The cost of treatment for a leg fracture in the USA averages over €35,000 and over €20,000 in Canada. Analysis of travel insurance claims from Allianz Global Assistance reveals staggering emergency medical assistance costs for injuries on the slopes. The largest cost, treatment for a head injury in Canada, racked up a bill of over €197,000, which included repatriation back to the UK. 
With the winter sports’ season in full swing, Allianz Global Assistance in Ireland is reminding travellers to make sure they have insurance that provides adequate cover for their needs. On average, Canada and the USA are the most expensive countries for winter sports medical assistance – with an average cost of over €15,000 per medical assistance. After Canada and the USA, Austria and Switzerland are the next most expensive countries for medical assistance.
Allianz Global Assistance in Ireland specialises in travel insurance services. Roland Hesse, Country Manager, said: “We have analysed data from hundreds of claims from the past few years. Looking at the average costs of medical assistance, we can see that by far the most expensive countries are Canada and the USA, each averaging over €15,000 in costs per claim. In addition to the €197,000 bill in Canada, the remainder of our top five costs were all from the USA, ranging from €45,000 to €111,000 for various bone fractures.”
“After Canada and the USA, Austria and Switzerland are the next most expensive countries for medical assistance, with the average costs in these countries of over €2,700 and €1,600 respectively.
“When dealing with various winter sports injuries, our research shows that emergency assistance costs can be another massive shock. Therefore, we would recommend that holidaymakers make sure that they have the correct level of travel insurance in place, before they hit the slopes.”
