Skiers and snowboarders who plan to skimp on travel insurance to cut the cost of their holiday could find themselves paying colossal hospital bills if they have an accident on the slopes this year, with the weak pound leading to rocketing medical expenses abroad.

Rachel Croft, head of travel at the Post Office, said, “Paying out for medical costs with no insurance has never been cheap, but the weaker pound means that the relative cost of hospital treatment abroad can be potentially much higher. Medical costs in popular eurozone ski destinations such as France, Italy and Austria could be around 18 per cent higher than this time last year. And skiiers going to Aspen or Vail in US are looking at a massive 29 per cent hike.”

According to a Post Office report, more than 10 million people are considering going on holiday without travel insurance this year as the credit crunch continues to bite. However, whilst a lost passport or suitcase is replaceable, medical fees and repatriation costs could leave uninsured consumers seriously out of pocket, or even bankrupt.

An air ambulance from France to the UK will typically cost £8,000. Repatriation costs are usually covered by your travel insurance policy, but if you are uninsured you will have to foot the bill yourself. The cost rises to £10,000 from Austria, £12,000 from Italy and a whopping £50,000 from the USA.

Steve Jewitt-Flee, who works for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Know Before You Go’ campaign, encourages British nationals to prepare for their foreign travel so they can avoid preventable problems.

“The risks involved in winter sports holidays mean it is essential that slope-lovers are properly prepared before travelling,” says Jewitt-Flee.

“The most important thing is to take out fully comprehensive travel insurance and to read the small print of your policy, so you know what you’re covered for. If you’re not properly insured and have a serious accident, you or your family could be left picking up a huge medical bill.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 4:46 pm and is filed under Insurance, Travel Insurance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.