A broken ankle in Orlando could cost $45,000US during a March Break family trip

Toronto, ON March 5, 2019

Unexpected costs beyond medical care could be financially devastating without travel insurance:

  • A broken ankle requiring surgery in Orlando, Florida could cost upwards of $45,000US 
  • In Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, a broken arm requiring surgery and a two-day hospital stay could average $32,800US 
  • Family member accompanying injured or ill loved one could face extra costs on hotels and rebooking flights 
  • March Break is not a flexible travel period as kids are off school for just one week, so trip cancellation insurance is an important consideration. 

Imagine spending $45-thousand U.S. on just one person during a family March Break trip to Florida. That would be what it would cost for medical care if a family member breaks their ankle and requires surgery while on vacation and you don’t have travel insurance, according to Allianz Global Assistance Canada.

 A similar broken ankle in The Bahamas averages $11,470US with a hospital stay of 2.5 days. In Cuba, the average cost of a broken leg is $3,835US with a hospital stay of 8 days. A hip fracture in the Dominican Republic could also be financially devastating, with an average cost of $43,500US. * 

These, warns Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management, Allianz Global Assistance Canada, are just a few examples of the potential devastating costs of vacationing without medical travel insurance. The federal government recently advised all Canadians travelling during March Break to purchase travel insurance.

“It’s not just the straight medical costs that people need to be aware of,” says Keon. “It’s also the additional expenses that may be unavoidable if a family member has to stay in the destination longer with a loved one who has been hospitalized or can’t immediately travel due to an injury.” 

“Extra nights in a hotel for the accompanying family member, additional meals, and having to rebook flights are expenses most people don’t consider,” explains Keon. “These, and other out-of-pocket expenses may be covered by medical, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, and help to offset significant financial losses,” adds Keon. 

With the kids off school for a week, winter weary Canadians often take advantage of March Break by travelling with the family. Since March Break is a holiday dependent on the kids being out of school, there is often no flexibility on the dates, so trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance can be equally as important as having travel medical insurance. 

“If an unexpected, covered event happens to your you or a travel companion that forces you to cancel plans before heading out, trip cancellation insurance becomes a needed benefit for everyone, particularly for March Break which is a set vacation period,” says Keon. “Canadians spend an average of $2,573 on vacations each year, which makes travel one of the single largest annual purchases for an average household. Adding unexpected medical expenses, extra hotel nights, unplanned meals and rebooked flights to that, can be financially devastating. It just makes sense to budget the relatively inexpensive cost of insurance into your vacation plans. We recommend travellers speak with their travel advisor or insurance broker to understand the full range of benefits travel insurance can offer, even for a short March Break getaway.” 

Allianz Global Assistance (Canada)

For over 30 years, Allianz Global Assistance has supported travelling Canadians when they need it most with value-added travel insurance and assistance services. More than 800 employees support long-term partnerships with some of the best known brands in the travel and financial services markets. Allianz Global Assistance also serves as an outsource provider for in-bound call centre services and claims administration for health insurers, property and casualty insurers and credit card companies. Allianz Global Assistance is a specialist brand of Allianz Partners for assistance and travel insurance, and is a registered business name of AZGA Service Canada Inc. and AZGA Insurance Agency Canada Ltd. For more information, visit the Allianz Global Assistance Canadawebsite.

Allianz Partners 

Dedicated to bringing global protection and care, Allianz Partners is the B2B2C leader in assistance and insurance solutions in the following areas of expertise: assistance, international health & life, automotive and travel insurance. These solutions, which are a unique combination of insurance, service and technology, are available to business partners or via direct and digital channels under four commercial brands: Allianz Assistance, Allianz Care, Allianz Automotive and Allianz Travel. 

This global family of over 19,000 employees is present in 78 countries, speaks 70 languages and handles 54 million cases per year, protecting customers and employees on all continents. For more information, visit the Allianz Partners website

Press Contact: 

Communications@allianz-assistance.ca

*All costs cited are averages based on the claims administered by Allianz Global Assistance Canada. Allianz Global Assistance is a registered business name of AZGA Service and AZGA Insurance.