Travel insurance health claims soar
16th July 2010
A record number of people made travel insurance claims after needing emergency medical treatment abroad during 2009, figures show.
The Association of British Insurers said the industry paid out £274 million during the year to people who fell ill or had an accident while they were on holiday, the equivalent of £5.3 million a week.
The group said the figure was the highest since it first began collecting data on travel insurance claims in 2000, and came despite a 15% fall in the number of trips abroad during the year.
The group said the cost of claims for medical expenses had soared by 270% in the past five years, with medical treatment now accounting for 60% of all claims paid by travel insurers, up from 33% five years ago.
Stomach upsets, ear infections, allergies and heart problems were the most common illnesses that people needed treatment for while they were abroad.
Payouts made by insurers during the year ranged from £49,000 for the cost of a coronary artery bypass and an emergency flight home for a man who became ill in the US, to £9,000 to cover the medical costs of a woman who suffered a severe allergic reaction while on holiday in Cyprus.
One insurer paid out £16,500 to cover treatment for back injuries, additional hotel accommodation and ambulances when a husband and wife both injured themselves in separate incidents getting up from sun loungers while on holiday.
Nick Starling, the ABI's director of general insurance and health, said: "The often high costs of overseas medical treatment make travel insurance essential for anyone travelling abroad."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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