced the duration of the holiday to a more standard 2 weeks and could then have afforded the travel insurance.

According to the newspaper articles, she has been on holiday to Florida over 20 times, so this isn't a poor penniless pensioner wanting one holiday of a lifetime before she dies.

I do have sympathy for some people who can’t ever travel, especially if they have family or friends abroad like I do. I don’t know what I’d do without my regular visits to the US.
And I’m not a fan of insurance companies generally so yeah the system does need to be looked at.

However ,in this specific situation the woman had been to the US twenty times and was staying for 4 weeks.

As I said above she could’ve either not went - as she’d already been multiple times - or went for a shorter time and used that money saved for the travel

The son of one of my mum's friends did this about 10 years ago on a party trip to Thailand. Sadly he got very drunk/high on drugs and fell from a height, killing himself. His friends launched a Go Fund Me to get his body repatriated. His mother (who he was estranged from after he spent time in prison for being caught carrying a knife) has never fully recovered from the shock and grief.

Like people who are disabled should 'suck it up' and just don't deserve the same little things, joys, a once in a lifetime experience or luxuries occasionally in life that other people are allowed. Selfish of them? Pure ableism from the tower of privilege that has never had to live with long term disabilities.

Yeah, no. I'm disabled, wheelchair user. always have been. I've travelled (extensively before the pandemic, less so now) and budgeted for insurance. I pay an annual premium. She could have gone for three weeks and put money towards insurance. It's about personal responsibility and priorities. Travelling is not a right for anyone, disabled or not.

According to her family it would have cost 3k to insure her. Her medical costs are likely in excess of 1 million. Any company who had insured her would now be £997,000 out of pocket.

Hardly gouging.

She 'saved' for 2 years for a 4 week vacation in Florida but couldn't pay £3k for insurance.

What do these people do that they can have a 4 week holiday?
Aren't the grandchildren in school?

Not sure if she paid for the sons and grandkids but let's break the costs down
Staying 'offsite' to the theme parks
4bed villa in Orlando can be anything from £130-400 a night. So between £3700 and £11200 for the 28 days
Flights are at least £500 per person.

Assuming they did some theme parks
Universal + Disney 14 day combo is £900+ per person.
Food in The theme parks is around $60-210 for a family of 4 depending on where and what.
Being generous you could go and just have a villa holiday, avoid the theme parks and not spend a great deal of money.

I just can't be sympathetic.

Her sons have just abandoned her and left the daughter to pick up the slack.