Emergency on vacation: What you need to know

Summer vacation, finally off on vacation - and then an accident happens. So that vacationers don't end up with a broken leg and the costs, some preparation is part of vacation planning.

For what services are you insured?

Employees who work at least eight hours per week are compulsorily insured against occupational and non-occupational accidents through their employer. In EU and EFTA countries, the compulsory accident insurance pays the same benefits as if you were insured in the corresponding country - with the exception of emergencies in which the accident victim suffers life-threatening injuries (see "Better off in an emergency" below). In other countries, it pays at most twice the daily rate that would have been paid for treatment in Switzerland. Especially when vacationing in countries with extraordinarily high medical costs such as the USA, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Japan, this amount is far from sufficient.

Why are vacationers stuck with accident costs?

If you have not taken out supplementary insurance in the form of vacation and travel insurance, you are insured for the General Section at home and abroad. However, tourists often end up unknowingly at the private doctor or private clinic - and pay dearly for this.

The following tips from Suva will help you to be well advised in the event of an accident abroad:

• Take out vacation and travel insurance

You can take out these with private accident and health insurers for little money. Then you are on the safe side and can go to the nearest doctor in an emergency without being stuck with high costs. In rare cases, supplementary insurance policies also exclude certain benefits. Ask when you take out the insurance.

• Eyes open when choosing a doctor

If you do not wish to take out vacation and travel insurance and are still able to choose the hospital or doctor yourself after the accident, you must go to a public hospital or to a doctor who charges at the basic rate of the relevant country. Only then will the compulsory accident insurance cover the costs in full. This applies to EU and EFTA countries. In other countries, the accident insurance will reimburse at most twice the amount of the most expensive public Swiss hospital.

• Save 24-hour helpline phone number

Save the emergency number of your vacation and travel insurance in your electronic contacts on your cell phone. The approximately 50 percent of employees insured with Suva also receive help from Europ Assistance abroad if they are unsure where to seek treatment after an accident. This includes a 24-hour helpline with the telephone number +41 848 724 144, a worldwide medical care network, assistance and advance payments such as doctor, medicine and hospital costs on site, as well as transport to a trustworthy clinic or return transport home.

• Do not sign anything

Accident victims often have to agree to full coverage before undergoing surgery in foreign hospitals. Do not sign anything if you are unsure whether you are sufficiently insured. Always check with the helpline of your insurance company first. Because: Foreign private hospitals often recommend immediate operations, although a transport home to Switzerland would be possible. Here, the same operation in a public hospital costs a fraction.

• Require receipts for cash payments

In some countries, you must make cash payments in order to receive medical care. You must always ask for a receipt for such payments.

• Collect receipts and reports

If you have been to a doctor abroad as an outpatient or even had a hospital stay, you should ask for receipts for all services paid for. These do not necessarily have to be receipts, invoices are also sufficient as proof. Also, doctor's reports, X-rays and any other medical documents should always be brought back to Switzerland. These can be important for further visits to the doctor or in case of a relapse/complications.

• Better off in an emergency

Anyone who is admitted to a private hospital with life-threatening injuries is not left to pay the entire costs, even if insurance coverage is insufficient. In this case, accident insurance in all countries will reimburse at most twice the amount of the most expensive public Swiss hospital, instead of only the social tariff of the corresponding country.

It is important that the insured person can credibly demonstrate that he or she has paid hospital and medical expenses abroad. Only then will insurance companies cover the costs. For good reason: "We consistently fight insurance abuse," says Roger Stalder, insurance expert at Suva. Since Suva is repeatedly confronted with insured persons who try to obtain insurance money at the expense of honest premium payers, sometimes even with falsified doctor's reports from abroad, it checks closely whether a benefit has really been received.

You can find more information in the Suva-Brochure "Insured worldwide.

Source: Suva