Travel and health costs

[red750]

A friend has just returned from a 21 day holiday to Canada and Alaska which was reduced to only 4 days due to ill health. While visiting Whistler, British Columbia, he took sick and had to be transferred by ambulance to Vancouver. They could not determine the nature of his illness, and he returned home to Melbourne. He gave me a copy of the Vancouver Coastal Health Lions Gate Hospital Patient Daily Rates Schedule, which I have scanned and attached below. He is now awaiting the outcome of his claim on his travel insurance policy.

 

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[old man emu]

I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price for a day in cardiac care, but I know I couldn't afford it.

[Marty_d]

Our neighbours recently returned from a trip to the UK. The wife fell over in Heathrow and broke her elbow, but said nothing until she got home - didn't want the costs and delays of overseas medical care.

 

 

[old man emu]

Luckily, when my wife had a fall and broke a bone in her wrist while we on holiday n England, she got as good care there as she would in Australia.

 

Mind you, she came to Australia as a child in the 60's and has ever paid to become naturalised. She travels on a British passport.

 

 

[Jerry_Atrick]

Australia and the UK have reciprocal public health rights or some such agreement.. In the UK, it really doesn't matter anyway. If someone presents in an emergency to an NHS hospital, they will fix you (private emergency medical treatment is virtually alien here). Apparently the rules changed recently where if one is a non-EU citizen (and not on the reciprocal agreement), then they will bill you and some leming will come and ask if you can pay anything at the time - but it is virtually unheard of anyone paying and they don't send the debt collectors.