Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion

steveandlou

Just renewed our annual European multi trip policy with Staysure (we have a holiday home in Brittany so go there 3 or 4 times a year). We are 67 and 69 respectively and have cover for our osteoarthritis, high cholesterol etc - but earlier this year a routine blood test to monitor cholesterol levels for my husband showed that his white blood cell count had increased. Dr is not concerned, asked for another check later this year as everything else was fine. So I told Staysure in May, it was noted But on renewing today I was told that I hadn't needed to tell them about this as there's "no outcome" ie nothing has been diagnosed and there's no ongoing treatment. So i'm confused - I thought we had to report any changes in our history? And it's made me realise that 37 years ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy (petit mal) and was on medication for about 7 years, but haven't had any tablets now for 30 years and no attacks for 36 years. Should I have declared this? Don't want to risk invalidating the policy as we travel a fair bit, but must admit I feel a bit anxious in case Staysure cancel the policy!

Ganga

steveandlou wrote: »

Just renewed our annual European multi trip policy with Staysure (we have a holiday home in Brittany so go there 3 or 4 times a year). We are 67 and 69 respectively and have cover for our osteoarthritis, high cholesterol etc - but earlier this year a routine blood test to monitor cholesterol levels for my husband showed that his white blood cell count had increased. Dr is not concerned, asked for another check later this year as everything else was fine. So I told Staysure in May, it was noted But on renewing today I was told that I hadn't needed to tell them about this as there's "no outcome" ie nothing has been diagnosed and there's no ongoing treatment. So i'm confused - I thought we had to report any changes in our history? And it's made me realise that 37 years ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy (petit mal) and was on medication for about 7 years, but haven't had any tablets now for 30 years and no attacks for 36 years. Should I have declared this? Don't want to risk invalidating the policy as we travel a fair bit, but must admit I feel a bit anxious in case Staysure cancel the policy!

Now that you have told them about your husbands new problem if anything comes of it you can always say you notified them and they can listen to the phone recording which proves it.
As for your problem most insurers ask if you had problems in the last 5 or 10 years so you are well over this.

1kevfp

Having previously worked in the insurance industry for 17 years and having had to go to the ombudsman to settle a claim after surviving the Asian Tsunami, I 100% agree with Ganga. If you tell them all, then the likelihood of a disputed claim is dramatically reduced and again as Ganga said most companies have time limits on medical condition declarations

koru

steveandlou wrote: »

Just renewed our annual European multi trip policy with Staysure (we have a holiday home in Brittany so go there 3 or 4 times a year). We are 67 and 69 respectively and have cover for our osteoarthritis, high cholesterol etc - but earlier this year a routine blood test to monitor cholesterol levels for my husband showed that his white blood cell count had increased. Dr is not concerned, asked for another check later this year as everything else was fine. So I told Staysure in May, it was noted But on renewing today I was told that I hadn't needed to tell them about this as there's "no outcome" ie nothing has been diagnosed and there's no ongoing treatment. So i'm confused - I thought we had to report any changes in our history? And it's made me realise that 37 years ago I was diagnosed with epilepsy (petit mal) and was on medication for about 7 years, but haven't had any tablets now for 30 years and no attacks for 36 years. Should I have declared this? Don't want to risk invalidating the policy as we travel a fair bit, but must admit I feel a bit anxious in case Staysure cancel the policy!

As is always the case, it depends on your policy. The Staysure policy has a two year cut off for most PMCs, but no cut off for cardiovascular and circulatory conditions. As long as epilepsy isn't one of those, then it isn't a PMC under your policy.

Your policy also says:

The insurance will also NOT cover you for any of your pre-existing medical conditions whether diagnosed or not, if you have any undiagnosed symptoms that require attention, or investigation in the future (that is symptoms for which you are awaiting investigations/consultations, or awaiting results of investigations, where the underlying cause has not been established), or are awaiting any medical procedure, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or dialysis.

I would have thought a raised white blood cell count would count as an undiagnosed symptom, so I would say it was sensible to disclose it.

Tardis4

I posted before about travel insurance with pre-existing conditions (many) and have now found cover, but I'm concerned about the price and process. I was quoted £127 by Aviva, fantastic for worldwide cover especially as it covered 15 (!!) pre-existing conditions for the 4 of us, including pulmonary embolism, epilepsy, blood disorders, not small things! The strange thing is though, that the extra charge for the pre-existing conditions was refunded the next day? meaning that I only paid £73? Surely this cannot be right? I phoned and asked about it and they just say that I was overcharged. Am I being paranoid, or would anyone else feel skeptical about this situation? Luckily the documents all seem in order with the p-e conditions being covered. But still.

steveandlou

Thanks you to those who've replied to my question, Very helpful, and I think I'm going to phone Staysure for further clarification. And Tardis4 - wow! That price does seem quite incredible for world wide cover - is it an annual policy? We've just paid £172 for an annual European cover with Staysure!

steveandlou

Tardis4 - I've just done a quick check on the Aviva travel insurance website - and my quote for the 2 of us (67 and 69) for an annual European trip was £154! That covers our osteoarthritis and high cholesterol. Yours sounds like a bargain to be honest.

steveandlou

Well now - here's the thing.I have phoned Staysure to clarify the situation, particularly regarding my epilepsy from all those years ago.Happily, that's not an issue which is a relief.However, the information I was given yesterday about my husband's white blood cell count not having been needed to be mentioned as there is,as yet. no "outcome" or diagnosis, is absolutely incorrect! Koru, you are right in saying that it seen as an undiagnosed condition and until he has a further blood test in October, his pre existing medical conditions have been removed from the policy. I am really really annoyed that I was given this mis information, especially as I was so pro active in bringing it to the insurer's attention back in May.

Tardis4

steveandlou wrote: »

Tardis4 - I've just done a quick check on the Aviva travel insurance website - and my quote for the 2 of us (67 and 69) for an annual European trip was £154! That covers our osteoarthritis and high cholesterol. Yours sounds like a bargain to be honest.

Yeah - I'm worried that it is a mistake rather than a bargain, and how that could affect us if we need to claim. But I've done my bit as far as I can tell, of questioning it and making sure the paperwork is all in order and fingers crossed all will be well!

steveandlou

So here's the final result for our Staysure saga - I'd asked for a callback as I wanted to express my dissatisfaction an the conflicting information I'd been given. A "customer experience representative" rang, and after having gone through all the details again, she went away to consult with the medical team (would it have been a good idea to do this beforehand?). And, the decision was that as my husband has no symptoms, no diagnosed condition and hasn't been referred for further tests, they feel he is simply going to have a blood test and yes, all the pre existing conditions have been put back on the policy! Best bit was that they had refunded £18.72 after removing the PMCs from the policy, and then wanted about £19,90 to put them back on as this included a charge for using a credit card. I think that my silence after hearing this prompted a quick rethink and the charge was immediately waived.... Don't get me wrong, the people at Staysure were fine, pleasant etc but as a customer, trying to do what I thought was right, has led to a very stressful and confusing few days. The terminolgy used by the insurer could sometimes be difficult to interpret, and I did sometimes feel that if what I said didn't fit the script in front of the staff, it was ignored. Tardis4 - obviously it's up to you as to what you choose to do, but if you say the charge for PMCs was refunded to you I would be very concerned that these were no longer covered!