Not another Go fund me!

[Bignanna]

Is anyone else fed up with people begging for money on Go Fund Me, to bring a family member home from abroad, because they are seriously ill in a far away country?
He didnt have travel insurance as he thought he wouldn’t need it, being young and fit! There’s another article in the Daily Mail about him and the family are wringing their hands and begging for help. Whist I sympathise with anyone being seriously ill, this was so easy to avoid, and it keeps happening. It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth that it seems ok to beg others to compensate for other’s stupidity.

Someone I used to work with has, in the last 5 years begged for, funding for a DC to go to Jamboree, followed by a DC to go to Africa for the summer, that DC now wants funding to teach in Africa for a year and to top it all off they want people to pay for their pub renovations as they've bitten off far more than they can chew and not properly researched the full extent of renovating a listed building.
They're the 'we're just so wacky and crazy and kitsch not like you boring normo folks' type of people. Here's a wacky idea, pay for your own stuff!

The same young man who found the money to “rescue” and bring home a couple of dogs but can’t spend a few quid on insurance?

And yes, he is an adult but if he was my son I would have nagged him to pieces before he left if he said he didn’t have insurance.

If she doesn’t declare any pre existing condition it can, and will, invalidate the insurance. For example in that case the insurance company could reasonably claim that cancer treatment could have reduced bone density meaning a break could occur more easily, though more probably they would just point to the sentence on page 138 of the t and c which says if you don’t tell us we won’t pay out.

I have been peripherally involved in many child funerals, our local funeral directors were amazing, always went out of their way to provide the very best they could and respect the family’s wishes for the absolute minimum cost to the family . I expect a lot of funeral directors do the same.

Nope if you haven't told them about something then they will turn you down regardless.

A friend of mine had a collapsed lung whilst in the USA. young, healthy 20-something. The bill came to nearly £1m and insurance originally said no as she hadn't declared she'd previously been prescribed vitamin D tablets - which had nothing to do with her lung. She did fight it and i think they came to a settlement in the end but was still left with a significant amount of debt

I agree OP. I have severe asthma and wouldn't consider going away without travel insurance, it's not worth it.

And I bought one today for me, DS and DH (including cover for my asthma) and it was only £31 for a week in Spain!

Personally I think it's too much to pay for life cover/ongoing conditions, especially as I already pay separately for a care plan with the vet and it already costs me £40 a month as it is.

Pets don't get diabetes unless they are allowed to become overweight.

@Bloom15 even severe asthma is a common condition. We had to pay £800 for travel insurance. We paid it. But travel insurance for many conditions is extortionate.

I also think pet insurance encourages over treatment at times. Many times it is kinder to put a pet to sleep than give them invasive treatment so they can live a few more months.

I’ve also bought one today - £21 for 2 adults and 2 teens for 12 days in Portugal. Less than 1% of the holiday cost. This is why I won’t fund someone’s GoFundMe.

On a tangent - if you are going away with other people, please make sure you all share your insurance details. A policy number and phone number is all that’s needed should the worst happen!

Yeah not rare and I included that I was hospitalised in the last year. I was surprised it was so cheap!

Yours is a LOT but would be a lot more if you unfortunately became ill on holiday

That is ridiculous

That actually happened to me.
I had breast cancer, ovarian cancer, spent three years going through surgery, rads, chemo etc.,
When I felt well, I booked a holiday abroad. Took out travel insurance via a broker, declared everything and accepted that anything cancer related was not covered.

I fell off the bottom step of the coach, and broke my ankle.
My insurance did not cover me, claiming that treatment had directly contributed to weakened bones ( cant remember the terminology used, I'm going back a few years).

We came to a settlement in the end but it was horrendous at the time, and although I have an annual policy that I constantly renew, I loathe the bastards.

I would not, however, contribute to anyone stupid enough to go without insurance at all.

It costs me hundreds due to age and medical conditions, but it’s must!

My late mother used to talk about when she had had to go back to work in a mill because my dad was seriously ill in hospital. A woman working there had a fire in her house caused by a carelessly disposed of cigarette, they lost almost everything and hadn't bothered with insurance. Her colleagues organised a collection for her and my mother refused to donate because, as she put it, I make sure we have insurance before cigarettes and was called all sorts of names.

Such compassionate and non-judgemental times.

I'm glad to hear of that - but would it also pay for e.g. a memorial stone, a family gathering/wake, flowers and other things the bereaved family might naturally want - or would this just be the basics of the service, transport and casket?

https://www.gov.uk/child-funeral-costs

and this charity also helps with the flowers etc

https://www.childfuneralcharity.org.uk/

Despite Brexit, EHIC still works, at least in the 27 full EU member countries. The UK version is called GHIC now (G for "Global" because of "Global Britain" 🙄) but it will still get you basically free medical treatment for emergencies or ongoing conditions (like dialysis).

Global Britain? Surely it just means it can be used globally, ie not just in Europe?

I checked and GHIC can currently be used in EU countries, some other European countries, and Australia (with plans to expand to others).

They need to make it clear it’s not replacement for proper insurance though.

The name was part of the "Global Britain" schtick post-Brexit. Why limit yourself to the fuddy-duddy EU when the whole world is there for our dynamic new swashbuckling trading nation status, etc etc. Unfortunately from a marketing point of view, the G-word ran up against the dislike of "globalists" (WEF, Bill Gates, George Soros, etc etc) at the swivel-eyed end of the spectrum of Tory supporters, so it mostly got dropped after Theresa May left office.

Anyway, I see that contrary to what I put earlier they have managed to extend the GHIC to the EEA and Switzerland, so it now covers the same countries as the EHIC, plus as you noted a couple more.

As far as I know, the coverage with Australia is not new. There has been a mutual healthcare agreement for travellers between the UK and Australia for some time. My understanding is that the GHIC just provides a convenient way for UK travellers to take advantage of that.

The name was part of the "Global Britain" schtick post-Brexit. Why limit yourself to the fuddy-duddy EU when the whole world is there for our dynamic new swashbuckling trading nation status, etc etc.

Cringe!

The GHIC has a large Union Jack on it, although if you live in Northern Ireland you can get a plain one (presumably because under the GFA you can identify as Irish).

Yes I have mine already. You’ve reminded to check if the kids’ EHICs are still in date!

Meanwhile, the chap in Cambodia is responding to treatment according to the GFM, which has now closed as they reached their £50k target. Fingers crossed he’s not needed to be airlifted home.

I ignore them. How do you know they are genuine? As for people travelling without insurance that is just idiocy.