Accident abroad: Which insurance pays?
Time and again, tourists are left with part of the treatment costs after an accident abroad, if they were treated by a private hospital or a private doctor. If the accident victims are inadequately insured, the financial consequences can be devastating. Suva therefore recommends taking out vacation and travel insurance before every trip abroad.
Now that the number of corona cases is declining and travel restrictions have been eased, many people are drawn abroad to the sun, the sea or the mountains for their vacations. Even if nobody wishes it, it can always happen: an accident abroad. According to Suva, an average of around 70,000 accidents occur abroad every year.
Devastating consequences loom in the event of an accident abroad
Holidaymakers who have an accident abroad often unknowingly end up with a private doctor or in a private hospital. There, they receive good medical care, just as they are used to from public hospitals in Switzerland - but sometimes at much higher costs than in this country. Those who do not have appropriate additional insurance in the form of vacation and travel insurance in such a situation often have to pay a large part of the treatment costs themselves. For some, this has devastating financial consequences.
Higher treatment costs abroad
It is true that all employees who work at least eight hours per week are also compulsorily insured against non-occupational accidents via the employer for basic insurance. In EU and EFTA countries, this accident insurance covers the same benefits as if you were insured in the corresponding country. In other countries, it pays at most twice the amount of the costs that would have been incurred for treatment in Switzerland. Especially in countries with extraordinarily high medical costs, such as the USA, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, this amount is far from sufficient.
Expensive private clinics and private doctors for tourists
"Before going on vacation, no one likes to think about the possibility of having an accident," says Roger Stalder, team leader abroad at Suva. Nevertheless, he recommends being prepared for this eventuality and taking out vacation and travel insurance. If you have an accident outside Switzerland without this, you have to go to a public hospital or to a doctor who charges at the basic rate for the country in question. But this is not always so easy, because in tourist areas such doctors and hospitals are sometimes rare. Besides: "Anyone who has slipped accidentally at the edge of the swimming pool after a refreshing swim, for example, and is in severe pain, understandably wants medical help as quickly as possible," says Roger Stalder. In such a situation, few people would check whether the nearest doctor is a private physician or not. For most people, it is more important that the doctor speaks their own language.
What most people also don't know: Many hotels in classic tourist areas make arrangements with private clinics and private doctors to bring their guests to them in the event of an accident. "It can quickly happen that an insufficiently insured accident victim has to pay for services amounting to several 10,000 Swiss francs.
24-hour emergency helpline
Vacation and travel insurances usually cover all costs for emergency medical services, medication and hospital stays that are not reimbursed by your own health and accident insurance. They also cover rescue operations worldwide and return transport to Switzerland. "The benefits can vary greatly depending on the provider," says Roger Stalder. Before traveling, he recommends clarifying exactly how you are insured and always having the emergency number of your accident insurance ready when abroad.
What costs does Suva cover abroad?
- Medical expenses in EU/EFTA countries: The same benefits as if one were socially insured in the corresponding country
- Medical expenses in the rest of the world: at most twice the amount of the costs that would have been incurred for treatment in Switzerland
- Emergency return transports to Switzerland from all countries
Suva policyholders also receive assistance from Europ Assistance when abroad. This includes a 24-hour helpline with the telephone number +41 848 724 144, a worldwide medical care network, care and advance payments of costs such as doctor, medicine and hospital costs on site, as well as transport to a trustworthy clinic or return transport home.
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