TravelInsurance-wont pay cancelation fees for close relatives with pre-med conditions

dreamalive

I wonder if someone could help me here please

I've been informed that there are no travel insurance companies that will pay for cancellation costs if it is due to a pre-medical condition of a close family member. However, some insurance companies clearly state this on the policy wording, while others are more vague and say that they will not pay claims related to an "anticipated event".

The definition of this is below:

'anticipated event' means any event or occurrence which you or your immediate family knew would occur or could have reasonably have expected to occur during your trip and which you or your immediate family were aware of at the time of booking the trip.

My mother had cancer last year but has now completed treatment and it was all successfully removed but if however I was to cancel due to her condition would this be classed as an "anticipated event" because I was aware of it when I booked?

I'm just asking because I'm led to believe that however the travel insurance policy is worded that there are NO travel insurance companies that would pay out for a claim that was related to the illness of my mother? Is this correct?

If there are no companies that would cover me for cancellation costs in relation to this, then it doesn't matter who I choose to take my policy out with as they are all the same.

Many thanks.

Quentin

Generally they won't pay if at the time of booking (or taking out the policy if this was later) the close relative (or anyone else whose health might affect the trip) had a condition which needed treatment from a hospital, was awaiting a hospital appointment or had been told the condition would get worse or was terminal.

So if that doesn't apply, then you should be covered.

If those scenarios don't apply to your mother, check the wording of any policy you are thinking of taking, and for peace of mind get the insurer to confirm before buying the policy.

But if her condition does get caught by that sort of exclusion, then you are right, it won't make any difference who you go with, as you wouldn't get any money if you had to cancel for this reason.

dacouch

Travel Insurers quote you a premium assuming all people travelling are in good (If this is not the case you have an increased chance of claiming for cancelling the holiday or medical costs). They also quote assuming "Members of your immediate family whose health could affect your decision to travel are also in good health" (As for instance if a close member was taken ill or died before your holiday you would want to cancel the holiday or come home during the holiday)

If you or a person you are travelling with (Even if they have Travel Insurance with a seperate company) or a close member of your family who is not travelling but if they were taken ill or died you would not want o travel / come home early you just need to contact your Travel Insurers and declare the information to them (It normally explains how to do this and the telephone number in the policy booklet normally in the first few pages). They will assess whether they feel the persons medical condition / previous medical conditions increases the chances of you claiming and then tell you a) Ask for an extra premium b) Ask you to pay a higher excess for any claims DIRECTLY AS A RESULT OF THAT MEDICAL CONDITION c) Advice you they do not perceive it to be a higher risk so no extra premium, no higher excess and full cover d) They will exclude claims directly as a result of this medical condition.

If you do not pay the increased excess or premium etc you will still have cover they will just not pay any claims that are directly as a result of that medical condition

If you are not happy with what they say try another Travel Insurer as there are plenty that specialise in this field.

I hope this helps

P.S I'm a broker and the first thing a travel Insurer will ask if you claim for medical costs, cancellation of curtailment (Coming home early) are for details of existing medical conditions so it is very important you keep them informed of any medical conditions for you or immediate family!

dreamalive

So basically if I had to make a claim due to the illness of my mother that I was already aware of - then I wouldn't be successful.

Never mind - I don't suppose there's anything I can do about it then. I know that a lot of insurance companies try to get out of paying if they can!

dunstonh

So basically if I had to make a claim due to the illness of my mother that I was already aware of - then I wouldn't be successful.

Correct.

I know that a lot of insurance companies try to get out of paying if they can!

Insurance if for covering unforeseen events. You were aware of the issues before hand so it is not unforeseen. Its not a case of trying to get out of paying but one where insurance just isnt applicable.

dacouch

dreamalive wrote: »

So basically if I had to make a claim due to the illness of my mother that I was already aware of - then I wouldn't be successful.

Never mind - I don't suppose there's anything I can do about it then. I know that a lot of insurance companies try to get out of paying if they can!

Your insurers would pay out if you have rung them and declared the family members medical condition and paid the relevant extra premium or if they accept it at normal terms...see my previous posting.

dollywops

MIL has been in a nursing home for over 3 years now. She has PSP (progressive supranuclear palsy), a condition which will eventually kill her. We have no idea of the time scale involved, because each person with this condition is different (and it is a relatively rare one). I suppose I need to have a discussion with LV about our travel insurance and see what they have to say.

dreamalive

Thanks for your help everyone

Is it possible to add my mother to the policy then in case of cancellation costs are incurred, even though she is not travelling with us? I didn't realise you could add people to the policy unless they were actually travelling - that's interesting to know - cheers :beer:

the-chauffeur_2

No, you can't add your mother to the policy if she's not travelling - that's not what the folks above mean.

(Very) generally speaking, travel policy wording will be something like "If any of the travelling party - or anyone on whose health/well-being your ability to travel will depend - has been unwell . . . ". They're usually pretty unspecific about the exact nature of the relationship so that the exclusion also applies to less conventional relationships where there may be no direct familial association, such as step-parents, god-children and so on. But that doesn't mean that those 'on who travel may depend' have to be named on the policy in any way.

The short answer to your question about an anticipated event (if your mother's condition worsened or deteriorated to the point where you needed to cancel your holiday or return home early would probably be yes. If she (or your father) had a heart attack and had no history of heart trouble, that would not be considered an anticipated event. But given her medical history, you would be considered to be 'reasonably aware' that something might go wrong and interrupt or impact on your travel, even if you don't know exactly when it might happen.

Hope that helps.