Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Health Insurance and Care Abroad - Get Travel Medical Insurance!

Reading a blog post today from my Health Insurance Blog Blogger friend, got me thinking...
"You don't know how lucky you are" My parents used to say to me about going to places on exotic holidays...
Their parents would have likely said the same thing to them about the National Health Service - as kids they would have remembered their parents having to pay for the doctor on an ad hoc basis!

You never miss it until it's gone, or more importantly you don't notice it until you have to pay for it, and in the case of medical and health insurance at this holiday time of the year, it's yet another necessary cost of holidaying abroad.

Watching the news and the debate going on in the States about the health care reforms proposed by the President, that are being made out by the Media to be dividing the Nation....you can't help but laugh when you read that the right wingers are using the NHS system as an example of everything that could go wrong with a nationalised healthcare insurance scheme.
I can't wait to see Barack Obama's camp stand up and defend the NHS as the example of a health care system that all countries should be following!

Here's some thoughts from the Health Insurance Blog

Barack Obama is the Good Samaritan for US Health Care

Most of us are used to some type of health insurance in the the UK despite the existence of the ubiquitous free for all NHS.

In fact most UK citizens have purchased private medical insurance at some time or another!

Yep! surprising isn't it! But because we all travel we are probably as well versed in the vagaries of the medical insurance section of our travel insurance policies as we are with our compulsory car insurance!

Since the 1970's Brits have regularly bought medical insurance for their two week jaunt to the Costa del Sol and very many have had to claim and seen the workings of a foreign privatised health care system in action.

It is only then that we see the true worth of our NHS, when we have to participate in the bureaucracy of a claim when sick. We also get to see the standards of foreign care at the coal face!
Still, the good news about those sorts of health insurance covers found on a travel policy is that they will always repatriate you to good old Blighty and the awaitng NHS.

Most Brits like to visit our cousins in the United States.
This is when we come face to face with the fact that health care is not homogenous, especially when it comes to availablilty and more importantly - price!
Those travel insurance insurance policies suddenly treble in premium and all those exclusions to cover such as pre-existing medical conditions suddenly become real concerns....the same sort of concerns that face the average American daily!

Even with Insurance - you don't wan't to get ill in America. You especially don't want to get ill for a chronic amount of time - all health insurasnce policies have strict limits of liability!
What if the money runs out?

In the Land of the Free there is no human safety net! (if you can't pay)

Charles Darwin would have loved it!

Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan?

From the right wing noises of middle american rabble rousing grannies shouting on about abortions and illegal immigrants that we see every night on CBS and ABC news ..... I don't think so! Try Luke!

Well you all go to church on Sunday dressed up in you finery, or is that just Hollywood agitprop to satisfy the lunatics of the Bible belt?

So step forward Barack Obama, determined to bring some social justice to the cities and peoples of America. The Good Samaritan who refused to walk on by on the issue of Health Care.

From the looks on the faces of those church going grannies and their militia sons who are dressed up for Afghanistan, and their kids dressed up like neo cons from The Matrix.....I just hope you're wearing extra strong Kevlar Barack, because in some parts of your divided nation that's the only healthcare you will need!

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Monday, October 13, 2008

Dangerous sports travel insurance

footballer accident insurance

Those of you who are working in Insurance in the UK might remember those 'crazy claims' stories and cartoons in the Insurance Press.
You know the sort " I was proceeding down meadow lane at 25mph when an elephant jumped over a bush.........."
Well, here at Insurance Blogger part of our network has been collecting Internet leads for specialist insurance schemes for over ten years now.
During that time we have been asked to find insurance for some incredible artifacts, property and business employers liability insurance for some incredible professions.
We've usually managed to help.
In fact I'm going to publish some of them on this blog every now and then.
However there have always been certain things that you couldn't find cover for.

One in particular that springs to mind was this crazy amazing base jumper (he'd done loads of buildings) who wanted travel insurance for base jumping in New Zealand.
We tried really hard to find him cover but in those days no one was offering dangerous sports travel insurance.



dangerous sports insurance

So it was refreshing to see that Sportscover direct are offering travel insurance and other cover for nearly all sorts of dangerous sports and holidays including snowboarding travel insurance and skiing and abseiling cover.


Snowboarding accident medical expenses insurance

They cover virtually every type of sport within which clubs, players, teams, coaches and managers can all be individually insured for accident, liability and personal and commercial insurance. Whats more you can insure kids as well!

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