When you’re on a skiing vacation, an accident on the slopes can unfortunately happen very quickly. If you’re abroad and need to be hospitalized, how can you make sure everything goes smoothly? How much does health insurance abroad cost for your ski vacation?
Your ski vacation in Europe
When traveling in Europe, make sure you always have your European Health Insurance Card with you. This gives you easier access to medical care, and allows you to be reimbursed up to the level of the French social security system. We strongly recommend that you take out additional foreign health insurance for your trip, which will include extra cover such as repatriation assistance. The EHIC or your standard mutuelle will probably not cover repatriation if you are immobilized. It doesn’t cover all your medical expenses, and it doesn’t cover the cost of repatriation or transport to a hospital. To cover these costs, you need travel insurance such as Travelpass.
The European Health Insurance Card is valid in the European Union plus Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia and Australia. You can obtain the card by applying to your Social Security.
Vos vacances au ski hors Europe
If you’re planning to discover the snow in more exotic countries like Canada or Japan (it is possible to ski in Japan…), you’ll need travel insurance to cover medical expenses and repatriation assistance. Civil liability insurance is also essential if you cause damage to another skier on the slopes. Make sure you stay on the official slopes and don’t go off-piste; no travel insurance will cover you in this situation.
What happens in the event of an accident?
In general, you should first contact the local emergency services, who will always be the quickest to come to your aid. Depending on your situation, you will be taken to a doctor or directly to a hospital. You will then need to contact the assistance platform as quickly as possible, so that medical care can be dispatched if, for example, you need surgery. In general, foreign hospitals are very familiar with this procedure, and usually wait until they have received insurance approval before continuing medical treatment.
How do I choose the right travel insurance for my ski vacation?
Mondassur advises you on the best travel insurances to cover you worldwide during your ski vacations. It’s important to adapt your coverage to the destination you’re going to. If you’re going to Canada, you’ll need high medical expense limits of around 500,000 euros, as medical costs are among the highest in the world. You can request a free quote for travel insurance directly online, and contact our advisors to discuss your specific situation.
