In some places in the world, a medical emergency can be enormously costly. Socialised medicine means that this cost is spread widely in the UK, which means that we don’t live in fear of visiting a hospital or phoning an ambulance. In the US, there’s an insurance-based system which takes a different approach. In Germany, there’s a system whereby employees put in 7.5 of their salary, which is matched by employers.
Where’s the most expensive place to break a leg?
The National Accident Helpline is a personal injury lawyer specialising in medical negligence. They’ve put in quite comprehensive research detailing the cost of medical care around the world. In the UK, a broken leg costs the NHS around £3,363 to fix – that’s after you take into account staffing, equipment, and administration. This is actually extremely competitive, with only France and the UAE coming in lower, at £3,086 and £2,094 respectively. In the US, the figure is a somewhat staggering £25,550. In Spain, it’s £15,000.
Of course, in almost every case, the person who receives the treatment doesn’t pay for the entire cost of the procedure and the after care. According to figures from the WHO, 63% of out-of-pocket-costs in India are paid by the patient, for a total of £33. In Switzerland, it’s the opposite story, with the average Swiss paying more than two thousand pounds every year on healthcare out of their own pockets.
Claims Culture
We can gauge the prevalence of a claims culture by looking at the number of searches made for claims-related terms. The USA is a clear winner, with 330,000 average monthly searches. But the UK isn’t far behind on 104,000.
How can you Keep Yourself Safe?
If you’re travelling overseas, then it makes sense to do your research ahead of time and make sure that you’re aware of the health risks in each country. Make sure that you’re fully vaccinated against things like Malaria and Covid-19, as well as any other diseases that might be endemic locally. You should also ensure that you have adequate medical insurance for travelling. If you’re travelling in Europe, then applying for a UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) will help you to meet the cost of emergency care. This is functionally similar to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which it replaced. Neither card, however, is intended to act as a replacement for travel insurance.