 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Planning the 20/21 season, I'm going to be provided Carre Neige by my company. The cover seems comprehensive, but there's a limit of €50,000, which seems a little low to me.
EHIC states that it will remain valid for the duration of my stay. A private season-long insurance is £250 at the minimum, but increases medical cover to £1million. I need to train in the park on big kickers to pass an exam at the end of the season, so sadly injury seems more likely than in most seasons.
What are peoples' thoughts as to being restricted to €50,000 of cover should the worst happen?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
EHIC states that it will remain valid for the duration of my stay
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Does it? Is that true for any trip which starts before the end of 2020?
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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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Not going to assume the position of an expert, but:
https://www.nhs.uk/using-the-nhs/healthcare-abroad/apply-for-a-free-ehic-european-health-insurance-card/
says:
"Healthcare during the transition period
There will be no changes to healthcare access for UK nationals visiting or living in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland before 31 December 2020.
You can continue to use your EHIC during this time, as you did before.
An EHIC is not a replacement for travel insurance. Make sure you have both before you travel.
You can continue to use your EHIC in the country you were visiting on 31 December 2020 for the duration of your visit to that country."
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@AdamNotts, I would have thought €50,000 would be sufficient for a helicopter evacuation and a possible repatriation to the UK. It may be tight if you need to be repatriated to North America.
As you know it doesn't cover medical treatment which will be done under the public heathcare system in France. However, since it appears the UK will leave the EHIC scheme at the start of next year you may need private health care insurance from the first of January. I would also check that the policy covers " big kickers"
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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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@AdamNotts, Are you sure that you will get Carre Neige and not Carte Neige ?
If you are doing serious park stuff then maybe join the local club as a competitor. This will provide the "Optimum" level of Carte Neige insurance but it doesn't include repatriation to the UK. Where will you be staying ?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yeah, @rjs, spot on it there, it's surely Carte Neige, no?
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Might be Carre Neige, that's the one you are offered on the Tignes Season Pass Website (Well last year anyway). Its a bit cheaper IIRC, but its cover is limited to the ski area covered by the Pass.
Hence Carte for me for local trips.
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@AdamNotts, Well I can see a few issues.
(1) EHIC doesn't cover 100% of the cost. AFAIK in France it is 80% so if you completely mangle yourself and have an extended stay in hospital, have you got that 20%? A friend of mine had his EHIC refused in Germany not that long after the 2016 vote and he was told we'd already left! All I'm saying is good luck getting it recognised post 31/12 even though the blurb suggests otherwise.
(2) Most healthcare facilities in ski resorts are private. What if you can't be moved to state hospital?
(3) Does Carte/Carre Neige cover repatriation? I've heard some say yes and others no.
(4) Is the 'big kicker' stuff you are attempting inn the park covered by normal insurance anyway? Sounds to me it requires specifically endorsed cover with premium to match. If you are doing stuff considered to be out of the norm for what is essentially holiday insurance, will the insurer quibble if you mangle yourself and rack up an enormous bill? Yes, trust me, yes they will. The info you have shared with us is what I would call 'material facts' and you would be best to disclose it to your insurer if you use one.
(5) I you think injury is 'more likely' you'd be mad not to adequately cover yourself.
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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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@chocksaway, ah, wondered if that might be the case.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@johnE, Carte Neige Competition only covers repatriation to France from elsewhere, or as a special case to the UK if you are French but UK resident.
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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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I'm not sure how EHIC comes into play when combined with carre neige. Carre neige offers €50,000 worth of rescue and treatment - is that combined with the discount? Or is €50,000 sufficient for let's say a bad leg break? I've not had one before (touch wood) so I just don't know what that kind of hospital stay costs. It does seem low though.
Another thing I've come across is that while the season will happen in the 3v, the exams will happen in Austria, where carre neige won't insure me, so I'll need at least 3 weeks worth of cover out there. Might be better just taking the additional cover for the season.
The standard seasonnaire insurance products specifically mention various forms of off-piste and snowpark use, so that should be fine.
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You might want to check out the insurance offered by the Austrian Alpine Club - they have a UK section. All members get mountain activity insurance as part of club membership, you can get additional cover too for a fairly modest cost as the medical cover element is designed as a back up to your main health insurance, fine when the EHIC was in operation but maybe not so in the future. See https://aacuk.org.uk/p-mountain-rescue-search-insurance
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You know it makes sense.
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| chocksaway wrote: |
Might be Carre Neige, that's the one you are offered on the Tignes Season Pass Website (Well last year anyway). Its a bit cheaper IIRC, but its cover is limited to the ski area covered by the Pass.
Hence Carte for me for local trips. |
Carre Neige specifically says on its site that it covers all resorts in Savoie under an FAQ asking whether it works in other resorts.
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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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I don't think Carre/Carte Neige provides any form of third-party liability cover, i.e. if you accidentally cause an injury to someone else when skiing. I would suggest this is essential as it can potentially result in much higher costs than your own personal medical treatment, perhaps even £millions.
If you are a homeowner, then you might have some third-party liability cover from your house (buildings) insurance - but would need to check the wording carefully, as it might be restricted to accidents at the property or in the UK only.
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Poster: A snowHead
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We do whole seasons normally with no extra insurance.
We just use Mastercard to buy the lift pass, and this provides some basic cover. ( Heli evac, onsite doctor, hospital bill up to 20,000, 3rd party liability, etc..). 20,000, might not sound much, but if you think that the state picks up 70% then your bill needs to be around 95,000 to overshoot. Typically French hospitals are about a 800 a night. (more for private facilities).
In Feb one of our sons was heli'd off unconscious with a broken back.
We do not know how much the helicopter was, but all told his medical bill was about 5K.
We ended up paying a 70 euro excess - that's it.
It does not cover getting equipment stolen, Off-piste rescue, racing etc...
In your case 50k would seem all right. If you have some long term (expensive) issue, then you'll be repatriated and your fellow taxpayers will pick up the tab for your long term care.
One of our neighbours kids had a bad head and back injury ( training on big a ass kicker in La Chapelle Park, Avoriaz), but similarly his dad just claimed all the medi bills back thru Mastercard as he used that to buy his pass.
Obviously you gotta do what makes you comfortable, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that expensive insurance policies are better than cheap ones and vice versa, as it's not always the case.
You need something that will get you off the mountain and to a hospital and provide for initial treatment and repatriation if necessary.
If you're doing a whole season, then French insurers provide 3rd party cover (partie civile) with your home insurance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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In Feb one of our sons was heli'd off unconscious with a broken back.
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Gulp.
How is he getting on?
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Obviously you gotta do what makes you comfortable, but don't fall into the trap of thinking that expensive insurance policies are better than cheap ones and vice versa, as it's not always the case.
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How true. Read the policy carefully. Remember insurance companies are not there to help you. They are there to make money.
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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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| johnE wrote: |
| Remember insurance companies are not there to help you. They are there to make money. |
Can't they do both?
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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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johnE
How is he getting on?
Thanks for asking- he's doing great actually.
He received first class care despite it happening at the height of COVID 19 overloading the French health service.
6 days in hospital, then a corset (cast) for 12 weeks, a bit of physio and Bob's your uncle.
The 12 weeks bed rest also gave him the opportunity to gracefully drop out of the uni course he hated in Geneva, and he's now super happy as he's started a course in something he is passionate about (environmental sciences) on the west coast and he can even do surfing as an elective module 
Even though the insurance was "free" (included in my annual credit card fee of 70 euros) I do not think he would have gotten better care if he had a more expensive policy, after all the care providers and clinicians don't give a monkeys about his insurance, they are just doing their job to ensure that all patients receive the best care possible.
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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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| ecureuil wrote: |
| I don't think Carre/Carte Neige provides any form of third-party liability cover, |
Thanks for pointing that out. You are correct.
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FAQ
