AIBU to worry about elderly relative travelling to Eire without insurance?

[PlayingGracesByMyself]

Elderly relative (mid 80s) with complex health problems - heart, blood pressure, very recent stroke. All being well managed through complex cocktail of medications and they are actually brighter than they have been for ages.

Determined to accompany their friends on a 5 day coach trip to Dublin and Cork. Insurance not looking possible though we will keep trying.

Family feel strongly that they should go and the benefits outweigh the risks. They will be covered for any hospital treatment while they are there.

So the risks are basically their friends having to fend any initial health problems , one of us having to fly out to support them if there is any serious issue, managing a long stay in a hospital outside the UK and at the worst repatriation.

I feel it's endearingly optimistic but a bit bonkers. Everyone eise thinks it's their life so their decision. Obviously we can't stop them but we could try to persuade them if we thought it was really unwise.

Any thoughts?

YABU - YOLO, encourage them to go for it
YANBU - could end in (expensive) tears

Yanbu. Have they got a ghic card (free) as a bare minimum, it does offer some help.

Yes, that would be the basis of the free hospital care. There is a reciprocal agreement between UK and Eire.

Can I ask why you are saying Eire rather than Ireland?

Though the reality is they do not have one and will have one only because we will sort it out for them. They are eternally optimistic and very sure all will be fine!

I’d let them get on with it but tell them if they die they will be buried there (and they will be buried in 3 days!) or if they get sick you won’t be coming to get them on the ferry.

I thought it was clearer that I meant Southern Ireland, am I wrong?

Oooof she better pray she doesnt need to go to a hospital.
Because if she does she'll need deep pockets...

Yes but we actually do care about them. Supporting them through the stroke in this country was pretty tough, they were so vulnerable. We're not going to be able to sit here and go "oh well, they made their bed and they can lie in it". Obviously that's our choice though.

Yep wrong Eire is the Irish language name for Ireland

We as a family had to tell our mum that if she insisted on travelling abroad without insurance, (she has complex medical issues) none of us would be able to help her if anything happened. She was being utterly selfish to expect us to bale her out, it can cost tens of thousands of pounds to repatriate someone.

If I were you I’d be telling the rest of your family, that if they think she should go, they can bale her out.

I thought it was clearer that I meant Southern Ireland, am I wrong?

Am Irish and Eire isn’t generally used on anything other than stamps, songs and stories!!!

They won't be liable for hospital costs in Southern Ireland.

Ok, sorry !

They definitely shouldn't go without insurance. What if they had another medical episode there? Repatriation of a sick patient (or a body!) would be ruinously expensive without insurance.

Eire, which actually is Éire is you are even going to use and now you are using "Southern Ireland".

Really? This has to be deliberate.

It's Ireland or the Republic of Ireland.

PlayingGracesByMyself

No need to be sorry!

I'm guessing insurance is unobtainable or costs more than the holiday given their age and medical issues.

I see both sides, it's not much of a life if they can't even go on a 5 day coach trip to Ireland is it? What's the point of the cocktail if drugs if it's just to sit at home. I think you have to be clear with them what you are and aren't prepared to do for them should they get ill. Then they are making an informed choice. But no I don't think it's your place to persuade them to change their mind.

Definitely not being unreasonable, it cost £60k to get my DW medically repatriated from Spain, although the GHIC card covered the hospital bill, I not sure how we would of got home without insurance.

Jesus, it's 10 pm, I've had a long and stressful day and I'm trying to sort out how I feel about something that's genuinely bothering me. I also apologised. There is absolutely nothing deliberate about it.

Well apparently there is!

Free State, for the win!

We use ROI at work, but I think you are being unfair to have a go at the OP who I feel is not being deliberately ignorant. I think she genuinely wasn't sure which name to use.

Don't worry about it. I knew what you meant.

My GHIC card was not accepted in Italy, in a public hospital there

Ireland is going to be different one would hope

But why are you assuming she wont get insurance, as long as she has no outstanding investigations or things wrong that are undiagnosed/waiting for tests/waiting for consultant appointments for unknown things, she will get insurance.

An ex partner of mine who was Irish used to say Eire so not sure why people are jumping on that

Everyone knew what she meant.