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Travel Insurance.


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My brother in law is having difficulty trying to obtain travel insurance. He has a number if health problems which are all well controlled and non life threatening. He would dearly love to come to France with us in late September early October as he is brand new to the motorhoming life. Anyone have any suggestions.? They would be much appreciated. (!)
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Guest caraprof
Tstar - 2007-08-09 8:31 PM My brother in law is having difficulty trying to obtain travel insurance. He has a number if health problems which are all well controlled and non life threatening. He would dearly love to come to France with us in late September early October as he is brand new to the motorhoming life. Anyone have any suggestions.? They would be much appreciated. (!)

Sorry about contributing a bit late, I've been away for a few days, but I'm a little puzzled by your query.

You say that your brother-in-law is 'new to the motorhoming life' which implies that he already has a motorhome, in which case I would assume that he already has insurance. Or is he simply joining you in your motorhome for a French holiday?

Either way, I read your question as being more about health insurance than motorhome insurance and if this is the case I would say this:

Why is he even bothering? He is only going to France, where, with an E11 card he can obtain first-class treatment from their equivalent of the NHS. If it were me I would just forget about travel insurance and go to France and enjoy it. I can see no difference between going to France for a holiday and going to Scotland as far as he is concerned.

Of course if you go to a country with expensive health care and no reciprocal agreements, such as the U.S. then you definitely need health insurance, but for France I don't think that it's anywhere near as important.

Finally, I'm sorry if I've totally misunderstood, but the post is a little ambiguous. It could be that he already has insurance for his motorhome and the insurer won't cover him for France, but that in itself seems odd!

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Hi Raymond,

 

You would be wise to buy travel insurance and breakdown insurance even if going to France. Try MTC for travel insurance and if your motor insurance doesn't include breakdown recovery and repatriation, then also purchase that before going.

 

The E111 card only covers 70% to 80% of any hospital costs you incur, you will have to pay for the remainder, for example a simple heart attack may cost £6000 of which you will be liable for £1800 over and above what the E111 covers.

 

The costs don't stop there either, taxis for the patients spouse could cost £200, telephone charges easy to run up £150, repatriation for patient another £3000, for spouse maybe £500. Hotel accomodation for spouse around £350 - £500 (7 nights), meals for spouse about £70, out of pocket expenses £15 per day.

 

Repatriation of your camper and contents may cost £1000, you won't have removed all your belongings out of the camper, will they still be there when it arrives home, with insurance you do have some compensation if your belongings go missing.

 

My camper insurance with breakdown cover costs £310 per year, my travel insurance costs £99.78 per year for total of 26 weeks taken for not more than 13 weeks at a time, but as many trips as I want.

 

I had a heart attack (not fatal :-D ) end of June this year, the French were superb, put a new spring in, good french cuisine and splendid nurses >:-) ,

 

The travel insurance sorted all the bills out from the Hospital and returned my out of pocket expenses, also paid a daily cash benefit.The camper insurance combined breakdown, sent a driver over from UK and drove the camper, my wife and myself back home, all this happened in 6 days - terrific, feel good as new now ;-)

 

I have just contacted the travel insurance, to advise them of the new medical condition, and I am told there will be no loading on the remainder of the travel insurance, which I can use for the rest of the year, and no loading on the future premiums, providing the Doc says I can travel.

 

Regards Terry

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Guest caraprof

I had used my E111 in France a couple of years ago and hadn't remembered paying an excess but Terry is obviously very clued up on this subject and I defer to his greater knowledge.

I still think that his only problem must be health insurance as getting breakdown cover surely cannot be influenced by his health, more the age of his 'van I would have thought!

If as the post says, none of his problems are life-threatening I would still take a chance if I couldn't get health travel insurance. Some of the costs quoted are right at the top of the scale. For instance repatriation for most people would be a fraction of the £3000 quoted. And if you have a long stay in hospital, your relatives don't necessarily have to stay with you for several weeks. The other very important point is that he's not going on his own, but with other family members who I'm sure would repatriate the 'van themselves.

This post though to me is still ambiguous and I'm not really sure what insurance he really needs or whether or not he even has his own motorhome!

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you could try free spirit, i also have medical problems (under control) but the caravan club insurance wouldnt touch, also they wouldnt cover my wife, she has no problems, but free spirit were ok, it cost's around £105.00 for the two of us for 12 months or you can insure per trip, if you wish.

www.free-spirit.com

pete

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Hi Pete,

 

Just checked that one myself and it has a very good question and answer system to get you an accurate quote. Although was suprised at the quote of over £1000 if you had an MI within a few months and wanted travel insurance, leaving the insurance for 10 months to a year after an MI, they quoted £215.

 

I found this site to give you more variety of insurance companies and quotes for pre-existing conditions http://tinyurl.com/25gjp3 it includes Free-Spirit.

 

Regards Terry

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Hi terry, i think there's a freephone number if anything sound wrong?

i had to use it as my very high blood pressure was ok,(because it's under control) but i also had a big opperation on my leg thats left me with walking difficulties, and not wanting to give them any excuses to wriggle out of paying me out if nessasary, i rang, but was told to put it down as a broken leg, as there is no further treatment required.

pete

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Hi Pete,

 

Thanks for that extra info. I've been looking around again as my travel insurance company which I have just claimed and they have accepted and paid out. They sent an amended schedule without specifically mentioning on the schedule in writing, that I was covered for a new declared condition, although it was on their computer database as declared and in the agents verbal opinion I was covered.

 

So the agent is now contacting the insurance company directly and requesting a written acceptance, or more probably declining in my opinion. It just shows these agents acting for a insurance company will verbally state a condition and revised terms and exclusions without checking the validity of what they are saying with the actual insurers - probably leaving you high and dry and well out of pocket, should you claim again.

 

So my advice is to clear up anything you feel is suspicious, ambiguous or an anomaly, in writing from your travel insurance company - and above all declare absolutely everything.

 

Its worth going through the quote procedure with Free-Spirit just to see all the different conditions that are possible before a correct quote can be given - for a computer program it has a lot more AI than those who are supposed to have it for real :-S

 

Regards Terry

 

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As My friends wife found out recently your EHIC card will not get your body back to the UK and that is where the greatest expense lies.

Think her invoice for repatriation was £3400.

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All Clear Travel ,

Very good no fuss and as long as you declare everything its all hunky dorey . We used them on advice of Dave from the Forum and have not been sorry . We needed them for disabilities nothing was any trouble .

So all clear to travel then ,

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Thanks to everyone for their contributions. They are much appreciated. The brother-in-law may not be coming with us to France after all. He took delivery of his 'new to him' CI Cipro 55 motorhome last Friday, drove home (South Shields) after collecting it from Robsons of Wolsingham. He then went to his local gas supplier for new bottle of gas, reversed out of the yard and straight into a stationary council wagon. The 'new to him' motorhome now has to have 52 hours work done to it :'( :'( He is still trying the various suggestions for his personal travel insurance. Once again thanks everyone.
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  • 3 weeks later...
Hi everyone! The brother-in-law has got his personal travel insurance sorted. He got a good deal on yearly travel insurance from Saga. He is now looking forward to his first foray into France with us. Thanks to everyone. B-) (lol) :-)
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