It is approaching the peak of high season in South East Asia, which is the time of year that the increase in go fund me campaigns start to try to: pay for medical bills for someone injured who hasn't got insurance, pay for legal costs for someone 'wrongly' accused, repatriate someone's body and various other themes on people not being prepared for a holiday with the correct medical and legal cover.
Ever since the first day I went travelling, I had good quality travel and /or health insurance. 15 years ago there was no go fund me crow funding for the unlucky.
Go fund me for cancer sufferers, rare diseases, or other things which are out of our control, I think are a great idea.
Go fund me to raise 60k to repatriate a body, when it could be cremated and put in the over head locker, not appealing at all.
What are your thoughts on Go Fund Me campaigns to cover costs for an unexpected incident for people on vacation?
Stupid enough to travel without insurance. Go **** yourself imo.
Harsh but I have a medical complication that makes insurance a bit of a hassle but I still make sure I have it.
/\ that.
Insurance costs me a fortune (diabetic, with complications, who likes riding bicycles down mountains). Still have it.
Quarrel I have some sympathy for your logic (although of course some faiths find cremation abhorrent, and in the case of a body it's not really the victim that suffers from their attitude to insurance - it is the recently bereaved, and of course some people may have insurance that was unwittingly invalidated, not to mention that organising funerals and cremation is hard enough in your own country where you speak the language, understand the system and have the necessary paperwork). What I don't understand is why you care? There are an endless stream of supposedly worthy causes which I may or may not choose to give my money to. Some you may agree are good, others you may not - but how does it affect you if someone else decides to be benevolent in a way you don't think is worthwhile?
^ More curious than caring about it. I often wonder if I should be caring and helping out.
My curiosity was piqued by a news report that a young Australian boy, who had been found with crushed paracetamol in a bag, in a club in Bali, had been found not guilty. Police thought it was cocaine.
6,000 dollars have been raised, of the 30k needed to cover his costs. His parents are saying on the Go Fund Me page how it is unfair, his name has been dragged through the press, and he is a very promising footballer, and should be given a second chance.
Why he had a baggy of crushed paracetamol in his pocket, I don't know.
Has Internet begging become too much and made it easy for people to think that they will just start up a crowd funding page if things go tits up.
I am with the OP. I never use travel insurance. My risk. ( inside europe only tho where the only thing you actually need cover for is repatriation)
For sure if its something that cannot be helped like being wrongly locked up abroad but for getting folk out of a mess of their own making?
@tj not true. Only emergency medical care is funded-ie to save your life. After that you have to pay, even in Europe. The E111 or whatever it is now is no substitute for proper insurance and bills can be eye watering.
GoFundMe cream off [url= https://uk.gofundme.com/pricing ]8%[/url].
Sweet. Got to love this business model.
Not true Danny. You are entitled to all medical care for free and also free mountain rescue ( except perhaps for skiers and even then it not clear). ( private rescue exists and they will take you to a private only clinic) The only thing you are not covered for is repatriation either of a dead body or your broken one - so you have to sit in a french hospital/ hotel until you can get in a normal plane seat rather than being medivacced home.
http://www.simplysavoie.com/article/mountain-rescue-french-alps
Anyway my point is that I don't carry insurance, its my risk and I wouldn't expect anyone to cover the costs of me taking risks. My choice - I pay in the very unlikely event its needed
tjagain - MemberYou are entitled to all medical care for free
For now....maybe not in 2 years time...
Anyway my point is that I don't carry insurance, its my risk and I wouldn't expect anyone to cover the costs of me taking risks. My choice - I pay in the very unlikely event its needed
Oh absolutely. I mentioned it though because if you (or more importantly someone else reading this) bases that choice on the assumption that medical care is free in Europe then that assumption is wrong.
You are of course free to do whatever you want but don't forget travel insurance covers more than just being ill. Cancellation before travel, theft/loss of stuff etc.
^ third party cover, and legal cover
The two 21 year olds who killed a cow in India on their motorbike probably wish they had third party cover. I understand they were held until funds were transferred from home.
I don't believe they started a go-fund-me page though.
Danny - mecdical care is free ( or very minor cost) - just not always at the point of care. Read up on it. Reciprocal arrangements mean this is so. Its just that often people with insurance end up in the private clinic not the ones where the reciprocal arrangements work.
The EHIC covers treatment that is medically necessary until your planned return home. Treatment should be provided on the same basis as it would to a resident of that country, either at a reduced cost or, in many cases, for free. For example, in some countries, patients are expected to directly contribute a percentage towards the cost of their state-provided treatment. This is known as a patient co-payment. If you receive treatment under this type of healthcare system, you are expected to pay the same co-payment charge as a patient from that country.
Do you know all the Co-payment rates?
Plus as I say there's more to travel insurance than just the medical bit.