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INSURANCE AND HEALTH |
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As an EU country, Ireland has free reciprocal health agreements with
other member states. To take advantage, British and other EU citizens
will need form E111, available over the counter from main post offices.
There are no inoculations required for travellers to Ireland, nor any
particular health hazards to beware of beyond those of taking care when
travelling in an unknown place. Still, you're as likely to fall ill or
have an accident here as anywhere else, so it's as well to make sure
you're covered by adequate travel insurance.
A typical travel insurance policy usually provides cover for the loss of
baggage, tickets and - up to a certain limit - cash or cheques, as well
as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most of them exclude so-called
dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in Ireland this can
mean horse riding, windsurfing, trekking and mountaineering. Read the
small print and benefits tables of prospective policies carefully;
coverage can vary wildly for roughly similar premiums. Many policies can
be chopped and changed to exclude coverage you don't need - for example,
sickness and accident benefits can often be excluded or included at will.
If you do take medical coverage, ascertain whether benefits will be paid
as treatment proceeds or only after return home, and whether there is a
24-hour medical emergency number. When securing baggage cover, make sure
that the per-article limit - typically under £500 equivalent - will
cover your most valuable possession. If you need to make a claim, you
should keep receipts for medicines and medical treatment, and in the
event of having anything stolen, you must obtain an official statement
from the police. Bank and credit cards often have certain levels of
medical or other insurance included and you may automatically get travel
insurance if you use a major credit card to pay for your trip.
Even with an E111, UK citizens would do well to take out an insurance
policy before travelling to cover against theft, loss and illness or
injury. Travel agents and tour operators are likely to require some sort
of insurance when you book a package holiday, though according to UK law
they can't make you buy their own (other than a £1 premium for "schedule
airline failure"). If you have a good all-risks home insurance policy it
may cover your possessions against loss or theft even when overseas.
Many private medical schemes such as BUPA or PPP also offer coverage
plans for abroad, including baggage loss, cancellation or curtailment
and cash replacement as well as sickness or accident.
Americans and Canadians should also check that they're not already
covered. Canadian provincial health plans usually provide partial cover
for medical mishaps overseas. Holders of official student/teacher/youth
cards are entitled to meagre accident coverage and hospital in-patient
benefits. Students will often find that their student health coverage
extends during the vacations and for one term beyond the date of last
enrolment. Homeowners' or renters' insurance often covers theft or loss
of documents, money and valuables while overseas, though conditions and
maximum amounts vary from company to company.
Rough Guides travel insurance
Rough Guides now offers its own travel insurance , customized for our
readers by a leading UK broker and backed by a Lloyds underwriter. It's
available for anyone, of any nationality, travelling anywhere in the
world.
There are two main Rough Guide insurance plans: Essential , for basic,
no-frills cover, starting at £11.75 (European) and £23.03 (worldwide)
for two weeks; and Premier - with more generous and extensive benefits -
starting at £12.50 (European) and £28.79 (worldwide). Alternatively, you
can take out annual multi-trip insurance , which covers you for any
number of trips throughout the year (with a maximum of 60 days for any
one trip), starting at £47.26 (European) and £83.99 (worldwide). Unlike
many policies, the Rough Guides schemes are calculated by the day, so if
you're travelling for 27 days rather than a month, that's all you pay
for. If you intend to be away for the whole year, the Adventurer policy
will cover you for 365 days from £90 (Europe), £160 (worldwide excluding
US and Canada), and £200 (worldwide including US and Canada). Each plan
can be supplemented with a "Hazardous Activities Premium" if you plan to
indulge in sports considered dangerous, such as skiing, scuba-diving or
trekking. Rough Guides also does good deals for older travellers, and
will insure you up to any age, at prices comparable to SAGA's.
For a policy quote , call the Rough Guides Insurance Line on UK freefone
0800 015 0906, or, if you're calling from outside Britain on (44/1243
621 046). Alternatively, get an online quote at www.roughguides.com/insurance
.
Health care
Visitors from EU countries are entitled to medical treatment in the
Republic under the EU Reciprocal Medical Treatment arrangement. EU
visitors should collect a form E111 from their Social Security office (or
in Britain from any Post Office). Although an E111 is technically not a
requirement for people from the UK, in reality it's essential to get the
entitlement to free treatment and prescribed medicines (though this does
not cover dental examinations, X-rays and so on). Even then, you can run
into problems, and it makes sense to take your NHS card, too. Armed with
these documents, check that the doctor you use is registered with the
Health Board Panel, and make it clear you want to be treated under the
European Union's social security arrangements. Similarly if you are
admitted to hospital, make it clear you want to be treated within the EU
Reciprocal Treatment scheme. The only other real problem is that in
rural areas you may find yourself miles from the nearest doctor or
hospital, and possibly even further from one prepared to treat you under
the reciprocal arrangements.
British citizens need no documentation to be treated in the North ; for
non-British EU travellers, the requirements are the same as for the
Republic.
Citizens of non-EU countries will be charged for all medical services
except those administered by accident and emergency units at health
service hospitals. Thus a US citizen who has been hit by a car would not
be charged if the injuries simply required stitching and setting in the
emergency unit, but would if admission to a hospital ward were necessary.
Health insurance is therefore extremely advisable for all non-EU
nationals.
Citizens of some countries may also enjoy a reciprocal agreement; in
Australia, Medicare has such an arrangement with Ireland and Britain.
Check before you leave. And remember that whatever your legal rights,
the local doctor may not necessarily know anything about them
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