Travel insurance runs out whilst being kept abroad due to illness. Help!

Prosequimur

Hi everyone

My father took a trip to Hong Kong a few days ago and unfortunately developed angina and was taken to hospital. He was operated on and discharged, but he has developed chest pain again and is now in intensive care. My mother is with him but is obviously very distracted and has asked for help with getting him home, insurance, etc. She was due to fly on to Australia alone but will now need to cancel that trip.

I am due to fly out there to try and sort assist. I wanted to check however - he will be kept there until at least Monday 1 April as he's not allowed to fly before then (assuming no further problems). However, he only booked travel insurance for the length of their original trip, which ends tomorrow. It was specialist insurance for pre-existing conditions, which he declared, so they are covering it so far, but what happens when it expires? Will they continue to cover the costs, since the problem occurred whilst he was covered and is an extension of that?

Any help gratefully appreciated - I want to get as up to date as possible before I go. Thank you.

dacouch

Prosequimur wrote: »

Hi everyone

My father took a trip to Hong Kong a few days ago and unfortunately developed angina and was taken to hospital. He was operated on and discharged, but he has developed chest pain again and is now in intensive care. My mother is with him but is obviously very distracted and has asked for help with getting him home, insurance, etc. She was due to fly on to Australia alone but will now need to cancel that trip.

I am due to fly out there to try and sort assist. I wanted to check however - he will be kept there until at least Monday 1 April as he's not allowed to fly before then (assuming no further problems). However, he only booked travel insurance for the length of their original trip, which ends tomorrow. It was specialist insurance for pre-existing conditions, which he declared, so they are covering it so far, but what happens when it expires? Will they continue to cover the costs, since the problem occurred whilst he was covered and is an extension of that?

Any help gratefully appreciated - I want to get as up to date as possible before I go. Thank you.

A travel policy will normally extend the benefits if your return to the UK is delayed by an insured event eg being hospitalised.

It would be worth you speaking to the Insurers to confirm this.

By the way you may also be able to claim under the curtailment part of the policy

Prosequimur

Hi dacouch, thank for responding so quickly. I will of course get in touch with them as soon as I can, but I wanted to see if it were 'normal' as it were to extend benefits due to illness. Thank you for clearing that up.

dacouch

The policy will normally cover additional accomadation costs and additional transport costs so get your mother to keep receipts and ideally discuss these with the Insurers before incurring them

ruggedtoast

It would be a pretty useless travel insurance policy that didn't insure you against illness that kept you in hospital beyond the date of your trip.

I've actually heard of people continuing to claim for private treatment on their return to the UK in some instances, on the proviso that they could just have stayed in the country indefinitely which would have cost the insurer much more.

I doubt it will be a problem but if it were I suppose you could always demand repatriation?

supersaverg

ruggedtoast wrote: »

It would be a pretty useless travel insurance policy that didn't insure you against illness that kept you in hospital beyond the date of your trip.

I've actually heard of people continuing to claim for private treatment on their return to the UK in some instances, on the proviso that they could just have stayed in the country indefinitely which would have cost the insurer much more.

I doubt it will be a problem but if it were I suppose you could always demand repatriation?

Agreed. This has to be accurate.

workingnomad

You could try worldnomads as they cover even when you have left your home country and can be bought online