Uninsured travellers risk paying 12 times more than a five-star hotel for a hospital bed
10 million British holidaymakers travelled abroad last year without the necessary travel insurance
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Uninsured travellers can expect to pay up to 12 times more for a foreign hospital bed compared with a luxury hotel, according to new research.
A study conducted by finder.com, the price comparison site, investigated how much holidaymakers would have to spend if they needed to stay overnight in a hospital whilst abroad, compared with the average cost of a room in a five-star hotel.
The accident-prone would do well to steer clear of Monaco, where one night’s hospital stay comes at the eye-watering price of £2,583.
This is a whopping 511 per cent higher than the average price of a UK hospital bed for overseas visitors of £423.
Comparably, a night in a five-star hotel in Monaco will set you back £325, which is almost seven times cheaper than a night on the ward, with a saving of £2,158.
Luxembourg is the second most expensive place to fall ill, costing £1,360 for a night in a hospital bed. That’s 12 times more expensive than the average price of a five-star hotel room in the city, which costs £117 per night for two people.
Even a night in a hospital ward in Spain, the UK’s most popular holiday destination, will cost £332.
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA), the UK’s largest travel association, revealed earlier this year that nearly 10 million British holidaymakers (38 per cent) travelled abroad last year without the necessary travel insurance.
Susan Crown from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said: “People are risking thousands of pounds in medical bills by travelling without an insurance policy that covers them for everything they want to do abroad.
“It’s important to know that the FCO cannot pay medical bills if you are hospitalised abroad, nor can we fly you home.”
Finder.com CEO, Jon Ostler agreed: “While most of us are lucky enough to avoid hospitals when abroad, the costs of staying overnight are eye watering – and this is before you take into account the cost of medicine and specialist treatment as well.”
When travel insurance can be purchased for less than £20, risking a giant credit card bill for unexpected injury seems risky indeed. Plan ahead and make sure you don’t get caught out this summer.
The 10 most expensive hospital beds in the world:
1. Monaco
2. 2. Luxembourg
3. Norway
4. Qatar
5. Switzerland
6. San Marino
7. Denmark
8. Ireland
9. United Arab Emirates
10. Netherland
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments