It’s not something you tend to think about when you’re travelling, but an expert has warned why you need to, if you don’t want to cop a hefty fee.

It’s not something you tend think about when travelling, but if you happen to end up in hospital you better hope you have travel insurance, otherwise you’re looking at a hefty fee.

The United States is known for having expensive healthcare and because of that it pushes up the cost for tourists who aren’t covered by an insurance plan and end up in hospital.

According to Australian comparison site Finder, Aussies can fork out a staggering $1,279 on average for a stay in a New York hospital bed, which is 45 times the cost of an insurance policy.

The figures were based on those aged 30 with Finder analysing the price of a hospital bed against a travel insurance policy for a one-week trip in July.

It found a stark price difference between the two, revealing that staying in hospital is 44 times more expensive on average than a travel insurance policy across Australians’ top 10 travel destinations.

In six of the top 10 Aussie destinations analysed, travellers would pay more per night than they would for an Airbnb stay.

That contrast is greatest in Singapore, where a hospital bed costs 13 times more than an Airbnb rental per night on average.

In Singapore the cost of a hospital bed is $1167, where the price of an Airbnb stay per night is $89.

If you were to get basic travel insurance for that week in Singapore, it comes down to just $11 a day.

In third place is the UK, with a hospital bed costing $1124 per night. It compares to just $9.29 if you were covered by basic travel insurance and $293 for a night in an Airbnb in London.

Graham Cooke, head of consumer research at Finder said he is not surprised by the figures, adding that it can easily ruin holidays.

“Hospital beds tend to be very expensive when travelling,” he told news.com.au.

“The countries with the most expensive healthcare like the US and the UK, will have pretty expensive beds.

“Australia has an agreement with the UK where visitors are covered for some hospital visits, but not all.”

He said if you don’t qualify, you’re left with a hefty bill.

“Healthcare costs overseas will cost you an arm and a leg, which is the last thing you want to be worrying about if something goes wrong,” he said.

“A basic insurance policy on the other hand comes in between $10 to $20 per day, and you can reduce this cost by increasing your excess if you like.

“It’s always a good idea to take out insurance as soon as you book your trip. That way, if something happens – for example, if you catch Covid – you’ll be covered.”

Mr Cooke said generally the cost of insurance is smaller than the cost of hospital and with Covid starting to increase in countries like England, the US and Ireland — travel insurance will cover you if you have to cancel a flight or stay longer in a hotel.

He said your insurance will cover your hospital stay so long as you’re not being negligent.

“It should cover most mishaps on your trip,” he said.

He also advised to look at who is covered on the policy, especially if you are going with family.

“A lot of credit cards will offer free travel when book a flight or hotel and you may think you don't need to pay extra but usually it covers just the card holder and not kids, so it’s good to pay attention to the details no matter what policy you are booking.”

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