# ADAC Plus Breakdown Medical / Repatriation Cover



## jontan (Aug 30, 2009)

Hi 

Just been reading all i can find about ADAC Plus european wide health cover included with their comprehensive breakdown cover. 
Have i misunderstood or with this and my EHIC card would i be covered for all illness/medical/repatriation issues in France and Spain. 

The reason i ask is with my pre-existing conditions then annual travel insurance is just too expensive.... 

Has anyone on the forums taken out this cover just for this reason ? 

:?


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Minefield*

This area is a minefield. Whilst _we're _all under an obligation to disclose anything and everything that may be relevant (without definition) the _insurers _produce almost 'unreadable' conditions which are open to interpretation - usually theirs.

I've taken to asking at the outset if they will repatriate the motorhome should the driver(s) be too ill, or otherwise unable, to drive it home, say from Spain. Usually if they say 'Yes' it's worth obtaining and reading the policy; otherwise save your time and walk away.

There's no easy answer and there are as many solutions as there are problems. I'm also finding that 'You get what you pay for' doesn't necessarily apply!

Ray


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## nomad (May 11, 2005)

Hi Jontan, Ive taken the ADAC plus cover for myself and my wife and I believe what it says in their agreement listing. Also the health cover is worldwide (as stated on the membership card with contact phone numbers to prove it). 
Colin


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## SidT (May 9, 2005)

Hi jontan. I have just taken out health insurance for Shirley and I for our 4 month trip to Spain. We had quotes up to £1125, finished up with Staysure, £290 excluding pre-existing conditions.
Can you explain Cadac or provide a link.
Cheers Sid


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*In English*

I have been trying to find out just what is (and more importantly isn't covered by ADAC. The only documents I can find are in German - can anybody tell me where there's an English translation? If a claim has to be made, are the claim forms in German? Is there a helpline in English in the event of an emergency?

Ray


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## EJB (Aug 25, 2007)

If you e-mail the ADAC with your questions it would give a definitive answer and help us all :wink:


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Existing members*

Ted,

But there are many folks out there who keep telling us they've boguht it and how cheap it is and I'm keen to know more but seem to have hit a 'brick wall'. They must surely have an English version of their policy and know the answers to the above - I suspect they're not all fluent in German.

Come on ADAC policy holders, tell us the answers!

Ray


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## nomad (May 11, 2005)

Hi Ray, If you google ADAC English you should find the info you require. 
I have a list of the full terms and conditions in English but it is far too long to put on this forum. There is a contact Stephanie Schleifer (spelling may be wrong) who has been mentioned previously on MHF, she speaks English and can be contacted by email. I have seen her mentioned in one of the forums maybe MHFacts or MHfun or MMMonline.
I hope that this helps.
Colin


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## sprokit (May 1, 2005)

*Re: Existing members*



rayhook said:


> Ted,
> 
> But there are many folks out there who keep telling us they've boguht it and how cheap it is and I'm keen to know more but seem to have hit a 'brick wall'. They must surely have an English version of their policy and know the answers to the above - I suspect they're not all fluent in German.
> 
> ...


I think this is what you're after.

HTH

Keith (Sprokit)


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

...and a few links to the English part of the website...

>here<

&

>here<

Pete


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Missing something?*

Thanks everyone; I've had a look at the English texts and I can't seem to see any mention of re-imbursement of hospital (or doctor's) fees incurred abroad. The policy is otherwise very good, but hospital fees are potentially a major item.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Ray


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## sideways (Jun 2, 2008)

I,ve just had a quote from Columbus direct for the wife and i (type2 diabetes and cholesterol) for 3 months £139.00. was just whinging to the wife how much its gone up, but looking at your posts maybe its cheap. My mate who we go with refuses to take out any cover saying his E111 is good for anything we may need in either France Or Spain, I,m not so sure any advice please.


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Medical costs abroad*

Sideways,

I think your question is 'Will the EH1C pay all my exepenses?'. If so, the answer is NO.

I have an NHS booklet 'Health Advice for Travellers' that details on a country by country basis what you get for free and what you don't. As an example, in France you pay 25% (and hopefully reclaim it from your insurers), in Germany there's a daily fee for hospitalisation for the first 14 days. If you want a copy the booklet is T7 Health advice for travellers - come to think of it I need a current one for myself.

So you can either take insurance that covers hospital/medical fees (not ADAC I think) or take your chances. It's a free world!

Ray


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## 96783 (Nov 23, 2005)

The comment that it's a minefield is 100% correct. The Germans take the view that anything can (and should?) be insured or at least insurable. My broker at our annual review proposed that we take out his company's travel/medical insurance. I said that we had our E111 and the ADAC travel/medical insurance as ADAC members and would he consider that sufficient. He said that that was sufficient and put his proposal away saving us some €200 a year. Like all insurance it`s a waste of money until you need it - then it`s priceless.

On the other side of the coin his vehicle insurance, for both MH and car, is 50% cheaper than ADAC.


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*NOt quite*

PhredC,

First, your E111 has been extinct for some time; you need an EHIC card which covers most, repeat most, of your medical expenses incurred abroad.

Second, as far as I can tell, ADAC medical insurance does not cover medical expenses not covered by the EHIC. They'll loan you a relatively small sum (€1,300?) to help you out, but it's a loan. So if you're hospitalised in France expect a hefty bill for the 25% of the cost not covered by the EHIC.

The booklet I mentioned above can be downloaded and is now T7.1 Health Advice for Travellers; easily found via Google.

Ray


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## nomad (May 11, 2005)

PhredC said:


> The comment that it's a minefield is 100% correct. The Germans take the view that anything can (and should?) be insured or at least insurable. My broker at our annual review proposed that we take out his company's travel/medical insurance. I said that we had our E111 and the ADAC travel/medical insurance as ADAC members and would he consider that sufficient. He said that that was sufficient and put his proposal away saving us some €200 a year. Like all insurance it`s a waste of money until you need it - then it`s priceless.
> 
> On the other side of the coin his vehicle insurance, for both MH and car, is 50% cheaper than ADAC.


Hi PhredC, I Paid £87 for joint Membership for my wife and myself so if your broker can give you cover for 50% of that you should take it.
Colin


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## jontan (Aug 30, 2009)

*Re: Missing something?*



rayhook said:


> Thanks everyone; I've had a look at the English texts and I can't seem to see any mention of re-imbursement of hospital (or doctor's) fees incurred abroad. The policy is otherwise very good, but hospital fees are potentially a major item.
> 
> Can anyone point me in the right direction?
> 
> Ray


I just found this link and think it does cover hospital and doctors fees

http://www1.adac.de/mitgliedschaft_...ult.asp?ComponentID=31692&SourcePageID=146356

John


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Not convinced*

John,

I have seen this before and I think you may be wrong. The section is head Medical Repatriation and it says they will repatriate you to a German hospital (!!) and pay the costs of the repatriation. Nowhere does it say they will pay the medical costs - and why would they? Germans have medical insurance already to cover their hospital expenses and UK residents will be charged in German hospitals - see my post above and the NHS leaflet Advice for Travellers Abroad.

Ray


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## Westbay (Mar 15, 2008)

*Re: Not convinced*



rayhook said:


> John,
> 
> The section is head Medical Repatriation and it says they will repatriate you to a German hospital (!!) and pay the costs of the repatriation. Nowhere does it say they will pay the medical costs
> Ray


I think this is right. We are members of ADAC - we joined because it offered 362 days Pan EU cover, which is what we needed for this year. The cover is excellent but I did confirm with the nice lady who speaks good English that medical cost would need to be covered by our ordinary travel insurance (we use SnowCard for good cover while hill walking etc).
All in all though the ADAC cover is better than anything you'll get offered in the UK.

ps if you phone the breakdown number while in the UK you get service from . . . AA international


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*Breakdown cover only*

Westbay,

Thanks. It's good to hear from someone who has spoken to 'the horse's mouth' to confirm my thinking.

In a nutshell, ADAC certainly does provide good _breakdown _cover - they'll repatriate your motorhome in the case of illness/injury and they'll even repatriate your dog (hopefully to the UK?) but for _medical _cover it's a case of forget it.

However, as with all things to do with insurance, then it starts to get messy. Some motor insurance policies e.g. SafeGuard, include European breakdown cover. Some, indeed most, medical policies don't repatriate your motorhome in the case of illness/injury. As for getting your dog back......

Then, if you take breakdown and medical cover from different sources, there's the qusetion of duplicated cover and you can potentially end up in the middle of a debate by two insurers as to who is going to pay what. It's that old minefield again! Just watch where you tread.

Ray


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Have you looked at Ehic Plus. Its a similar thing but all in English. Seems to have most things covered.
All documents emailed for you to print out, so you can study all the T's and C's during the 7 day cooling off period.


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## rayhook (May 15, 2005)

*EHIC Plus*

Spacerunner,

Have had a quick look at this; the annual multi-trip appears to be limited to 45 days per trip and there's no cover for private hospital treatment. If you're going to 'rural' Spain this can be a problem as the nearest State hospital can be some distance away. No repatriation of your motorhome as a result of illness.

I've just got a quote from EHIC Plus of £145 for a single 90 trip. For less money I can get an annual multi-trip from SafeGuard. Trouble is, everyone has their one scenario with premiums to match; age, pre-existing conditions etc. all come into play. The only issue really is to know what you're buying - and sometimes that's not so easy short of reading the entire policy in detail before you buy. If you're happy with it then that's fine.

There's no easy answer but, for me, Safeguard are ahead - at the moment.

Ray


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