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No travel insurance proves costly for Phuket tourist
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somtam2000
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The Phuket News has the wrap on an unfortunate 30 year-old British tourist who had a heart attack in Phuket and is now in a bad way in hospital. He forgot to get travel insurance before leaving. According to the story his hospital stay has cost 10,000 pounds so far and ongoing costs are 2,300 pounds a day.
Says one of his travel companions:
"Everyone else had it [travel insurance], and I told him last week, make sure you get your insurance, but he forgot. It's not a good idea, and now it's turned out to be a very expensive mistake.
For the sake of 50 or 100 pounds (B2,000-5,000) it's not worth taking the risk. Especially in a place like Thailand. People think it's all palm trees and lovely beaches, but if you fall ill out here... unless you have got money, you're in trouble."
You can read the full story here.
#1 Posted: 29/1/2013 - 04:29
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tyler
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Probably more along the lines of not bothering to get the insurance.
Expensive vacation!
#2 Posted: 29/1/2013 - 13:13
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busylizzy
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What really p!sses me off is that he is now expecting friends to donate and fundraise on Facebook on his behalf to cover his medical costs - when he could have easily just paid a few hundred to get insurance. Hate to say it, but I'm not very sympathetic. You don't 'forget' to get insurance. You are either to cheap or too lazy.
#3 Posted: 29/1/2013 - 13:54
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tyler
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A few hundred bucks if he was away for a couple of months. After reading the article I got the impression it wasn't along those lines. I lack sympathy as well.
Must have been told numerous times to get insurance by friends, family and certainly by the agent who sold him the ticket - if he went that route. Cheap and lazy beforehand...probably a bit remorseful at the moment.
Luckily it'll only be another 2 weeks or so and he gets to go home with a full recovery...Maybe start his own PayPal account to pay his peers back!
#4 Posted: 29/1/2013 - 14:57
JoeDawn
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Well we always bought from ROCO Insuerance for our travel medical insurance
#5 Posted: 30/5/2013 - 02:41
MADMAC
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2,300 Pounds a day??? My son stayed in the hospital with Dengue fever and had a private room and it was 30 USD a day. I had surgery with anasthesia and was in the hospital for three days and it was 200 USD all in. 2,300 Pounds???
#6 Posted: 30/5/2013 - 11:22
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Is it correct that the U.K. has a reciprocal agreement with Thailand allowing its citizens to access Thai public hospitals for free? Somebody mentions this in the comments to the story. If so why is he in a private hospital?
I can't find any information on this although UK does have agreements with many non-EC countries including Russia.
#7 Posted: 30/5/2013 - 11:45
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