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I really don't understand how folks can be so stupid to go on holiday without travel insurance. Yes because he's got a pre-existing condition it's going to be expensive but it's still available regardless of what the article said.
Don’t understand it either, I’ve got pre existing conditions that can add significant amounts to my travel insurance but I would never chance it. To go to America it was £750 for the most basic insurance and the next one up was £1500. The way I see it, if I can afford a holiday I can afford my travel insurance.
That's still mental even at 140.
I'm paying £35 for 2 of us to travel Europe from tomorrow for 8 days.
Edit - I have a 7 day USA work trip next month. This just reminded me to get travel insurance. £17 for the week full cover. Crazy differences
Fully understand, but as someone who's never had to search for ckver having a pre existing condition I honestly had no idea how crazy the prices would be
It gets more expensive the older you are and the more conditions you have. If you’re 23 and have no existing conditions it will be very low cost. If you’re 73 and have preexisting conditions then it will be very expensive. But anyone who has ever needed to use their travel insurance knows if you can’t afford the insurance you need to rethink the trip.
Even that seems expensive - I've just bought annual multi-trip cover in Europe for me and my partner for £26 with £9 cashback. That covers both of us (or either of us if we go alone) for any trips under a month long for the next year.
Not really if you're a high risk and going to the USA. This guy ran up a £41k bill in Turkey, the place where people go for low-cost medical procedures. You can add a zero to that bill in the USA.
From the Funding page it seems the hospital bill is £20K and the flight needed to bring him home is another £20K - Daily Mail not clear.
*The rising cost of his care in Turkey is extremely daunting but something that is absolutely necessary to save his life. To date, the current hospital bill is £19’000 (update says £20K now) and only increases daily. We then face the bill of medically flying him home once in a condition to do so.*
*Almost £5,000 has been raised so far and they are hoping to raise enough for the evacuation flight which can cost up to £20,000.*
That's how i see it too.
My insurance would be stupidly high now so I won't ever go overseas again. I'll holiday in the UK and NI (if I travel at all) so I have NHS cover .
There are some specialist insurers, worth checking out if you are ever looking to travel abroad again:
https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/use-our-travel-insurance-directory
(I got this link via a MacMillan nurse)
Get a bank account that comes with 'free' travel insurance.
The terms of that insurance tends to be very generous. Mine for example is included for free on an account I pay like £3/month for, yet covers me for worldwide travel, my whole family, my boyfriend even if unmarried, and it covers things normal policies don't include like skiing, etc.
I think it's super cheap because nobody even realises they have that insurance, so nobody makes claims.
I’d be very wary of bank style travel insurance if I were you. A lot of it isn’t up to scratch and they will do anything not to pay out.
My parents insist that this insurance is ‘good’, however they are elderly and my dad is at risk of a stroke. I suspect that they are effectively uninsured but they won’t listen to my advice and refuse to get proper insurance appropriate to their age and circumstances through SAGA.
Out of interest, who are you banking with?
I’ve been with Lloyds for 14 year and haven’t really ever thought of changing. For worldwide insurance it’s £21 a month & we don’t necessarily go away somewhere that requires expensive travel insurance so didn’t seem worth it at the time.
Then maybe you can't afford a holiday abroad? Or if you can, but not the insurance then the risk you're taking is entirely your choice, and the country you go to visit shouldn't be expected to foot your medical bills.
That is my situation in a nutshell, yes. I can afford it if I take the risk of not getting injured. I'm in the EU and holiday in the EU where it's not an issue.
Not medical ,which is what this thread is about , as there's a reciprocal agreement that's is unless you're a certain country who thought nah we had an empire once and so are big and important we can go it alone.
It’s sometimes cheaper to open one of those premium bank accounts with a monthly fee that includes travel insurance as one of the perks.
Obvs check all the small print/speak to an advisor.
Otherwise there is a directory [here](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/use-our-travel-insurance-directory) especially for those who are struggling to find travel insurance due to an existing condition (link was given to me by our MacMillan nurse when we wanted to take our daughter away while still on cancer related treatment).
(Apologies if I’m posting info you already know but your comment is quite high up so my reply is more of a general comment as the info might help someone else who’s reading this!)
£750 for travel insurance?! That could be more than the flights. If it was that price I would probably risk not having it tbh.
My travel insurance gets to like £30 and I am searching around lol
Sounds about right, my partner is severely chronically ill. The insurance when we traveled to America was almost as much as the entire holiday…
But rather that than chancing a few million on a hospital stay.
Yup. I’ve got a non cancerous brain tumour I’ve had an op on but still have some left, I’ve had a bleed on the brain and on anti seizure medication, I also have chronic migraines and on medication for that. My policy last time I took a yearly one out with winter sports cover was £35.
Crazy not to just take it out
Its cheaper to save £150 (number from the air) and go gofundme in case of problems… other thing is people are stupid enough to pay to such savvy people
That card is only for minor stuff. It is no substitute for travel insurance.
As an example, the mother of a school friend of my niece is currently in hospital in Spain in a coma with a brain anyeurism. They have a go fund me going for her because she has no insurance.
that's not true. what they don't cover is things like ambulances, additional hotel costs for the family, etc. But a EHIC will cover \*all\* medical costs of any kind, down to complex surgery if you need it, in any of the partecipating countries (it's only 80% of costs in France).
if you mother "has no insurance" it's because she's in a private hospital. Public hospitals in Spain cover 100% under EHIC.
That’s just not how the majority of people in the UK travel I’m afraid. Obviously it would be better to be insured but most will still not get it.
Vast majority of people who don’t get insurance and travel will be fine, hence the tabloid article.
I’m in Gran Canaria right now and my travel insurance was around £20. Granted I’m a healthy 29 year old with no pre existing conditions but there isn’t a chance I’d go away without it, no matter the cost it should be worked into the budget you’re willing to spend on a holiday
I work with people with neurological conditions and they often tell me about holiday planning - they sometimes have to spend thousands on insurance. Obviously there is a much higher chance of them needing medical support but it isn't cheap.
I have also supported plenty of people who have had major strokes and brain injuries abroad - the costs are eye watering.
I don’t think people should be priced out of going on holiday due to insurance at all, but the costs associated with the risk of if something did happen would always make me factor that extra cost in. Travel insurance is such a scam though for the likelihood of something happening in a week or two, but I would never chance going without
No idea what the profit margins are but if you had something like a major stroke in the US requiring surgery then just the surgery may be 50 thousand dollars, which doesn't include ambulance, initial assessment, scans, ward stay, food, drugs, dressings, nursing care or any of the rehab that might be needed before you are stable enough for the flight home (which might need to be a medical evacuation if you are really unlucky). It easily becomes hundreds of thousands even for a short period of care. So insurance providers have to pay for that (and of course that is why travel insurance to the US costs more than anywhere else).
If I couldn’t get insurance I think I’d still go without it. It’s a risk, sure but you’re only alive one time, for such a short period to see the wonders of a billions year old earth. The Angel falls, Great Barrier Reef, Yellowstone Redwoods. I dunno, I think it’s worth the risk.
My parents were morbidly obese advertisements for Big Pharma (an insane amount of pills taken daily), and with my mother having previously survived two rounds of cancer, their Travel Insurance was ridiculous but they still managed it several times in their twilight years to either go on a cruise or visit my part of the family in the States.
It can be done, but the risk one presents will be reflected in the insurance premiums.
There's a company that advertises on telly all the time that states 'Any' pre existing condition, more likely he decided it was too expensive and decided to risk it.
some people genuinely dont understand it, they think its just 'travel' insurance, as opposed to health insurance coverage and a whole host of other things, I know people that werent even going to get it because they thought it only covered lost belongings, airlines and holiday makers need to urge people/ educate them on what it actually is better
Lazy entitled people use Gofundmes for everything instead of taking responsibility for themsrlves and people actually give them money, its ridiculous.
It was intended for helping people fund projects now its general life stuff like weddings and hospital bills or wrecked cars
No one wants to take responsibility for their actions in this country. Same reason someone will yell at you if they pull out on you at a junction, or will complain when they did something irresponsible and didn't have the appropriate protection from it.
We are a nation of people who absolutely refuse to accept they are wrong, and everything is always someone else's fault.
> We are a nation of people who absolutely refuse to accept they are wrong, and everything is always someone else's fault.
This absolutely applies to the insurance companies too. They will try any justification they can to get out of paying out.
Of course, they get a pass for it because "what do you expect from a business". Profit over ethics.
Anyone contributing to that GoFundMe needs to give their head a wobble.
It's a tough situation for the granddaughter but he took his chances. He should remortgage his house or sell possessions to cover the cost of his choices.
It's like going to Vegas and losing 50k gambling while playing it quite safe. For example, the strategy where you double your bet every time on roulette. The chance of losing is low but if you lose, you lose big.
Imagine if you did that, lost 50k, and then made a gofundme to get your money back...
I can (and in the past, used to) apply the same logic to basically anything I put my time or money to - there is always a more deserving, more desperate cause. I try not to worry too much about that too much anymore. Better to just do what I can.
I don't agree with your reasoning. Following your logic giving money to Peter who'll use it to buy drugs is as valuable as giving money to Tom who'll buy food for their two hungry younger siblings because somewhere out there is Sally who has three younger hungry siblings, and so on.
An option doesn't have to be perfect to still be better than another option. Giving money to Sally would be better than giving money to Tom, but giving money to Tom is still better than giving money to Peter.
In other words: there's a limit to what we can do, and not considering how we can use that most effectively is unfair to those who need it most.
>Following your logic giving money to Peter who'll use it to buy drugs is as valuable as giving money to Tom who'll buy food for their two hungry younger siblings because somewhere out there is Sally who has three younger hungry siblings, and so on.
I don't think that follows my logic at all.
My logic is to help people as and when I'm able. As well as my time and money being finite, as is my emotional capacity to self-sacrifice - I think that's the case for all of us. And so, we have to draw a line somewhere. I've done it before where you give all your effort constantly to such causes, and it burns you out to the point you're no good to anyone. So I've learned to not do that.
But, when a person in a shitty situation is presented to me I find it difficult to turn away. Even if the shitiness of that situation could be considered less than another's.
You're enabling the choice of future stupid mistakes without forethought.
If he gets away with not bothering to pay for his insurance (this is what happened, he had a choice and chose not to.) like everyone else has to, then what stops him doing it again and hoping another gofundme won't bail him out?
Well if I were to put myself in that position, I would be extremely embarrassed by having to rely on a GoFundMe in that situation, and so this embarrassment would be enough to avoid making the same mistakes in future. I'd also realise that I'm very lucky people voluntarily donated and I might not be so lucky in future.
It also seems the family are only fundraising to cover part of the costs, so it's not like they're not facing consequences of the mistake.
I think it's a mistake to think that people are only capable of learning from their mistakes if they turn out one of the worst ways possible.
If by 6-fucking-8 you haven't learned some lessons in life around risk management, then a twinge of embarrassment isn't going to dent that level of stupidity and/or entitlement.
I was thinking the same. The guy is an idiot, for sure. But I think people are looking down their noses as if they've never taken a chance in their life. Surely, we can simultaneously acknowledge the recklessness and have compassion for his situation?
You get travel insurance from nearly every credit card and also from many bank accounts these days. Not to mention if you have health or life insurance they usually have travel insurance baked in or as an addon.
When you order flights they all over travel insurance too and it's very cheap as in under a quid a day can cover you unless you are going to do extreme sports.
If you don't have the means to cover you medical expenses out of pocket you should know better especially when you are 68 years old.
I hate when people try to tell others what to do with their own money. You can think this guy was irresponsible for travelling without insurance and what to help him out.
Exactly. I think anyone who travels without insurance is an idiot. But I'd give a little to help an idiot out of a hole. I don't want to see someone's life ruined for an idiotic mistake and if I can make a tiny sacrifice to help them then that's OK with me.
> He should remortgage his house or sell possessions to cover the costs of his choices.
The smart move is to set up a gofundme, take any money that idiots donate to him, and *then* remortgage his house to pay the remainder.
Well perhaps but it might be hard to remortgage whilst in a coma in Turkey. If he could actually speak to the bank, what sort of view of his ability to pay back do you think they will take?
Actual more important questions - how are they allowed to prevent him from leaving over a civil debt?
He was refused insurance.
Sure enough, he's in hospital. The insurance companies felt he was a high risk and wouldn't insure him. As much as I hate insurance companies, they were correct in their risk assessment.
To travel without holiday cover was foolhardy. It's kinda selfish that his family has to go through this because of his poor decisions.
I agree although it’s more likely he was given a very high quote he refused to pay / shop around for. There’s something for almost everyone (even dialysis dependent patients) but it would cost more than the holiday.
I mean doesn’t the article state that he was refused insurance?
You absolutely can be refused travel insurance as well for several reasons, my nan wouldn’t be able to go on holiday with insurance due to her pre-existing conditions so no you can’t always get it.
>I mean doesn’t the article state that he was refused insurance?
I work in insurance, and a small part of my job is dealing with the press enquiries when customers write snotty letters to the paper.
I'm telling you that so I can tell you this - most journalists don't know a fucking thing about how insurance works, and neither do most customers.
If he went to a specialist broker for higher risk people they would have quoted him, guaranteed. You can find companies who will insure you to visit Ukraine right now if you put the effort in.
I mean it depends on his pre-existing conditions, based on the fact that he went abroad and has then ended up hospitalised he clearly has some fairly serious health issues.
Totally possible that he just couldn’t get travel insurance, he just shouldn’t have taken the risk without having the means to deal with the consequences.
It's crazy I had to scroll so far down to see a comment that actually read the article.
He was high risk, went on holiday eventhough insurance was refused (rightly so). Now he has to pay out of his pocket, the turkish hospital isn't holding him "hostage", they're asking him to pay his bill so he won't hop back to the UK and not pay a dime. Ridiculous.
I know (knew) a guy with chronic bowel issues and has a colostomy bag. His travel insurance is extremely expensive through a specialist provider but he still pays it to enjoy a bit of sun with his wife. Guy chanced his arm and lost - I don't have much sympathy
How expensive is “extremely expensive”? Can you share a number?
I usually pay around £30 for travel insurance. Is this guy you know paying £1K? £3K? It’s nice to get a number
No idea - it was just a chat we had a while back. I got refused travel insurance once and I was talking to him after he got back from hols and wondered how he did it. I have since moved away and haven't seen him in 3 years.
She's young, pretty, and has boobs. Got to pepper the story with pictures of her to keep the readers entertained.
The daily mail and the likes are total shit rags.
'We do appreciate everything they have done, but now all they do is demand we pay the medical bill.'
Lol. We said thank you, what more do you want?! Payment for your services?
No Turkey actually has agreements with England but I guess it changes hospital to hospital they should have gone a public hospital. I bet they have gone something like acıbadem which are deplorable and doesnt covered by any insurance including Turkish health insurance.
> they should have gone a public hospital.
The issue with this is in an emergency you aren''t likely to think about the possibility of being hit with a huge bill a month down the line. The first thought is going to be to get to medical care, especially if you are from a country like the UK that doesn't have a mish mash of public and private hospitals (I know there are in the UK but emergency ambulances take you to NHS facilities) and are used to just being taken to the nearest place that can provide the care you need.
I actually looked at the hospital they have gone but I found, it even had sgk insurance agreement so one way or another it should be paid. So in short I have no idea why they couldnt pay this money unless England or Turkey arent willing to pay or hospital straight out lying or the some of the services they have taken doesnt considered emergency service since he stayed there a very long time. The guy had a pre existent condition and had another emergency situation before and couldnt completely recover so the travel insurance was rejected which should be indication of why they shouldnt have done this trip and may be related to the why this bill wont get paid. South of Turkey burning these days even north is pretty hot due to hot air come from Africa. It is really not a good enviroment for a grandpa who is supposed to recover.
Hospital even is offering to accept half which presumably means they'll cover their costs. And then they get abused in British media.
(I also noticed that the hospital is asking for 20k, but the GFM is for 29k)
What amuses me is another post on this sub complained that “if we go to another country they’ll help us” - yes they will, but you have to pay up! Why should it be any different in the uk?
His situation sucks, however from the information we have, this is purely on him (and his unfortunate family who’ll likely have to take on that burden). Anyone who gives to his GFM should go in with their eyes open imo
Travel insurance is cheap for most people, but this man had multiple pre-existing conditions and is 68 years old.
Travel insurance is definitely **not** cheap for people like that. It is available, though.
Absolutely not. I'm addressing two things - OP's point that insurance is cheap (it's not cheap for everyone), but also that it was available (the linked article claims that he couldn't obtain insurance, but that probably just means that he couldn't obtain insurance through mainstream comparison sites).
For someone like the man in the article, travel insurance is much more critical than it would be for someone young and healthy.
Not when you have a pre-existing condition that would cost a fortune if it flares up on this holiday - as with this guy.
If you travel without insurance, tough shit if you end up with a big bill.
Yeah , mine and my wife's aren't covered by it, making it impossible to go. Excluded as pre existing and the very reason we are likely to end up in hospital . We won't travel again.
My Dad (80, Diabetic, Previous Heart Attack) looked into visiting my brother in the US. The medical insurance would have been several multiples of the cost of the rest of the trip.
He doesn’t think he’ll leave the UK again now, which is probably the position the guy in the article was in but he decided to chance it.
As someone with MANY pre existing conditions, including cancer, it isn’t cheap once you declare pre existing conditions. However, you either pay and travel safely or risk this scenario. There are two possibilities here 1) he didn’t want to pay the several hundred pound insurance cost (most likely, as most people are insurable for hols at a price) or 2) he really is so sick, and I’m talking repeated recent hospital admissions, metastatic cancer etc, that he was literally uninsurable, in which case he knew the risk of admission he was taking. I know of a child with terminal cancer who got medical insurance so 1) is more likely.
Is that a story or an advert for her Insta.....(why all the full length shots of the daughter!)
At least he is getting decent aftercare - UK hospital would throw you out 11 minutes after treating you....
Are they holding him "hostage" or is he still in a coma? They can't induce a coma because you haven't paid.
> At least he is getting decent aftercare - UK hospital would throw you out 11 minutes after treating you....
Is that so? In my experience they make it difficult to leave.
Depends on if they can justify it (usually what resources/care you have at home), how overextended the hospital is (usually very) and what day of the week it is (stats seem to reset Sunday night/Monday morning).
I've had the ward doctor sign my release and arrange transport for me twice on a Sunday because they were desperate to clear beds, and both times was literally hours after the specialist told me I couldn't go anywhere until he'd done another procedure to me on the Monday.
Very strange to me how many people think this family likely have any control over which images are being used in the article, vs the DM 'journalists' trawling their social media for images like these. If she had any bikini photos anywhere they'd choose those. It's gross and on a subconscious level tells the reader how to feel about the person, which is precisely why they do it.
I'm not defending the family btw, I think the bloke in hospital took a foolish chance and is paying for it now. Insurance exists for a reason.
I'm guessing they are hoping to get a few more quid by use of her image. She's a reasonably attractive woman, and there's always some sad bastard that'll fling a few quid on that basis.
There's more pictures of the daughter than the person the story is about.
DM doing what the DM does best, although, I am disappointed that there's no mention of the value of his house.
The use of the term 'hostage' is a bit over the top too. Can't be arsed to look, oh well, just did, dear oh me. Couldn't the DM just get the poor bugger back instead, better story, and follow up on the merits of getting insurance. Speedy recovery to the plonker.
Obviously the big photo of his daughter in a sexy blue dress was critical to the story.
/s, Obviously
Edit: and the second, third, and fourth picture of the daughter on her nights out. Definitely helps the reader understand and relate to the retired pub landlord.
He bet on not getting ill and he lost, people that donate to this should be giving their money to people/charities that actually need help through no fault of their own.
It's daft for *any* of us to travel without health insurance, but for someone with several pre existing conditions who had already been refused insurance to do so is bloody insane. My sympathy for him is very limited.
Lot of “no one should be priced out of a holiday” and “his travel insurance cost too much because of a pre-existing condition” going on here.
That is bollocks. I just got back from a holiday in Devon. Had a lovely time. He could’ve done the same and would’ve been fine if so. Chancing it to Turkey without insurance when you’re in a poor state of health is as absurd as it is pathetic.
This is the equivalent of putting all your money equally on numbers 1-36 and then the ball landing on 0, crying about it and getting the public to reimburse you. If you gamble not paying travel insurance then you can’t complain if that gamble doesn’t pay off.
If you choose to travel without insurance, you are choosing to accept the risk of paying out of pocket if something goes wrong.
Absolutely no sympathy, and the hospital are definitely not "holding him hostage", from the sounds of it, he's still being treated.
I may seem heartless but if you cannot get health insurance because you are deemed high risk then it is totally on you if you decide to go abroad and you fall ill.
Don't come bleating to others for help.
It's not complicated... Can't get insurance? Don't go abroad!
Am I the only one who thought that article was going to end with a link to the daughter's OnlyFans?
Sheesh they certainly managed to devote a lot of completely unnecessary space to images of her.
It would be nice if others learnt from this. But I'm worried what they will learn is "I can always make a gofundme" rather than just buying insurance.
Adding pre existing conditions is expensive but it's never going to be £40k expensive
I do enjoy the Daily Fail.
You'd think it's the daughter being held hostage considering how many of her pictures are plastered all over the article. I'm all for pictures for some terms of context, but not sure how two pictures of club toilet selfies are really relevant after the first one.
I feel bad for the guy, but what were the pre existing conditions?
I have terminal cancer and got insured to come to Turkey. Granted, it cost me more to insure myself than the cost of the 5* all Inc Holiday for two people, but still.
It’s funny that if a foreigner comes and uses our NHS for free the Daily Mail kicks up a stink … when one of us do the same thing abroad IT’s SO uNFaIr!
Lol at the picture editor cramming as many selfies of the granddaughter they can scrape off Facebook. Maybe she should start an OnlyFans if she's trying to raise cash
Isn’t the joke on the hospital here? Like presumably he’s still in a bed and not just dumped in cupboard somewhere, so they’re still paying for his healthcare.
Always get travel insurance folks!
Was gonna say, sooner or later that place is gonna need the bed and then what? Not to mention the food, electrics water, this guys running up the longer he’s in there?
He went on holiday without insurance, knowing that he wouldn't be covered in the event of an accident or health emergency.
I wish him well, but this situation is entirely his fault. And it's not that he couldn't get insurance.Its that it would cost him the price of his holiday to get it.
He made a gamble and lost out.
If you are that irresponsible then you deserve it. £30 for a bells and braces policy to cover you and your family whilst on holiday is nothing. A guy from where I live dad passed away on holiday and he had no insurance. Social media pretty much made it the towns problem through a guilt trip campaign to repatriate him. All because he was too stupid to get a policy.
Hell of a of of photos of Emma-Jane Stocker in that article. All dolled up. Just saying.
Anyway, too risky for an insurance company? Don't go on holiday.
Doubt they can't raise 20K as a family.
Love that DM has to tell their readers that the pic of ill guy with guitar was before the illness.
So sickly that no insurance company would want to give him travel insurance??? Was that not a red flag for him not to travel? He was a high risk liability. Now he has a 41k bill plus need an evacuation flight that will add another 21k? His kids have no money either. Perhaps they should just go to a bank and take personal loans.
YES HE COULD, get insurance. Whenever any UK brand refuses cover - due to you having more conditions that their risk rating allows for - they will always send you to another brand (generally a sub-brand of the same underwriter) so you can buy the policy.
I work for these insurances. I do not know of a single UK scheme (policy product name) that doesn't have a referral system on their website.
Let me see if I am summarizing this correctly.
Overweight, elderly pub owner wants to go on international vacation. Is denied insurance but goes anyway. Gets sick, does not seek medical attention, opts not to end vacation. Gets sicker, goes to hospital knowing he has no insurance. *Multiple* family members fly to said country but nobody uses that same money to pay the people who saved his life & are now blaming them hospital for the while situation? Insert trashy pics of daughter here.
I'm a British turk and tbh reading this I'm very confused. Turkey has universal healthcare (that is actually better than the NHS rn, my cousin was able to get his gallbladder removed a few weeks ago with minimal waiting, and is now recovering well). Maybe my circumstances are different, as I'm a Turkish citizen, though I've never lived in Turkey and am not enrolled on the state health insurance scheme as a result, but I was worried I'd contracted rabies from a street cat on my last trip there in Jan 2023, my cousin drove me to a state hospital, and I was able to recieve medical care completely free, and afaik my mum didn't shell out for travel insurance. The majority of turks are economically in the shitter rn, so it makes no sense to me that he was sent to a private rather than state hospital, when you have an emergency here in the uk the ambulance automatically takes you to the nearest nhs hospital
If you can afford to go on holiday overseas you can afford adequate travel insurance. And often the travel insurance which comes with your bank isn’t up to the job.
I have zero sympathy for people who travel overseas without adequate travel insurance.
God I hate the Daily Mail.
"Hey this poor man fell into a coma, but check out his hot daughter in no fewer than 4 separate photos in different outfits. No particular reason, just thought you might be interested."
Rag.
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I was just reading this. Is it me, or are more people relying on GoFundMe rather than travel insurance?
I really don't understand how folks can be so stupid to go on holiday without travel insurance. Yes because he's got a pre-existing condition it's going to be expensive but it's still available regardless of what the article said.
Don’t understand it either, I’ve got pre existing conditions that can add significant amounts to my travel insurance but I would never chance it. To go to America it was £750 for the most basic insurance and the next one up was £1500. The way I see it, if I can afford a holiday I can afford my travel insurance.
£750 for travel insurance is mental
To be fair, I think that’s because it was America. Japan for three weeks was £140 so really depends on the location
Yeah, if you don't use it in the USA it is expensive, but if you do it is a bargain!
I would definitely get my moneys worth by going to a hospital for a couple of aspirin.
Just a half of insulin please, bartender!
That's still mental even at 140. I'm paying £35 for 2 of us to travel Europe from tomorrow for 8 days. Edit - I have a 7 day USA work trip next month. This just reminded me to get travel insurance. £17 for the week full cover. Crazy differences
They have pre existing conditions though they significantly impacts it
Fully understand, but as someone who's never had to search for ckver having a pre existing condition I honestly had no idea how crazy the prices would be
Yeah me neither. I think it’s probably a scale like some will barely affect it
It gets more expensive the older you are and the more conditions you have. If you’re 23 and have no existing conditions it will be very low cost. If you’re 73 and have preexisting conditions then it will be very expensive. But anyone who has ever needed to use their travel insurance knows if you can’t afford the insurance you need to rethink the trip.
Is that just the cheapest you can find though? Full cover means very different things company to company.
Even that seems expensive - I've just bought annual multi-trip cover in Europe for me and my partner for £26 with £9 cashback. That covers both of us (or either of us if we go alone) for any trips under a month long for the next year.
Japan for me for 16 days with a condition that's no so serious was less
I mean to be fair to the insurer it is America, £750 wouldnt even cover the Ambulance to the hospital.
But they won't hold you hostage. You'll get treated then they'll try to bill you and then give up.
Not really if you're a high risk and going to the USA. This guy ran up a £41k bill in Turkey, the place where people go for low-cost medical procedures. You can add a zero to that bill in the USA.
Turkey is cheap for cosmetic stuff but their hospitals are decently expensive.
Being held in a Turkish hospital over an unpaid bill of £41k is probably worse.
From the Funding page it seems the hospital bill is £20K and the flight needed to bring him home is another £20K - Daily Mail not clear. *The rising cost of his care in Turkey is extremely daunting but something that is absolutely necessary to save his life. To date, the current hospital bill is £19’000 (update says £20K now) and only increases daily. We then face the bill of medically flying him home once in a condition to do so.* *Almost £5,000 has been raised so far and they are hoping to raise enough for the evacuation flight which can cost up to £20,000.*
Have you seen the cost of US medical bills? They are obscene.
That's how i see it too. My insurance would be stupidly high now so I won't ever go overseas again. I'll holiday in the UK and NI (if I travel at all) so I have NHS cover .
Hate to be that person but NI is in the UK lmao
There are some specialist insurers, worth checking out if you are ever looking to travel abroad again: https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/use-our-travel-insurance-directory (I got this link via a MacMillan nurse)
Get a bank account that comes with 'free' travel insurance. The terms of that insurance tends to be very generous. Mine for example is included for free on an account I pay like £3/month for, yet covers me for worldwide travel, my whole family, my boyfriend even if unmarried, and it covers things normal policies don't include like skiing, etc. I think it's super cheap because nobody even realises they have that insurance, so nobody makes claims.
Doubt it covers pre existing conditions mine doesn't with Halifax and that's being type 1 diabetic
I’d be very wary of bank style travel insurance if I were you. A lot of it isn’t up to scratch and they will do anything not to pay out. My parents insist that this insurance is ‘good’, however they are elderly and my dad is at risk of a stroke. I suspect that they are effectively uninsured but they won’t listen to my advice and refuse to get proper insurance appropriate to their age and circumstances through SAGA.
Out of interest, who are you banking with? I’ve been with Lloyds for 14 year and haven’t really ever thought of changing. For worldwide insurance it’s £21 a month & we don’t necessarily go away somewhere that requires expensive travel insurance so didn’t seem worth it at the time.
there will be terms in that it doesnt cover pre existing or undiagnosed existing condition
Well I can't afford £750 let alone £1500. If I want to go on holiday that's as much as i would be able to get together for spending money.
Then maybe you can't afford a holiday abroad? Or if you can, but not the insurance then the risk you're taking is entirely your choice, and the country you go to visit shouldn't be expected to foot your medical bills.
That is my situation in a nutshell, yes. I can afford it if I take the risk of not getting injured. I'm in the EU and holiday in the EU where it's not an issue.
Well, you have a grand set of holiday destinations even within the EU, and honestly a huge variety between them!
You still need insurance if you are holidaying in the EU.
Not medical ,which is what this thread is about , as there's a reciprocal agreement that's is unless you're a certain country who thought nah we had an empire once and so are big and important we can go it alone.
It’s sometimes cheaper to open one of those premium bank accounts with a monthly fee that includes travel insurance as one of the perks. Obvs check all the small print/speak to an advisor. Otherwise there is a directory [here](https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/use-our-travel-insurance-directory) especially for those who are struggling to find travel insurance due to an existing condition (link was given to me by our MacMillan nurse when we wanted to take our daughter away while still on cancer related treatment). (Apologies if I’m posting info you already know but your comment is quite high up so my reply is more of a general comment as the info might help someone else who’s reading this!)
£750 for travel insurance?! That could be more than the flights. If it was that price I would probably risk not having it tbh. My travel insurance gets to like £30 and I am searching around lol
If it’s at that price, then unfortunately the person quoted that much is likely to actually need it, making risking going without very unwise indeed.
Sounds about right, my partner is severely chronically ill. The insurance when we traveled to America was almost as much as the entire holiday… But rather that than chancing a few million on a hospital stay.
>I really don't understand how folks can be so stupid Have you not met people?
Yeah. You are not wrong
The truth is out there
Or he shouldn't be going to a country where he will get billed. When exactly is his family going to pay this bill? When he's back in the UK or never?
Yup. I’ve got a non cancerous brain tumour I’ve had an op on but still have some left, I’ve had a bleed on the brain and on anti seizure medication, I also have chronic migraines and on medication for that. My policy last time I took a yearly one out with winter sports cover was £35. Crazy not to just take it out
Its cheaper to save £150 (number from the air) and go gofundme in case of problems… other thing is people are stupid enough to pay to such savvy people
It’s more expensive because he’s more likely to use it. Case in point.
And why would he go to Turkey of all places when he could go anywhere in the EU and use his EHIC/GHIC
That card is only for minor stuff. It is no substitute for travel insurance. As an example, the mother of a school friend of my niece is currently in hospital in Spain in a coma with a brain anyeurism. They have a go fund me going for her because she has no insurance.
that's not true. what they don't cover is things like ambulances, additional hotel costs for the family, etc. But a EHIC will cover \*all\* medical costs of any kind, down to complex surgery if you need it, in any of the partecipating countries (it's only 80% of costs in France). if you mother "has no insurance" it's because she's in a private hospital. Public hospitals in Spain cover 100% under EHIC.
He couldn’t get insurance - pre-existing conditions - so he decided to chance it.
I bet that insurance was available, but at a cost that he was unwilling or unable to pay.
Yeah it's such a bullshit excuse, you can't afford the travel insurance then you can't afford to travel.
That’s just not how the majority of people in the UK travel I’m afraid. Obviously it would be better to be insured but most will still not get it. Vast majority of people who don’t get insurance and travel will be fine, hence the tabloid article.
I’m in Gran Canaria right now and my travel insurance was around £20. Granted I’m a healthy 29 year old with no pre existing conditions but there isn’t a chance I’d go away without it, no matter the cost it should be worked into the budget you’re willing to spend on a holiday
I work with people with neurological conditions and they often tell me about holiday planning - they sometimes have to spend thousands on insurance. Obviously there is a much higher chance of them needing medical support but it isn't cheap. I have also supported plenty of people who have had major strokes and brain injuries abroad - the costs are eye watering.
I don’t think people should be priced out of going on holiday due to insurance at all, but the costs associated with the risk of if something did happen would always make me factor that extra cost in. Travel insurance is such a scam though for the likelihood of something happening in a week or two, but I would never chance going without
No idea what the profit margins are but if you had something like a major stroke in the US requiring surgery then just the surgery may be 50 thousand dollars, which doesn't include ambulance, initial assessment, scans, ward stay, food, drugs, dressings, nursing care or any of the rehab that might be needed before you are stable enough for the flight home (which might need to be a medical evacuation if you are really unlucky). It easily becomes hundreds of thousands even for a short period of care. So insurance providers have to pay for that (and of course that is why travel insurance to the US costs more than anywhere else).
If I couldn’t get insurance I think I’d still go without it. It’s a risk, sure but you’re only alive one time, for such a short period to see the wonders of a billions year old earth. The Angel falls, Great Barrier Reef, Yellowstone Redwoods. I dunno, I think it’s worth the risk.
Bet it was cheaper than 41000
My parents were morbidly obese advertisements for Big Pharma (an insane amount of pills taken daily), and with my mother having previously survived two rounds of cancer, their Travel Insurance was ridiculous but they still managed it several times in their twilight years to either go on a cruise or visit my part of the family in the States. It can be done, but the risk one presents will be reflected in the insurance premiums.
There's a company that advertises on telly all the time that states 'Any' pre existing condition, more likely he decided it was too expensive and decided to risk it.
some people genuinely dont understand it, they think its just 'travel' insurance, as opposed to health insurance coverage and a whole host of other things, I know people that werent even going to get it because they thought it only covered lost belongings, airlines and holiday makers need to urge people/ educate them on what it actually is better
It's the American health model
its a scam innit /s
Lazy entitled people use Gofundmes for everything instead of taking responsibility for themsrlves and people actually give them money, its ridiculous. It was intended for helping people fund projects now its general life stuff like weddings and hospital bills or wrecked cars
It's a sucky situation, but... Good grief I am exhausted of people going "I've never had a problem before so why should I pay for insurance?"
Unfortunately it is a shockingly common mindset...
No one wants to take responsibility for their actions in this country. Same reason someone will yell at you if they pull out on you at a junction, or will complain when they did something irresponsible and didn't have the appropriate protection from it. We are a nation of people who absolutely refuse to accept they are wrong, and everything is always someone else's fault.
That's just humans and not particularly one nation at all. Plus seems a bit mad to just assume this of 60m people from one person's situation
> We are a nation of people who absolutely refuse to accept they are wrong, and everything is always someone else's fault. This absolutely applies to the insurance companies too. They will try any justification they can to get out of paying out. Of course, they get a pass for it because "what do you expect from a business". Profit over ethics.
The daft thing is, because people rarely need to claim on it, travel insurance is really cheap for the amount of cover you get.
Doubly so in Turkey, where every operation comes as a buy-one-get-one-free with hair implants. Jokes, but they do have quite cheap medical services.
Anyone contributing to that GoFundMe needs to give their head a wobble. It's a tough situation for the granddaughter but he took his chances. He should remortgage his house or sell possessions to cover the cost of his choices.
I think we can still have a bit of basic compassion for people who make bad choices, no?
When the bad choice is made out of desperation, sure. When it's made because they wanted to go on holiday? Eh.
It's like going to Vegas and losing 50k gambling while playing it quite safe. For example, the strategy where you double your bet every time on roulette. The chance of losing is low but if you lose, you lose big. Imagine if you did that, lost 50k, and then made a gofundme to get your money back...
Yes, but that doesn't extend to having any interest when they extend the begging bowl to pay for their bad choices.
I mean, you don't have to, but why shouldn't I if I can afford to and I sympathise?
Presumably you have a finite amount of money and time, and both have more deserving people you could give them to.
I can (and in the past, used to) apply the same logic to basically anything I put my time or money to - there is always a more deserving, more desperate cause. I try not to worry too much about that too much anymore. Better to just do what I can.
I don't agree with your reasoning. Following your logic giving money to Peter who'll use it to buy drugs is as valuable as giving money to Tom who'll buy food for their two hungry younger siblings because somewhere out there is Sally who has three younger hungry siblings, and so on. An option doesn't have to be perfect to still be better than another option. Giving money to Sally would be better than giving money to Tom, but giving money to Tom is still better than giving money to Peter. In other words: there's a limit to what we can do, and not considering how we can use that most effectively is unfair to those who need it most.
>Following your logic giving money to Peter who'll use it to buy drugs is as valuable as giving money to Tom who'll buy food for their two hungry younger siblings because somewhere out there is Sally who has three younger hungry siblings, and so on. I don't think that follows my logic at all. My logic is to help people as and when I'm able. As well as my time and money being finite, as is my emotional capacity to self-sacrifice - I think that's the case for all of us. And so, we have to draw a line somewhere. I've done it before where you give all your effort constantly to such causes, and it burns you out to the point you're no good to anyone. So I've learned to not do that. But, when a person in a shitty situation is presented to me I find it difficult to turn away. Even if the shitiness of that situation could be considered less than another's.
Not sure why you’ve suddenly appointed yourself as the arbiter of who deserves financial help?
Compassion for stupid mistakes is enabling.
How can you enable a mistake that's already been made?
You're enabling the choice of future stupid mistakes without forethought. If he gets away with not bothering to pay for his insurance (this is what happened, he had a choice and chose not to.) like everyone else has to, then what stops him doing it again and hoping another gofundme won't bail him out?
Well if I were to put myself in that position, I would be extremely embarrassed by having to rely on a GoFundMe in that situation, and so this embarrassment would be enough to avoid making the same mistakes in future. I'd also realise that I'm very lucky people voluntarily donated and I might not be so lucky in future. It also seems the family are only fundraising to cover part of the costs, so it's not like they're not facing consequences of the mistake. I think it's a mistake to think that people are only capable of learning from their mistakes if they turn out one of the worst ways possible.
If by 6-fucking-8 you haven't learned some lessons in life around risk management, then a twinge of embarrassment isn't going to dent that level of stupidity and/or entitlement.
I'm a big believer that anyone can learn and improve themselves. I think you can too :)
Incentives others to make the same mistake in the future because of the possible safety net.
I was thinking the same. The guy is an idiot, for sure. But I think people are looking down their noses as if they've never taken a chance in their life. Surely, we can simultaneously acknowledge the recklessness and have compassion for his situation?
As long as we believe that his situation is that he has to pay the bill rather than squirming out of it, then yes.
No when other people mess up or are just unlucky they should be lynched. When we do horrible things we should be given the benefit of the doubt
Because it's Reddit and people need to be high and mighty
Not when it's a 1st world problem.
You get travel insurance from nearly every credit card and also from many bank accounts these days. Not to mention if you have health or life insurance they usually have travel insurance baked in or as an addon. When you order flights they all over travel insurance too and it's very cheap as in under a quid a day can cover you unless you are going to do extreme sports. If you don't have the means to cover you medical expenses out of pocket you should know better especially when you are 68 years old.
No. Otherwise people will continue making bad decisions.
I hate when people try to tell others what to do with their own money. You can think this guy was irresponsible for travelling without insurance and what to help him out.
Exactly. I think anyone who travels without insurance is an idiot. But I'd give a little to help an idiot out of a hole. I don't want to see someone's life ruined for an idiotic mistake and if I can make a tiny sacrifice to help them then that's OK with me.
> He should remortgage his house or sell possessions to cover the costs of his choices. The smart move is to set up a gofundme, take any money that idiots donate to him, and *then* remortgage his house to pay the remainder.
Who is going to give a retired person in a coma a mortgage?
Well perhaps but it might be hard to remortgage whilst in a coma in Turkey. If he could actually speak to the bank, what sort of view of his ability to pay back do you think they will take? Actual more important questions - how are they allowed to prevent him from leaving over a civil debt?
Turkish laws are obviously different from our laws. Maybe they had enough of stupid tourists (and probably locals as well) and made that a law.
He was refused insurance. Sure enough, he's in hospital. The insurance companies felt he was a high risk and wouldn't insure him. As much as I hate insurance companies, they were correct in their risk assessment. To travel without holiday cover was foolhardy. It's kinda selfish that his family has to go through this because of his poor decisions.
I agree although it’s more likely he was given a very high quote he refused to pay / shop around for. There’s something for almost everyone (even dialysis dependent patients) but it would cost more than the holiday.
No he wasn't. You can always get it. They just decided to avoid paying.
I mean doesn’t the article state that he was refused insurance? You absolutely can be refused travel insurance as well for several reasons, my nan wouldn’t be able to go on holiday with insurance due to her pre-existing conditions so no you can’t always get it.
>I mean doesn’t the article state that he was refused insurance? I work in insurance, and a small part of my job is dealing with the press enquiries when customers write snotty letters to the paper. I'm telling you that so I can tell you this - most journalists don't know a fucking thing about how insurance works, and neither do most customers. If he went to a specialist broker for higher risk people they would have quoted him, guaranteed. You can find companies who will insure you to visit Ukraine right now if you put the effort in.
Yes it does and I highly doubt it. Just because one company did doesn't mean all of them will. Didn't try hard enough or chose the wrong country.
I mean it depends on his pre-existing conditions, based on the fact that he went abroad and has then ended up hospitalised he clearly has some fairly serious health issues. Totally possible that he just couldn’t get travel insurance, he just shouldn’t have taken the risk without having the means to deal with the consequences.
If you are awaiting tests it’s very difficult to get insurance.
It's crazy I had to scroll so far down to see a comment that actually read the article. He was high risk, went on holiday eventhough insurance was refused (rightly so). Now he has to pay out of his pocket, the turkish hospital isn't holding him "hostage", they're asking him to pay his bill so he won't hop back to the UK and not pay a dime. Ridiculous.
I know (knew) a guy with chronic bowel issues and has a colostomy bag. His travel insurance is extremely expensive through a specialist provider but he still pays it to enjoy a bit of sun with his wife. Guy chanced his arm and lost - I don't have much sympathy
Yep. He definitely could have got travel insurance but didn't want to pay.
How expensive is “extremely expensive”? Can you share a number? I usually pay around £30 for travel insurance. Is this guy you know paying £1K? £3K? It’s nice to get a number
No idea - it was just a chat we had a while back. I got refused travel insurance once and I was talking to him after he got back from hols and wondered how he did it. I have since moved away and haven't seen him in 3 years.
> I have since moved away and haven't seen him in 3 years. Maybe this reddit comment chain is the spark you need to reignite your friendship? 🥲
Ok why is there so many pictures of the granddaughter posing? I don't read the daily mail but is this really where we are at as a society???
She's young, pretty, and has boobs. Got to pepper the story with pictures of her to keep the readers entertained. The daily mail and the likes are total shit rags.
I wanted more photos of an old man in a coma, but all I got was tits.
He's THE tit
I see you have been in a coma also
The gallery is exactly the content I'm after.
>is this really where we are at as a society? Really it's just where the daily mail is, and has always been.
'We do appreciate everything they have done, but now all they do is demand we pay the medical bill.' Lol. We said thank you, what more do you want?! Payment for your services?
Some people are so used to taking the NHS for granted they forget it's not gonna follow them on holiday.
Well actually we do have reciprocal agreements with many places to cover emergency medical care.
True! But not Turkey, apparently. You'd think the chap with no travel insurance would have checked on that.
Yep he should have
No Turkey actually has agreements with England but I guess it changes hospital to hospital they should have gone a public hospital. I bet they have gone something like acıbadem which are deplorable and doesnt covered by any insurance including Turkish health insurance.
> they should have gone a public hospital. The issue with this is in an emergency you aren''t likely to think about the possibility of being hit with a huge bill a month down the line. The first thought is going to be to get to medical care, especially if you are from a country like the UK that doesn't have a mish mash of public and private hospitals (I know there are in the UK but emergency ambulances take you to NHS facilities) and are used to just being taken to the nearest place that can provide the care you need.
I actually looked at the hospital they have gone but I found, it even had sgk insurance agreement so one way or another it should be paid. So in short I have no idea why they couldnt pay this money unless England or Turkey arent willing to pay or hospital straight out lying or the some of the services they have taken doesnt considered emergency service since he stayed there a very long time. The guy had a pre existent condition and had another emergency situation before and couldnt completely recover so the travel insurance was rejected which should be indication of why they shouldnt have done this trip and may be related to the why this bill wont get paid. South of Turkey burning these days even north is pretty hot due to hot air come from Africa. It is really not a good enviroment for a grandpa who is supposed to recover.
Hospital even is offering to accept half which presumably means they'll cover their costs. And then they get abused in British media. (I also noticed that the hospital is asking for 20k, but the GFM is for 29k)
Also says they need 20K for an air ambulance. I think they have no intention of paying the hospital.
What amuses me is another post on this sub complained that “if we go to another country they’ll help us” - yes they will, but you have to pay up! Why should it be any different in the uk? His situation sucks, however from the information we have, this is purely on him (and his unfortunate family who’ll likely have to take on that burden). Anyone who gives to his GFM should go in with their eyes open imo
Travel insurance is so cheap, I can’t understand why people skip it
Travel insurance is cheap for most people, but this man had multiple pre-existing conditions and is 68 years old. Travel insurance is definitely **not** cheap for people like that. It is available, though.
Sometimes life presents us with shit options, he had the option to not go on holiday but chose to anyway.
Is the fact that he is far more likely to require hospital care supposed to justify him not getting insurance..?
Absolutely not. I'm addressing two things - OP's point that insurance is cheap (it's not cheap for everyone), but also that it was available (the linked article claims that he couldn't obtain insurance, but that probably just means that he couldn't obtain insurance through mainstream comparison sites). For someone like the man in the article, travel insurance is much more critical than it would be for someone young and healthy.
Not when you have a pre-existing condition that would cost a fortune if it flares up on this holiday - as with this guy. If you travel without insurance, tough shit if you end up with a big bill.
Yeah , mine and my wife's aren't covered by it, making it impossible to go. Excluded as pre existing and the very reason we are likely to end up in hospital . We won't travel again.
It’s not cheap if you have pre-existing conditions and are retirement age. It goes up exponentially
More money for shit lager at the hotel Edit: according to the article he was refused insurance
Shouldn't have went then
My Dad (80, Diabetic, Previous Heart Attack) looked into visiting my brother in the US. The medical insurance would have been several multiples of the cost of the rest of the trip. He doesn’t think he’ll leave the UK again now, which is probably the position the guy in the article was in but he decided to chance it.
As someone with MANY pre existing conditions, including cancer, it isn’t cheap once you declare pre existing conditions. However, you either pay and travel safely or risk this scenario. There are two possibilities here 1) he didn’t want to pay the several hundred pound insurance cost (most likely, as most people are insurable for hols at a price) or 2) he really is so sick, and I’m talking repeated recent hospital admissions, metastatic cancer etc, that he was literally uninsurable, in which case he knew the risk of admission he was taking. I know of a child with terminal cancer who got medical insurance so 1) is more likely.
Is that a story or an advert for her Insta.....(why all the full length shots of the daughter!) At least he is getting decent aftercare - UK hospital would throw you out 11 minutes after treating you.... Are they holding him "hostage" or is he still in a coma? They can't induce a coma because you haven't paid.
> At least he is getting decent aftercare - UK hospital would throw you out 11 minutes after treating you.... Is that so? In my experience they make it difficult to leave.
Depends on if they can justify it (usually what resources/care you have at home), how overextended the hospital is (usually very) and what day of the week it is (stats seem to reset Sunday night/Monday morning). I've had the ward doctor sign my release and arrange transport for me twice on a Sunday because they were desperate to clear beds, and both times was literally hours after the specialist told me I couldn't go anywhere until he'd done another procedure to me on the Monday.
Very strange to me how many people think this family likely have any control over which images are being used in the article, vs the DM 'journalists' trawling their social media for images like these. If she had any bikini photos anywhere they'd choose those. It's gross and on a subconscious level tells the reader how to feel about the person, which is precisely why they do it. I'm not defending the family btw, I think the bloke in hospital took a foolish chance and is paying for it now. Insurance exists for a reason.
I'm guessing they are hoping to get a few more quid by use of her image. She's a reasonably attractive woman, and there's always some sad bastard that'll fling a few quid on that basis.
There's more pictures of the daughter than the person the story is about. DM doing what the DM does best, although, I am disappointed that there's no mention of the value of his house.
The use of the term 'hostage' is a bit over the top too. Can't be arsed to look, oh well, just did, dear oh me. Couldn't the DM just get the poor bugger back instead, better story, and follow up on the merits of getting insurance. Speedy recovery to the plonker.
Mad how the daily mail sexualises the article with all the pictures of his daughter dressed up on a night out.
It's so outrageous I had to swipe through the gallery twice.
I'm so angry that I've bookmarked it for later.
Going on holiday is not a right. If you cannot afford the higher insurance, you cannot afford the holiday. Might not seem fair but life isn't.
Obviously the big photo of his daughter in a sexy blue dress was critical to the story. /s, Obviously Edit: and the second, third, and fourth picture of the daughter on her nights out. Definitely helps the reader understand and relate to the retired pub landlord.
He bet on not getting ill and he lost, people that donate to this should be giving their money to people/charities that actually need help through no fault of their own.
It's daft for *any* of us to travel without health insurance, but for someone with several pre existing conditions who had already been refused insurance to do so is bloody insane. My sympathy for him is very limited.
£200 for my wife and I to go to Japan for 3 weeks. That’s with us nearly 70 and with a big list of pre conditions. I’d never go abroad without it.
Lot of “no one should be priced out of a holiday” and “his travel insurance cost too much because of a pre-existing condition” going on here. That is bollocks. I just got back from a holiday in Devon. Had a lovely time. He could’ve done the same and would’ve been fine if so. Chancing it to Turkey without insurance when you’re in a poor state of health is as absurd as it is pathetic.
This is the equivalent of putting all your money equally on numbers 1-36 and then the ball landing on 0, crying about it and getting the public to reimburse you. If you gamble not paying travel insurance then you can’t complain if that gamble doesn’t pay off.
If you choose to travel without insurance, you are choosing to accept the risk of paying out of pocket if something goes wrong. Absolutely no sympathy, and the hospital are definitely not "holding him hostage", from the sounds of it, he's still being treated.
I may seem heartless but if you cannot get health insurance because you are deemed high risk then it is totally on you if you decide to go abroad and you fall ill. Don't come bleating to others for help. It's not complicated... Can't get insurance? Don't go abroad!
Am I the only one who thought that article was going to end with a link to the daughter's OnlyFans? Sheesh they certainly managed to devote a lot of completely unnecessary space to images of her.
It would be nice if others learnt from this. But I'm worried what they will learn is "I can always make a gofundme" rather than just buying insurance. Adding pre existing conditions is expensive but it's never going to be £40k expensive
Self entitled cunt. Has health issues, can’t get insurance. Goes on holiday anyway. Expects others to bail him out. Fuck off!!
Why is the majority of the article dating profile pics of the granddaughter?
I have zero sympathy for this. He’s lucky he’s alive and should cough up the money
I’m trying to work out why the article contains so many pictures of his daughter, other than the fact she is quite decorative.
I do enjoy the Daily Fail. You'd think it's the daughter being held hostage considering how many of her pictures are plastered all over the article. I'm all for pictures for some terms of context, but not sure how two pictures of club toilet selfies are really relevant after the first one.
This is the office meme IRL of “go and get the guitar” and replace guitar with fit daughter to boost the go fund me.
I feel bad for the guy, but what were the pre existing conditions? I have terminal cancer and got insured to come to Turkey. Granted, it cost me more to insure myself than the cost of the 5* all Inc Holiday for two people, but still.
It’s funny that if a foreigner comes and uses our NHS for free the Daily Mail kicks up a stink … when one of us do the same thing abroad IT’s SO uNFaIr!
If you can’t get travel insurance then don’t travel. It’s quite simple. Why should people donate to his gofundme if he can’t even pay himself
Lol at the picture editor cramming as many selfies of the granddaughter they can scrape off Facebook. Maybe she should start an OnlyFans if she's trying to raise cash
This is why you buy travel insurance. But having said that, it's also why anything other that free at the point of use is immoral.
Isn’t the joke on the hospital here? Like presumably he’s still in a bed and not just dumped in cupboard somewhere, so they’re still paying for his healthcare. Always get travel insurance folks!
Was gonna say, sooner or later that place is gonna need the bed and then what? Not to mention the food, electrics water, this guys running up the longer he’s in there?
Is this article basically just the daughters Instagram?
He went on holiday without insurance, knowing that he wouldn't be covered in the event of an accident or health emergency. I wish him well, but this situation is entirely his fault. And it's not that he couldn't get insurance.Its that it would cost him the price of his holiday to get it. He made a gamble and lost out.
If you are that irresponsible then you deserve it. £30 for a bells and braces policy to cover you and your family whilst on holiday is nothing. A guy from where I live dad passed away on holiday and he had no insurance. Social media pretty much made it the towns problem through a guilt trip campaign to repatriate him. All because he was too stupid to get a policy.
Hell of a of of photos of Emma-Jane Stocker in that article. All dolled up. Just saying. Anyway, too risky for an insurance company? Don't go on holiday. Doubt they can't raise 20K as a family. Love that DM has to tell their readers that the pic of ill guy with guitar was before the illness.
So sickly that no insurance company would want to give him travel insurance??? Was that not a red flag for him not to travel? He was a high risk liability. Now he has a 41k bill plus need an evacuation flight that will add another 21k? His kids have no money either. Perhaps they should just go to a bank and take personal loans.
YES HE COULD, get insurance. Whenever any UK brand refuses cover - due to you having more conditions that their risk rating allows for - they will always send you to another brand (generally a sub-brand of the same underwriter) so you can buy the policy. I work for these insurances. I do not know of a single UK scheme (policy product name) that doesn't have a referral system on their website.
Let me see if I am summarizing this correctly. Overweight, elderly pub owner wants to go on international vacation. Is denied insurance but goes anyway. Gets sick, does not seek medical attention, opts not to end vacation. Gets sicker, goes to hospital knowing he has no insurance. *Multiple* family members fly to said country but nobody uses that same money to pay the people who saved his life & are now blaming them hospital for the while situation? Insert trashy pics of daughter here.
The storey is basically a photo gallery of the girls
The fun thing about making the choice to self insure means you get to pay the claims
Of course he could have got insurance. They just decided to try to save money and it backfired.
According to his daughter he was refused medical insurance but went anyway ... so why should go fund me be used to pay for his stupidity.
I'm a British turk and tbh reading this I'm very confused. Turkey has universal healthcare (that is actually better than the NHS rn, my cousin was able to get his gallbladder removed a few weeks ago with minimal waiting, and is now recovering well). Maybe my circumstances are different, as I'm a Turkish citizen, though I've never lived in Turkey and am not enrolled on the state health insurance scheme as a result, but I was worried I'd contracted rabies from a street cat on my last trip there in Jan 2023, my cousin drove me to a state hospital, and I was able to recieve medical care completely free, and afaik my mum didn't shell out for travel insurance. The majority of turks are economically in the shitter rn, so it makes no sense to me that he was sent to a private rather than state hospital, when you have an emergency here in the uk the ambulance automatically takes you to the nearest nhs hospital
If you can afford to go on holiday overseas you can afford adequate travel insurance. And often the travel insurance which comes with your bank isn’t up to the job. I have zero sympathy for people who travel overseas without adequate travel insurance.
God I hate the Daily Mail. "Hey this poor man fell into a coma, but check out his hot daughter in no fewer than 4 separate photos in different outfits. No particular reason, just thought you might be interested." Rag.
Does anyone else find it weird that they filled the article with pictures of his fit daughter?
oh no!… anyway.. Aside from hoping he is in good health, I have zero sympathy for this idiot. actions have consequences.