Travel Insurance Article Discussion

Doc_N

bazzie wrote: »

Hi All,

I have been doing a lot of research & it seems that Travels Insurance companies will use absolutely any & every possible excuse & tactics simply not to pay/help as they can interpret things almost anyway they want. I have been reading horror story after horror story & claims denied for even the most ridiculous of reasons, intrepreations of the English Language, their interpreation of what a word or definition means etc & each company is different so tehre is absolutely no standardization.

I was under the impression that if I answered their own medical screening questions honestly & accurately then that would suffice as that is all at the time of application a person has to work with but later I find out they can & will refer to your entire life times medical history to avoid paying claims & negate on entire policy over unrelated things. Even Grandparents are not considered relatives!

I was under the impression that "Pre-Existing" meant conditions that you suffer from in the here & now but apparently in reality from what I can gather many companies actually (at time of any claim) use your ENTIRE MEDICAL HISTORY to base things on which is just ridiculous imho.

There is no way any person can reasonably remember such things - even very minor things & regular check ups, routine appointments, non serious things are used to negate your insurance.

In regards to medical stuff they ask to state things in terms of "EVER" & "ALL" etc. Is one supposed to inform them of every doctor visit, every illness no matter how minor or if resolved, every non serious hospital out patient visit etc since birth?

This is a nightmare & there seems to be no help or guidance from the bodies that regulate the industry - really don't know what to do as reading & then trying to actually understand the endless + complex T&C's for each & every company I approach is beyond me & most ordinary folk I would have thought?

Bazzie.

It's even worse than you think. They can even refuse cover for an illness that arises after you've taken out the policy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-2082098/Travel-insurance-complaints-unfair-clauses-double.html

Sorry about the source of this link - but the story's accurate. This whole industry cries out for effective regulation.

bazzie

Hi Doc,

I am just finding more & more stories like this over & over again & it is just really scary. Some of the reasons, methods & excuses given are just beyond belief & should be made illegal imho.

I accept that we have to pay for a insurance but this is like they will take our money but not cover us at any & every opportunity - hardly what insurance was for. I agree those with PEMC's will have to pay some extra but they use PEMC's to absolute extortionate levels as we are easy targets.

I would not mind if they clamped down hard on those that milk the system fraudulently but to victimise people who genuinely do no wrong & do everything they can to play within the rules - as usual our laws/authorities & government allow them to get away with it. It's like playing a game with ever changing goalposts to suit the insurers.

What has been your experience of JSInsurance - will you be going with them & are they decent in your opinion?

Bazzie!

luci

Direct Travel Insurance do not need you to declare a previous condition which is "fully resolved". That said, I had to declare back pain from 20 years ago for the OH also childhood asthma from even longer ago as they said that "asthma is never fully resolved and can come back in later life".

Alexd_2

I am aware this might not be the best place to ask but does anyone know where i might be able to find travel insurance that will cover my 6 month working holiday in australia. I have found some reasonable deals but I was looking for insurance with customisable valuables cover. Please help even if it is to re-direct me.

Miss_Rosie

Hi I am travelling from UK to Europe and to Africa and want an annual (minimum 60 day) policy - I am not travelling with anything of any value - my primary concern is that if medical treatment is required, the insurance company will pay the hospital direct without me having to pay initally and seek to be re-imbersed - I am also seeking zero excess for medical treatment, although don't mind a small excess in other eventualities - can anyone help me? has anyone had experiences of a good company that does this? I would rather pay a little more for insurance than worry about having to temporarily finance medical treatment while out there. Thanks, Rosie x

jago25_98

The article says "Don't be fooled into upgrading" because you won't get much real world cover. But I travel a lot so I'm prepared to spend more. Is there cover that is designed for people who want to buy more cover, for example no excess, less exclusions and better service?

bazzie

Hi All,

It looks like even the British Medical Association is not even our camp or looking after out interests completely with regards to Travel Insurance - if a national boy like the BMA has this attitude then no wonder TI companies act like they have free reign which in fact they pretty much do.

2.1 Fitness to travel certificates

Insurance companies frequently ask doctors to provide a fitness to travel certificate for their patients. The BMA discourages doctors from signing certificates which indicate that the patient will be fit for the duration of the holiday. If the patient is subsequently taken ill while under such a guarantee there may be medico-legal consequences for the doctor. The association therefore advises that if certificates are provided, they should include words to the effect that ‘based on information available in the medical notes, the patient appears to be fit to travel’. Fitness to travel certificates fall outside a GP’s NHS terms and conditions and doctors can charge at their own rate for undertaking this work.

bma.org.uk/images/insurecomp_tcm41-195620.pdf[/url]

Bazzie!

luci

Not even the best doctor in the world can assess how someone with a medical condition is going to be in 2 or 3 weeks time. All they can do is assess their fitness to fly on the day of the assessment.

hangarman

In February, my fiancee's son will be traveling alone to Finland to visit his grandparents. As he is only 10, none of the insurance companies I have tried will cover him on a single trip policy. We would get a family annual policy but there are 2 things holding us back: 1) will they still cover our son traveling alone? 2) we are getting married in May, so my fiancee's surname will be changing.

Can anybody suggest the best way to go about getting insurance for our son's trip in February?

luci

Try the Post Office.