Insurers are in agreement – Poles are increasingly conscious in choosing travel insurance. We are aware of the very high cost of medical assistance abroad and choose higher sums insured for medical expenses. The Polish Chamber of Insurance points out what to pay attention to when purchasing travel insurance, what are the costs of certain medical procedures in the countries frequently visited by Poles, and how travel insurance can help.

What to pay attention to when choosing a travel insurance policy?

It is hard to start your holidays by considering the worst possible scenario, but this is the best way to choose insurance well and provide assistance to yourself in a difficult situation. First of all, this method can be used to determine the sum insured. This is the insurer’s limit of liability and information on the amount of cover for expenses related to, for example, treatment abroad, transport and rescue costs.

A good travel insurance policy must cover medical, transport and rescue costs, accident insurance, third party only liability insurance in private life, roadside assistance, luggage insurance and additional options, as required.

Medical expenses insurance

The most important component of travel insurance is the medical expenses insurance. We have collected examples of rates for certain medical assistance in the countries frequently visited by Poles to show you that even simple medical assistance is an expense of several hundred euros. However, sums insured for medical expenses must take into account expenses relating to the most difficult cases. In Europe, they should amount to at least several dozen thousand euros. Travelling to the USA, Asia, South America or Africa requires much higher sums insured – even several hundred thousand euros may be needed. Medical expenses abroad have increased on average by 20% over the last two years, in some distant countries by up to 100%.

Medical assistance rates:

Egypt

• EUR 150 – physician consultation – hotel visit, simple illness
• EUR 1,000 – daily hospitalisation, e.g. related to poisoning
• EUR 10,000 – cerebral haemorrhage following a head trauma (hospitalisation for several days at an intensive care unit (ICU))
• EUR 18,000 – decompression chamber after diving

 Italy

• EUR 150 – cold, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea, rash
• EUR 900 – leg contusion without fracture (simple injuries, visit to an orthopaedic clinic, X-ray, orthosis)
• EUR 1,500 – leg injury with fracture, visit, X-ray, cast, medications
• EUR 8,000 – myocardial infarction, coronarography, haemorrhagic stroke, ischaemic stroke
• EUR 17,000–20,000 – ligament and ACL system reconstruction (surgical procedure)

Turkey

• EUR 150 – hotel visit
• EUR 250 – outpatient visit with transport to a medical facility
• EUR 1,500 – visit to a medical facility following a head trauma, stitching, X-ray
• EUR 8,500 – appendicitis, 3-day hospitalisation

Germany

• EUR 100 – cold, simple illness; visit to a medical facility, without the need for additional tests and examinations
• EUR 250 – home visit
• EUR 500 – outpatient visit to emergency room, e.g. in case of injuries
• EUR 3,000 – accident at work and 3-day hospitalisation
• EUR 25,000 – road traffic accident, myocarditis, myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke and approximately 10-day hospitalisation

United States of America

• USD 150 – visit to Urgent Care, Walk-In Clinic
• USD 500 – infection with fever in a child (paediatric home visit)
• USD 6,500 – cycling accident, leg fracture, visit to emergency room
• USD 35,000 – 4-day hospitalisation related to heart rhythm disorders
• USD 128,000 – hospitalisation related to a car accident

Costs of rescue and transport

Rescue and search costs are another important component of the travel insurance policy. Here too, the sum insured cannot be low, especially when we plan to rest actively. One hour of flight of a helicopter tasked with retrieving a tourist from high mountains costs even a few thousand euros. One minute of helicopter flight in Austria is as much as EUR 120. If it is necessary to launch a search and rescue operation, the costs will increase many times over.

The transport of the insured tourist is also an important component of the insurance policy. In the event of an accident, return on the planned date, for example by air liner or car, may not be possible. It will then be necessary to organise specialised transport by ambulance or special plane, in the presence of a doctor. Transport costs also include the transport of mortal remains. For example, the cost of bringing a deceased person from Turkey or Egypt ranges between PLN 18,000 and 35,000 (depending on whether the body is cremated locally).

Accident insurance, luggage insurance, third party only insurance in private life, roadside assistance and additional options

A good travel insurance policy also includes accident insurance, luggage insurance, as well as third party only insurance in private life. In these cases too, the guaranteed sum should be not too low as the damage we cause may be costly.

Roadside assistance services are an important complement to the coverage. Insurers offer a full range of additional services. The standard option is continuous access to the assistance centre in Polish worldwide.

Insurance must meet our needs and reflect what we plan to do during holidays. If we plan activities such as diving, climbing, horse riding or other extreme sports, we should make sure that these activities are covered and extend the standard insurance cover to cover the risks associated with these forms of active rest.

For chronic patients, it is important to tick an option which includes chronic disease exacerbation while abroad. Depending on the insurer’s offer, this may be available as standard – included in the costs of medical treatment or as an additional option.

Travel insurance when we travel with a travel agency

Travel agencies typically offer different options for travel insurance. Under the Tourism Services Act, each trip must be accompanied by a basic package, the sum insured of which usually does not exceed PLN 100,000–150,000. It is worth reading the offer carefully, checking the policy, its scope, sums insured, and exclusions. If the offer does not correspond to all the activities we are planning, it does not include, for example, cover in the event of an accident when practising specific sports, or offers too low sums insured, it is worth taking out an additional policy. This can be done at a travel agency or independently, e.g. at an agent.

Travel agencies may use the services of various insurance companies, not only those operating in the Polish market under Polish law. This means that there may be other rules regarding the coverage provided, including exclusions or filing complaints.

Where to buy a good travel insurance policy? How much should it cost?

There are many possibilities. You can use an agent who will advise you on the most advantageous option, buy a policy on the insurer’s website, using its helpline, in a multi-agency, through a bank, but also through a travel agency which offers different policy options.

Travel insurance policies are offered by other entities, e.g. multi-currency card providers. They may also use the services of various insurance companies, not only those operating under Polish law. The law system in which the insurer operates is specified in the contract. Let’s check it. It is worth using insurance offered by companies operating in the Polish market and in accordance with the provisions of our law. This will make it easier for us to understand the provisions of the contract and to agree with the insurer, who is supervised by the Polish Financial Supervision Authority. Above all, it will be easier for us to obtain assistance and we will be supported by the Polish assistance centre. You can check if the company is subject to Polish supervision at knf.gov.pl. In contentious matters, we are sure that complaints and appeals will be processed without the need to translate documents, in accordance with Polish regulations.

Regardless of where we take out the policy, its cost should not be lower than 5% of the value of our trip. The cost of an average travel insurance policy is a one-off expense of several hundred zlotys, depending on the number of people, scope, destination – which represents only a fraction of the amount when we take the entire trip into account.

How insurers help – examples:

China – a young man was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition, with paresis of unknown origin. A team of doctors from China had a problem with diagnosing him. At the request of the Polish consul in China, the customer was transferred to another hospital where the diagnosis – encephalomyelitis – was made. The father of the injured, who was an intermediary between the insurer and the hospital, also came to China. Despite long hospitalisation, the man’s health condition was improving at too slow a pace, therefore the insurer organised the repatriation of the customer to Poland. A team of the insurer’s partner, Europ Assistance Polska, went to China. It included a doctor and a paramedic who assessed the health condition of the man and transported him safely to Poland.

Portugal – a child was kicked in the abdomen by a horse during a school trip. As a result of the incident, the girl was admitted to a hospital where she underwent extensive abdominal surgery. Transport to Portugal was organised for the child’s parents, their stay was paid for, and the child and her mother were repatriated after hospitalisation.

The assistance of insurers is therefore comprehensive, ranging from the organisation of on-site treatment, a family stay, to the transport of the patient. We have collected additional examples in the table together with the premiums.