 Poster: A snowHead
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@SnoodyMcFlude, my additional costs this year, on the "free" bank travel insurance was over £200 - can't remember the exact sum. But that's because I have PEMCs which could end up costing the insurance company a lot of money. I have now survived more than 5 years after a diagnosis for which the average survival is around 5 years....... so you can't blame them. I'm still really quite well, but they just work on statistics! A neighbour of mine, worried about taking his mother in law on a cruise when she was really very frail, arranged with the insurance company covering him and his wife, which he'd used for years, that whilst he would pay any costs, should she die, they would help him with all the logistics and arrangements. That worked well. She did die, and he didn't have to start learning how you get a body home!
Most of us old people who are lucky enough still be jetting round the world can probably afford the premiums!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@boulevardier, the French system is complicated! The state only pays around 70%of medical bills and, depending on circumstances, it can be considerably less than that so the GHIC will only cover to that level. Residents who want full cover need to take out an additional top up insurance. We have a CEAM (French GHIC), our top up policy which extends to Europe, and seperate additional cover for rescue etc. so I hope that we wouldn't end up bankrupted! A claim might end up very complicated though!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Origen wrote: |
| But they might just crop up when you are away skiing? Perhaps having lunch at the top of a mountain? Or asleep after a day out on the slopes. |
If you don't have winter sports cover, this does not mean that you are not covered for any claim that arises whilst on a holiday when you plan to spend some time skiing. It just means you cannot claim for medical costs "arising from taking part in winter sports". If I fell ill from my PEMCs whilst having lunch or sleeping, this would not arise from the skiing, unless the illness can be argued to be partly caused by the skiing, albeit with a delay. I judge this unlikely in the case of my PEMCs. If I fell ill when I'm actually on skis, I'd say that I'd still be covered for medical costs as long as I can establish that there is no causal link with the skiing though I accept that in that case I'd face a tough burden of proof.
| Origen wrote: |
| Or an insurance company might argue that they contributed to a skiing accident, or that skiing exacerbated a PEMC. |
I judge this unlikely in the case of my PEMCs.
| Origen wrote: |
| If you are quite sure none of the PEMCs would cause a problem when you were away, why bother with a policy at all? |
Because I want to be covered for medical costs should I have an accident.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You would need to read the small print very carefully to identify all the conditions and exclusions. In the case of my (cardiac) condition, if I were to have a cardiac emergency in the middle of the night, after having been skiing all day, and the policy excluded skiing, I'd be struggling to convince the insurers they should pay up. Equally, if you had a simple ski accident and was being treated in hospital for a badly fractured leg, would your PEMCs have no bearing on your treatment? Just for simplicity I think I'd cough up for a policy which covered both. Most travel policies cover straightforward piste skiing.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Hells Bells wrote: |
| I have a general travel policy with Nationwide Flexplus which also includes winter sports, hubby has an existing medical condition covered for a small additional fee. |
That's my problem: Nationwide want silly extra premium for my PEMCs. I could get another policy that covers the PEMCs for hundreds less than Nationwide want for a PEMC add-on. But if I did that I'd only need the Flexplus to cover the skiing and for just that Flexplus is pretty pricey at £156 pa. (I don't really need the other benefits.) So, I'm assessing alternatives to Flexplus (with separate PEMC cover).
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| Origen wrote: |
| Most travel policies cover straightforward piste skiing. |
They do, but most of them charge silly extra premiums for my PEMCs. I would definitely prefer a single policy that covers everything, as it is much less likely to leave scope for insurers to quibble. I'm trying to work out how much extra cost there is for that peace of mind.
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If most of them charge a "silly extra premium" for your PEMC then it's probably not silly and like that for a reason.
I get it may be frustrating.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@koru, are you looking at a annual policy or a one - trip policy?
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As is usual here this thread is incredibly France focused...and that is not a criticism because snowHeads are ,in general, very France focused.
For those that ski in Switzerland it is worth knowing that if you pay for Insurance on your lift pass then piste rescue/blood wagon/ambulance/helicopter is all covered, and all it takes is a glance at your lift pass to check and that is literally the end of the admin process for you.
No pay/reclaim. No paperwork.
GHIC works really well in Switzerland, the hospitals accept it without question. Your contribution, for even major surgery and lengthy stays, is really small....I've never heard of a bill above a couple of hundred pounds or so, and that was for emergency brain surgery!
Repatriation is clearly up to you.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Layne wrote: |
| If most of them charge a "silly extra premium" for your PEMC then it's probably not silly and like that for a reason. |
It's like that because most of them don't bother to ask the right questions to underwrite the risk properly. I prefer to go with the ones that do.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| Origen wrote: |
| @koru, are you looking at a annual policy or a one - trip policy? |
I need cover for more than one trip per year, so annual probably makes sense, but then I don't need winter sports cover for all the trips, so perhaps single trip policies are better.
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| koru wrote: |
| Layne wrote: |
| If most of them charge a "silly extra premium" for your PEMC then it's probably not silly and like that for a reason. |
It's like that because most of them don't bother to ask the right questions to underwrite the risk properly. I prefer to go with the ones that do. |
I am not a defender of insurance companies - far from it - but they are in a difficult position here. No doubt they have some general policies, perhaps even some access to professional medical advice. But in essence it's probably not worth their bother delving too deeply. I mean, let's say 100 people in the UK have your PEMC, it's not a big tranche of customers to worry too much about.
There should be a better system than all this tbh - because as you can tell from all the insurance threads on here, it's way too complicated.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Wed 21-02-24 17:57; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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Apparently, they all use one of a handful of specialist PEMC underwriting systems, which are 'plug ins' for their websites. Some of these ask much more questions, which means they can distinguish levels of risk. But most insurers choose the other providers, which just make broad assumptions, so they end up quoting premiums that are unnecessarily high for many people. Perhaps the former type of PEMC system is more expensive for the insurer? Or perhaps they prefer to quote unnecessarily high premiums, as they make a big profit from those punters who pay up and don't realise that some insurers will cover the PEMCs for a lower premium.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Thank you all - very helpful to have the local knowledge !
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Origen wrote: |
| Most travel policies cover straightforward piste skiing. |
But rarely for off piste, even just at the sides, certainly without a guide.
And Staysure, I recall, has a silly exclusion for any cover if even on piste at Cat 3 or above avvy level (separate threads on this).
Sadly often far from straightforward once PEMCs come into play, even if unlikely to cause issue (but still having to be declared in full).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The insurance companies will also load premiums for age - and the combination of age and PEMCs makes life more difficult in all sorts of ways! The fact that ski holidays become more expensive is - believe me, you very young people - one of the most minor downsides of being old and/or sick! There are upsides too, like not having to go skiing in school holidays. 
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FAQ
