Cash-strapped holidaymakers who opt to save money by spending their vacations in the UK instead of abroad are being urged not to overlook travel cover. Although the number of Brits planning to spend their holidays in the UK this year is booming, travel insurance providers say there has been no corresponding increase in the number of policies taken out for UK travel, prompting concerns that travellers are forgoing insurance simply because they do not think it is relevant if they are staying in the country.
The insurance price comparison website Confused.com said only 2% of all travel quotes sought via its portal were for customers looking for UK cover. "The number of UK insurance policies sold is dwarfed by that of European and worldwide policies, and in our experience fewer people shop around for UK cover," said Steve Williams, head of travel insurance at Confused. "But travel insurance should be seen as a vital part of any holiday you are planning, whether it be in the UK or further afield."
Although Brits do not need travel insurance to cover them for medical emergencies in the UK, it is recommended in case of cancellations or curtailment, which could leave holidaymakers with lost deposits and reservation fees, or hefty cancellation charges. However, Williams said holidaymakers should be careful to avoid doubling up on insurance they already have – items taken on holiday may already be covered by home insurance policies, while people with annual global or European travel cover will automatically be covered for trips in the UK.
Direct Travel Insurance said the most common reasons for cancelling holidays were redundancy, family illness or jury service. Last year, more than 150 claims relating to holidays taken in the UK were made by its policyholders, with an average of £1,074 being claimed for cancellations. Hoburne Holiday Parks, which has seven holiday parks in the UK, has seen its bookings rise by more than a third compared with this time last year. The company offers its customers an optional holiday cancellation scheme for its family lodges, which can cost more than £1,000 during peak times. Under the scheme, the company will waive its contractual rights if customers are forced to cancel a holiday.
news source : http://www.guardian.co.uk/
HIBERNIAN Aviva yesterday said it expected to increase car insurance premiums by at least 7.5pc this year despite the deepening recession. The insurance giant's chief executive Stuart Purdy made the comments as he revealed a 50pc collapse in the company's annual operating profits, to €181m (€203m).
The poorer result included a €40m hit for weather-related claims, a multi-million euro provision for redundancies and a "5pc to 7pc" fall in average premiums, Mr Purdy said. Figures from UK parent company Aviva also showed the Irish division made losses of £4m on its core general and health insurance underwriting business last year, against profits of £101m in 2007.
Describing the result as "solid", Mr Purdy said increases in general insurance premiums were "needed" to deal with a 30pc rise in claims over the past year and significant falls in premiums over the past five years. "We're seeing an increase in 'own damage' claims and we're seeing people claim for things they maybe wouldn't have claimed for before the downturn," said Mr Purdy.
news source : http://www.independent.ie/
Some 80 per cent of domestic holidaymakers do not take out travel insurance, according to the latest research from World First. With all figures showing domestic holiday traffic will increase sharply this summer – by as much as 30 per cent, according to Continental Research statistics - it is important these primary holidays are protected. Key advice from World First is that consumers at least take out cancellation cover to safeguard their 'staycation' holiday.
There are significant losses to be made if a UK break is cancelled for whatever reason; most hotels charge two thirds of the holiday cost and nearly all self catering, holiday and camping parks charge a full 100 per cent "Our advice has always been to ensure you are fully insured wherever you take your holiday," comments Martin Rothwell, managing partner, World First Travel Insurance. "However, a study of our own statistics has revealed that a worrying number of people forget to take out any cover at all if they are taking a domestic break.
"At a time when all of us are watching what we spend, financial protection is more important than ever before." “People simply forget that they could be charged for a holiday they cannot take and there could still be major cost implications during a domestic break. "For example, most long distance ambulance trips home following an accident whilst on holiday are not covered by the NHS; they are covered by our policies."
news source : http://www.travelbite.co.uk/news/
CORPUS CHRISTI - Emotions ran high at Tuesday's city council meeting, as union representatives from the police and fire departments argued against city staff's recommendation to increase the fire department's health insurance premiums by 18 percent. Firefighters and some of the council members had questions about how the proposed hike was being justified.
While many police officers learned for the first time Tuesday that their health care premiums wouldn't be increasing, Corpus Christi firefighters learned they could be facing an 18 percent increase. Currently, the city's policy increases premiums based on claims cost, including doctor visits, hospitalization and pharmaceuticals.
"There is equity every time you pay for what you use and you're not dependent on another group to subsidize your increases," Assistant City Manager Oscar Martinez said. "The city still has close to 18 million dollars in reserves, and they can absorb this increase that they wanted, to give to the firefighters of 18 percent," CCFFA President Carlos Torres said.
City staff said firefighters had an 18 percent increase in claims for the last fiscal year in the dollar amount of $450,000. They said the only way to make up that money was to increase premiums by 18 percent for the next five months of the fiscal year to pump it back into the city's reserve fund. City staff added that without doing that, the burden of paying those and future claims would depend on the taxpayers.
news source : http://www.msnbc.msn.com
The number of families buying annual travel insurance and flying abroad could drop off this year, as less people are likely to invest in overseas holiday homes, it has been suggested. According to Nubricks.com, the weak performance of the sterling will make it much harder for Brits to buy abroad in 2009, particularly in countries such as Morocco and Dubai, as well as those in the eurozone.
Adam Samuel, director of the overseas property website, suggested that UK investors in foreign property "will be very few and far between" until the pound is able to rally. "UK investors at the moment are struggling to find anything that stacks up that isn't in sterling," he added, noting that Britain's new "investor population" will be small in the coming months.
With the value of the pound falling against the euro, the relative cost of emergency medical treatment abroad and repatriation will have become even more expensive, making travel insurance that much more necessary. Recently, Foreign Currency Direct reported that overseas property is 47 per cent less likely to appeal to Brits this year than last.
news source : http://www.world-first.co.uk
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Legislation that offers a tax break to offset the cost of health care has been approved by a state House committee. The measure by Rep. Jason Nelson would grant Oklahomans an income tax deduction equal to the amount paid by an individual for health insurance coverage. If approved, the credit would be available starting in 2010.
The measure passed out of the House Revenue and Taxation Subcommittee Thursday. The Oklahoma City Republican says the cost of insurance is so high that many people feel they cannot afford it. He says his bill will help offset that expense and hopefully reduce Oklahoma's estimated 600,000 uninsured residents. An estimated 1.18 million Oklahoma families and individuals would be able to deduct about $2.23 billion in health insurance premiums if the bill becomes law.
news soruce : http://www.kfsm.com/news/
Brits take more than 50 million domestic holidays a year, even though many of them do not take out adequate travel insurance, Sainsbury's Finance has warned. According to the holiday insurance provider, nearly seven million people (15 per cent of adults) have never holidayed abroad, while £10.9 billion is spent on British tourism every year.
However, travel insurance appears to make up a small proportion of holiday spending money for Brits staying within the UK, even though they are at risk from many of the same things as overseas holidaymakers. Sainsbury's explained that domestic travellers would receive NHS cover anywhere in the country but would be forced to pay for their own repatriation if holidaying without cover.
They would also be unable to claim for accommodation cancellations due to illness, internal flight delays or lost or stolen luggage. Meanwhile, people taking long-haul trips to faraway lands have been encouraged by ABTA, the Travel Association, to ensure they are fully vaccinated against common local diseases before travelling.
news source : http://www.world-first.co.uk
Cash-strapped holidaymakers who opt to save money by spending their vacations in the UK instead of abroad are being urged not to overlook travel cover. Although the number of Brits planning to spend their holidays in the UK this year is booming, travel insurance providers say there has been no corresponding increase in the number of policies taken out for UK travel, prompting concerns that travellers are forgoing insurance simply because they do not think it is relevant if they are staying in the country.
