Accidents during the vacations can be expensive

If Swiss tourists have an accident abroad, they 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 prices than in this country.

Anyone who does not have appropriate additional insurance in the form of vacation and travel insurance in such a situation often has to pay a large part of the treatment costs themselves. Every year, an average of around 50,000 Swiss citizens have an accident abroad. For some, this has devastating financial consequences.

Higher 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. This accident insurance covers the same benefits in EU and EFTA countries as if one 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 doctors for tourists

"Before a 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 will 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 stepped on a sea urchin at the seaside, for example, and is in severe pain understandably wants medical help as quickly as possible," says Roger Stalder. In such a situation, very few people would check whether the nearest doctor is a private doctor or not. For most people, it is more important that the doctor speaks their own language.

What most people also do not know: Many hotels on the Balearic Islands (such as Mallorca), in Turkey and in other countries 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 francs.

Detained in hospital

In Turkey, for example, it can happen in individual cases that a seriously injured person is not allowed to leave the hospital, even if a Rega helicopter is available for the return transport. The hospital first wants to be reimbursed at a private rate. Or the private clinics in Austria that specialize in ski accidents bring injured people directly from the ski slope to the clinic with their own helicopters and recommend immediate surgery.

This also applies if transport home to Switzerland would be possible. In most cases, the injured person must agree in writing to the full cost being covered. "But who wouldn't do this if the doctor advises operating on the knee immediately," says Stalder. Such a knee arthroscopy costs up to 12,000 francs in a private Austrian hospital - in a public Swiss hospital it would cost 1,000 francs.

Rescue and return transport

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. "Benefits can vary greatly depending on the provider," Stalder says. Before traveling, he recommends clarifying exactly how you are insured and always having the emergency number of your accident insurance ready when abroad.

Source: Suva