Travel isurance with pre-existing Bi-polar disorder

Figgerty

I'm looking for reasonable priced travel insurance for a two week trip to Europe. The policy needs to cover Bi-polar disorder as a pre-existing medical condition. Late last year I was able to get cover for £40 and obtained a few other quotes at just over £50. Now most quotes are from £90 with others over £120. Is anybody able to provide leads to more reasonable priced insurance. When answering the screening questions I can answer no to all but the fact that I take medication to control the disorder and have to have regular blood tests to check medication levels. Apart from that I'm sane.

InsideInsurance

Have you looked at the mental health charities like Mind to see if they have a recommended provider?

Figgerty

Hi, thanks for replying, I thought I was alone here.
None of the mental health charities recommend an insurer for travel insurance with a pre-existing mental health condition and any companies named are expensive. I suppose they can charge what they like as so few offer this cover. Even Which? does not include mental health conditions when they review travel insurance. The last Which? review quoted a price around £100 for someone diagnosed with breast cancer 18 months ago. Had a mastectomy and then chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The insurance companies offered a 15 day European trip and an annual worldwide policy for around £100.

I found a website for The Insurance Surgery which is a little like Confused.com but covering mental health conditions. I have one very good quote £38 and the next best one is £69 with most of the rest over £100. Without declaring the condition I would be paying under £30 and I feel anything over £50 is profiteering. Despite obtaining lots of quotes I have not found anyone offering an annual policy. I can understand that as a year is a long time if you have recurring episodes of bipolar or other mental health conditions. I suppose you could say the same about conditions like colitis, IBS and many more ongoing conditions. I don't know if they also have problems getting annual cover. Also how difficult is it to get cover if you have type 1 diabetes.

I hope to be very relaxed on holiday, sun, sea, nice food and some nice drives to see some of the country, so a relapse is unlikely seeing that it has not happened since I was diagnosed back in 2008. Prior to this I was able to get really good annual insurance at very good prices because I had nothing to declare. Most people, especially younger ones will have no difficulty so will not realise my difficulty.

InsideInsurance

The problem with mental health issues is the lack of ability to physically monitor it/ judge the extent of the issues and the tendency for sudden flare ups, particularly as the meds that are taken to control it can be impacted by other things that quickly causes a relapse

Insurers dont like uncertainty hence its one thing that makes them twitchy.

Figgerty

InsideInsurance wrote: »

The problem with mental health issues is the lack of ability to physically monitor it/ judge the extent of the issues and the tendency for sudden flare ups, particularly as the meds that are taken to control it can be impacted by other things that quickly causes a relapse

Insurers dont like uncertainty hence its one thing that makes them twitchy.

I see their point but if someone has been stable for years and is sensible taking their meds then why is mental health any more of a risk than many physical conditions. I have tried to find some statistics relating to claims for pre-existing physical and mental health conditions but have not found any. The Association of British Insurers may hold this information but I don't think they will share it with a non member.

InsideInsurance

Figgerty wrote: »

I see their point but if someone has been stable for years and is sensible taking their meds then why is mental health any more of a risk than many physical conditions.

And I likewise understand your frustration.

At the end of the day underwriters are not medical experts and yet have to be able to price on every single condition under the sun when no doctor in the world would be able to give a prognosis for the same.

If you were talking a big ticket insurance, like PHI or such, then there would be an avenue to argue it. I have a physical condition and had a devils own job to get my PHI set up at all even with one of the UK's most senior specialists in it telling them they were being idiots and using data from the 70s when the condition was poorly understood. With a basic product like travel there simply isnt the appetite to have those types of conversations with underwriters.

I have a number of friends/ family with mental health issues and generally they just get travel insurance excluding it from cover. Thankfully, unlike being involved in an RTA etc, the likely cost of "emergency" treatment isnt going to be very high and so they'd rather carry the risk themselves rather than pay inflated premiums for what they believe to be very low risk.

whitewing

I have a mental health condition. When we travelled earlier this year, we used Holidaysafe insurance. They added just over £30 on my policy as I wanted cover to include my mh condition. The excess for issues relating to the pre-existing condition was £350.

Fortunately, I never had to claim, so I don't know what they are like for claims, but their documentation seems very clear.

Figgerty

InsideInsurance wrote: »

And I likewise understand your frustration.

At the end of the day underwriters are not medical experts and yet have to be able to price on every single condition under the sun when no doctor in the world would be able to give a prognosis for the same.

If you were talking a big ticket insurance, like PHI or such, then there would be an avenue to argue it. I have a physical condition and had a devils own job to get my PHI set up at all even with one of the UK's most senior specialists in it telling them they were being idiots and using data from the 70s when the condition was poorly understood. With a basic product like travel there simply isnt the appetite to have those types of conversations with underwriters.

I have a number of friends/ family with mental health issues and generally they just get travel insurance excluding it from cover. Thankfully, unlike being involved in an RTA etc, the likely cost of "emergency" treatment isnt going to be very high and so they'd rather carry the risk themselves rather than pay inflated premiums for what they believe to be very low risk.

As you said "the likely cost of "emergency" treatment isnt going to be very high" so why on earth do insurance companies see MH as risky. After all, if you have a claim they will scrutinise your medical history and if you lied about any aspect of your health they will refuse the claim.

You must be careful if you decide not to declare a condition as the terms of many policies state something like:

“If you feel you ought to declare a mental health condition but later would like to remove it from the quotation process, you can exclude it but should you make a claim directly or indirectly linked to that condition, then your claim could be declined”

It is because of terms like that one that I must have full cover. I would be stressed about having an accident and then having my claim refused.

Not :rotfl:

Figgerty

whitewing wrote: »

I have a mental health condition. When we travelled earlier this year, we used Holidaysafe insurance. They added just over £30 on my policy as I wanted cover to include my mh condition. The excess for issues relating to the pre-existing condition was £350.

Fortunately, I never had to claim, so I don't know what they are like for claims, but their documentation seems very clear.

Thank you for taking part in this discussion. Holiday Safe are mid price on the quotes I obtained.

You said they 'added' about £30 on your policy, what was the total amount paid and are you under 60. Were you able to get annual insurance. I would love to buy an annual policy so I would have a year free of searching for good deals. I checked loads of companies and all refused to quote for an annual policy.

InsideInsurance

Figgerty wrote: »

“If you feel you ought to declare a mental health condition but later would like to remove it from the quotation process, you can exclude it but should you make a claim directly or indirectly linked to that condition, then your claim could be declined”

It is because of terms like that one that I must have full cover. I would be stressed about having an accident and then having my claim refused.

For it to be decline for indirect connection then the treating Dr would have to say that the accident happened because you were manic at the time.

Quentin

InsideInsurance wrote: »

For it to be decline for indirect connection then the treating Dr would have to say that the accident happened because you were manic at the time.

Or depressed/suicidal/lacking volition etc!