08.02.2024 – 11:30
HUK-COBURG
Coburg (ots)
International travel health insurance provides security in the event of skiing accidents. Where do skiers need private liability insurance?
Winter vacation: pure sun, snow and fun? The reality is often different: every year, thousands of skiers have accidents on the slopes and have to be treated in hospital. Unsightly prospects that no one likes to think about. But knowing about it pays off – especially abroad.
People with statutory health insurance can go to the doctor in the EU with the European Insurance Card (EHIC). This regulation also includes Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Iceland, Norway and Macedonia. The holiday country’s catalog of services regulates medical care, but it does not always correspond to the German standard. In some countries, significantly higher additional payments or co-payments are common, and of course vacationers always have to see a contracted doctor.
This requirement is often difficult to meet. Why? This is what HUK-COBURG explains. Anyone who skis down the mountains, gets injured and ends up in the hospital often finds that doctors in winter sports areas only treat them privately. Even a clean break and a few days in the hospital can cost several thousand euros. If the accident occurs in a country with which there is no social security agreement – for example in the USA or Canada – the injured party must pay for the entire treatment themselves anyway.
Initial care on the ski slopes and transport to the hospital also add up quickly: Costs ranging from 800 euros for an ambulance to several thousand euros for a rescue mission by helicopter are realistic. Statutory health insurance does not cover these costs.
International travel health insurance is different: it pays for both private treatment and transport from the slopes to the doctor. If repatriation is unavoidable due to an accident – to your place of residence or to a German hospital – it will also organize that. Of course, this applies not only to accidents, but also to unforeseeable illnesses that occur abroad.
This is not an issue for those with private health insurance. Your insurance cover includes the treatment costs for a holiday abroad, but does not always cover the costs of medical repatriation. If you have any doubts, they should be cleared up before you start your journey, ideally by calling the insurer.
Worth considering: For those with private insurance, it may be worth taking out additional international travel health insurance. It may be possible to save the annual premium refund or save the deductible.
Not without liability insurance
Danger lurks elsewhere: Anyone who gets caught up in the rush of speed, forgets the piste’s traffic rules (FIS rules of conduct) and causes an accident must be held liable. At the speeds reached on ski slopes today, serious injuries often occur. In addition to treatment costs, injured parties can also claim loss of earnings or compensation for pain and suffering. If serious, permanent damage occurs, lifelong pension payments may even be due. Without private liability insurance, the perpetrator has to pay for everything out of his own wallet.
A lack of liability insurance can have serious consequences for the victim: If the private assets of the person who caused the accident are not sufficient to meet the claims of the injured party, the latter will be left empty-handed. Private liability insurance is therefore now a must on Italian slopes. Anyone traveling without one must expect fines of up to 150 euros and the withdrawal of their ski pass.
Experience shows that an accident victim needs money, especially if the damage is permanent. Often life has to be completely reorganized, perhaps even an apartment or house has to be converted to make it handicapped accessible. In the event of disability, private accident insurance also helps. It pays regardless of whether the victim is compensated by the person who caused the accident or not.
For the press release on huk.de: https://www.huk.de/presse/nachrichten/verbrauchertipps/beinbruch.html
Press contact:
Further information and contact:
HUK-COBURG corporate communications
E-Mail: [email protected]
Karin Benning
Tel.: 09561/96-22604
E-Mail: [email protected]
Original content from: HUK-COBURG, transmitted by news aktuell