Travel Insurance Cost Cutting Tips For Older Travellers/Pre-existing Conditions

icmeler2000

TomsMom wrote: »

It's probably a simple case of "rules are rules - no exceptions". If there are appointments pending no-one knows the outcome despite the fact that you initiated the appointments even though there's no worsening of your condition. There's a remote possibility that investigations at the appointments could just uncover something you knew nothing about. I doubt if there is any way round this situation.

Did you book these holidays recently or some time ago? If some time ago then it is very risky not to book travel insurance at the time of booking the holiday (or very soon afterwards) as anything could happen to cause you to cancel between the day you book it and the day the holiday starts.

Thanks for your reply.

Yeah but these companies are making the mistake of painting everyone who books an appointment with the same brush i.e. they assume wrongly they have been booked because some new symptoms have either appeared or existing conditions have worsened in which case you can understand the increased risk and so reluctance to cover because there is currently something that has got worse and so the customer is at increased risk of being ill on his/her holiday. And subsequent examination via the appointment will see exactly how big that worsening is. But I'm not in that situation. I'm no greater a risk than someone in exactly my condition of health who's on holiday just suffering the stable long-term symptoms and is not going to be subsequently examined. In fact my situation is better cos if something is found I'll get treatment and the other person won't and they could then subsequently be ill on holiday which is what the insurance companies are surely trying to avoid.

As I say, many telephone advisors have been agreeing with me and sympathised (well those that aren't just medical screening computer program operators and can and are actually willing to discuss the details of my situation), but they are bound by their fixed existing rules.

No I didn't book these holidays before having travel insurance. I have a free annual travel insurance via a bank account, but they just won't NOW cover me for the last 2 conditions.

I'm going to see my GP for his advice on this on Monday as it is rather silly.

It's silly because my appointments were merely self-initiated through no reason of worsening health. If I were to now cancel these two appointments then the screening by a new insurer would then not exclude these conditions which is why it's silly. It will be interesting to see what my GP advises.

I have in fact found one company who claimed (over the phone) that they would cover me, but the premium amount was an initial shock. I'm not sure that further discussion with them and examination of small print would reveal that they are in fact no different and that they actually won't cover me, but maybe I'm wrong and the size of premium means they are in fact different - and sensible!!!

Savvy_Sue

Just a thought, but do you NEED cover for those two conditions?

Between being diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and having it taken out, I just declared it but said I didn't want it covered. There was no way (if I believed my consultant) that it was going to 'do' anything or cause any problems on holiday, and no way some foreign bod was going to poke around inside my brain if some other problem got me into hospital! :eek:

I can see you've thought about this, so maybe you do feel you need the cover 'just in case', or in case some other problem arises but these conditions are blamed for it.

My other suggestion is always to use a broker if you're struggling with getting cover directly.

icmeler2000

Savvy_Sue wrote: »

I can see you've thought about this, so maybe you do feel you need the cover 'just in case', or in case some other problem arises but these conditions are blamed for it.

My other suggestion is always to use a broker if you're struggling with getting cover directly.

Thanks for your constructive reply Sue!

Yes you're spot on, I want cover for these two other conditions in case something new and serious hits me on holiday and to stop the insurers using lack of cover as an excuse to cough up. (e.g no we're no covering ibs, but oh dear you've got a brand-new stomach tumour and that's in that sort of area so we're not paying! I've been checked over 3 times over the years for tumours, stool tests etc all proving negative.)

I did have the option of using a broker on the back burner as a fall-back, but have never used one. Do they charge me a commission directly or do they get it from the insurer itself or does it depend on each broker?
Any recommendations for specific brokers gratefully received, anyone!

In the meantime, I'll be seeing the GP tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see what he advises. He won't be impressed if the appointments have to be cancelled to get over this problem.

It would also be interesting to see how the amicable professional advisor from American Express would react if I did actually go ahead and cancel these appointments and rang back. Would his medical screening computer program then be happy to cover me because he can now supply 'no' to the 'no outstanding appointments' question.

Initially the junior advisor there would not cover me for condition X despite it being all under control, reviewed annually by a consultant, actually proved to be improving each year through medication. It wasn't until I asked to be passed over to the senior advisor advisor that the problem actually was that the official name of my condition didn't exist on their database, BUT HE DIDN'T TELL ME THAT AND JUST KEPT SAYING THEY COULDN'T COVER ME. Once I twigged this was the real problem I suggested a synonym ( a more directly related kidney condition) which was simply on their system, then cover was no problem. So the moral of this story is that when advisors say they are refusing cover, remember to ask them whether the name you're using for the condition is known to their system. And also generally if they are refusing to give cover, to ask specifically what's making them say this.

This is assuming of course that you can discuss the situation with your operators. The medical screening operators at Fortis Insurance are quite simply dreadful - won't/can't/refuse to discuss any details and just want simple black and white yes or no answers to their computer-generated questions. And they are quite simply rude and if you ask for clarification about a question, they simply repeat the whole question word for word, raising their voice more and more each time. They really are quite obnoxious.

I shall see what the GP says tomorrow. I will also ring the one company that has agreed to cover me to a) make absolutely certain they will and ask them to check the small print and b) recheck the premium quote just in case.

Will update the thread soon with the outcome.

In the meantime, again I ask anyone who knows an insurer they think would cover me given these silly circumstances are causing these screening computer programs a headache, then please reply and let me know. I might even try another google using words like 'chronic' and 'existing' and 'stable'
to get more names to enquire to.

Savvy_Sue

In my experience, the broker does not charge you but gets a commission for this sort of insurance. Could be wrong ...

nfiche

Icmeler
If you still haven't found anything yet, try the British Mountaineering Council. You do not have to be climbing Everest to get an ordinary "travel" policy.
The premium varies according to age -- 50% increase at 70, 100% at 75
and you have to be a member but you can do all that on the web -- www.thebmc.co.uk
As a sufferer from "multiple conditions" I have found their terms/attitude to pre-existing conditions to be very reasonable eg no hospital consultations within the last 3 months other than for routine check ups etc etc
Good hunting

nfiche

nfiche

Hello Vonnie 1

I have just read your query. See my reply (just above) on another topic. --- i.e try the British Mountaineering Council -- see www.the bmc.co.uk -- who offer long stay insurance
Nfiche

bilbo1_2

I used it's so easy travel insurance for a recent trip.....found them very helpful and able to offer me the cover I needed and the cost was reasonable too

wise_owl_3

I have a similar problem to icmeler2000 above in that I cannot find a company who will insure me as I have a pre-existing condition that I have not had a diagnosis for as it is still being investigated after about 9 years. No-one will agree to insure me without a diagnosis although my problems are mainly memory problems, and slight dizziness, not requiring any hospitalisation. Can anyone help?

stabler_2

wise_owl_3 wrote: »

No-one will agree to insure me without a diagnosis although my problems are mainly memory problems, and slight dizziness, not requiring any hospitalisation. Can anyone help?

Just a thought - Have you been on statins long term, or any other medications? Might be worth looking up potential side affects.

Apologies if this has already been looked at, but to go 9 years without a diagnosis must be awful, and I recently found out that an acquaintance had been hospitalised and was eventually 'cured' by removing statins.

Good Luck.

coastalchris

With a pre-existing medical condition, I found insurers wanted to either load the premium or increase the excess. www.laterlife.com has a link (to a broker called Wisemans) for quotations. The questions you have to satisfy concerning medical conditions are quire basic and providing you satisfy these the premiums quoted are extremely competitive, including world wide annual cover for a couple. You also get a 10% discount for going through www.laterlife.com. A word of warning: when renewing your annual cover, make sure they still give you the laterlife 10% discount!
:beer: