Travellers 'wrongly relying on EHIC alone'

Category: ferry to Belgium news

Many people planning on taking the ferry to France or Belgium this month may be relying solely on their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) alone, it has been claimed.

Travel insurance manager at Sainsbury's Sam Marrs said that particularly at a time when sports were popular with families holidaying on the continent, people were not taking into account the possible need for cover on personal items or money.

He added that many people wrongly overlooked travel insurance as they thought their EHIC would cover their health fully, but he added that "it will not cover you for private medical care, nor will it pay for you to be airlifted off a ski slope or repatriated to the UK".

Furthermore, Mr Marrs added that the EHIC still only paid for a person's healthcare up to the equivalent cost of the treatment on the NHS, meaning that many may have to pay an up-front fee - an average of £386 among those forced to pay, according to the supermarket's poll.

The NHS noted that travellers may be able to claim a reimbursement for incurred costs but that travel insurance was always necessary for any holiday.

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