Falling ill or getting injured during your holiday has the potential to turn a relaxing getaway into a distressing experience. Dealing with a medical emergency in an unfamiliar place can be overwhelming, let alone worrying about the cost of treatment.
But which countries have the highest costs for hospital stays?
We’ve looked into official data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) on the most expensive countries to be hospitalised in. Using the research platform OnePoll, we also spoke with 2,000 UK holidaymakers, on their past travel experiences and attitudes towards booking future trips.
Here’s what we found.
As a nation, we’re lucky to have the NHS to cover the costs of emergency healthcare. So, it can come as a shock to many just how quickly an unexpected visit to hospital on holiday can add up, especially if you’re travelling without travel insurance.
Almost one in five (19%) holidaymakers worry about visiting some countries due to the high cost of medical treatment.
Our survey reveals that 13% of holidaymakers have previously found themselves in need of travel insurance on holiday when they hadn’t taken out a policy beforehand. One in six travellers (16%) who had been charged unexpectedly abroad, said it was for emergency medical treatment or doctor fees.
With travel insurance you can travel to all these listed countries, as your policy has you covered for medical expenses.
We all want to believe that it wouldn’t ever happen to us, but more than a third of holidaymakers (36%) have needed emergency medical treatment while on holiday. Some of the most common reasons for this are food poisoning, allergic reactions, and broken bones, all of which could mean an overnight stay in hospital.
To better understand the costs of emergency medical treatment abroad, we’ve identified the top ten most expensive countries for an emergency hospital stay. If you’re heading off to any of these countries, you may want to take out a good travel insurance policy!
Monaco, often referred to as a ‘millionaire’s playground’, made the top of the list, with an overnight hospital stay starting at £2,400. To put it into perspective, this eye-watering cost is the equivalent of two premium economy flights from London to New York.
Other popular countries making the top ten included Norway (third most expensive), where the £1,150 bill for medical attention would set you back an average monthly rent payment in the UK. The £700 hospital fee in Australia could buy four first-class return train tickets from London to Edinburgh.
Rounding out the list in tenth position is the USA, where patients admitted for overnight care would face a bill of £600.
Three quarters of people (75%) buy their travel insurance online, instead of over the phone or in person. Almost half of holidaymakers (48%) make sure they ‘always’ shop around and compare deals for the best option available, with 24% doing so ‘often’.
Despite two-thirds (67%) giving themselves at least three months or more to research and plan a typical holiday abroad, one-third of people (30%) don’t always buy travel insurance for trips abroad. This leaves them at risk of having to pay for emergency treatment out of their own savings.
Those aged 18-24 are the least likely to take out travel insurance policies, with 64% having travelled abroad without cover. It is perhaps unsurprising then, that more than a quarter of this age group (26%) admit they have previously been left out of pocket while on holiday.
Almost seven in ten people we spoke to (68%) have never had to make a claim on a policy, yet most people (95%) understand the importance of taking out cover, and will continue to buy travel insurance for all future holidays.
Unexpected costs on holiday can be stressful, especially if faced with hospitalisation or additional medical charges. Taking out a good policy means you can leave the worry of hospital bills to your insurer, leaving you to focus on the things that really matter – making a speedy recovery.
It’s important to remember that travel insurance is there for your safety and wellbeing. So you can relax and enjoy your holiday, safe in the knowledge you’re protected if something goes wrong.