Visitors to the Channel Islands should be aware that they may need to take out health insurance for their visit as the current agreement that UK residents can receive free healthcare if they need while in the Channel Islands is coming to an end.

The Department of Health has recommended that holidaymakers look into taking out adequate travel insurance which includes healthcare cover before their trip to avoid a hefty hospital bill should they have an accident or fall ill.

The current arrangement which allows British tourists access to free healthcare while on the islands is coming to an end on Tuesday 31st March 2009, after which some kind of healthcare plan is advised for visitors.

The Channel Islands are located in the British channel and include Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Herm. They are popular holiday destinations due to their temperate climate and close proximity to the UK.

The islands are expected to become more and more popular as the value of the pound falls against the Euro and people look in to holiday destinations closer to home or where their money will go further.

The Channel Islands are Crown Dependencies, which are internally self-governing and which have their own health services. Last year there were 53,200 visitors from London to Jersey and 40,000 to Guernsey alone. Because their currency is tied to the British pound, they are expected to be popular holiday destinations in 2009 due to Britain's currency weakness.

The agreement also affects residents of the Channel Islands who are paying a visit to the UK. They will now also have to pay for any treatment they have in the UK.

The move is hoped to prevent residents of the Channel Islands flying to the UK to make use of free health care while residing in the Islands and taking advantage of the specific laws and tax breaks available to them there.

Many of the residents of the Channel Islands are ex pats and as such may require a health insurance plan which reflects their individual needs.

Certain insurance companies are beginning to realise that ex pats may require health insurance which is individual to their needs and are designing such plans for their customers who live outside of the UK.

Specialist financial advisers can advise UK citizens who no longer live within the UK as to what their options are when it comes to their health insurance cover.

"Lots of people will assume they are covered, but this is not the case," said Steven Williams, head of travel insurance at a popular financial comparison site. "They need to make sure they have taken out an adequate insurance policy."

Maxine Baker, manager of travel insurance at another price comparison site, said: "While holidaymakers might think nothing will happen to them while they are away, travel insurance is essential for claiming on cancellations, lost baggage or cash, public liability and emergency medical treatment.”

"Anyone looking to save money by cutting out travel insurance for their holidays should be extremely wary," she added.