Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion

luci

I was diagnosed with gall stones and was due to have surgery 3 weeks after we were going on holiday. I contacted the insurer, UK Insurance via the then free Nationwide FlexAccount, and they agreed to cover it without any additional premium.

Fredflos_mum

Big panic 3 weeks ago and thought we may not get on our holiday to Greece!
We're both over 70, have an annual policy for Europe with Staysure. I had a cataract op in November 2023 and like 20-50% of patients got blurriness behind the new lens. I was booked in for 1 minute of non-invasive laser treatment 2 days after we got home so told Staysure 2 days before we went away as I couldn't get an appointment b4 departure. They rescinded insurance for my declared medical conditions (nothing serious), refunded me £9+ and left me high and dry....
I tried Avanti who included laser eye treatment it said on their website but they wouldn't insure me.
At this point my husband pointed out we had our EHIC cards so we went ahead with our holiday.
Had my treatment on Saturday and was discharged so rang Staysure on Monday who re-instated my medical conditions and charged me £45+ for the privilege!!!
I find this astonishing and am sure Staysure are not alone BUT surely common sense can prevail, not a computer algorithm?
Thank goodness we weren't going to the States or outside Europe-would they have paid out for cancellation of the trip????  

Fredflos_mum

ScareyLogon said:

I bought an annual worldwide policy with Staysure last year to cover a holiday in September this year. I declared several medical conditions (which they said they would cover). I rang up today to declare an additional health condition which has just surfaced, for which I don’t yet have a diagnosis. I was told that from this point onwards they would no longer cover the declared medical conditions until I have a diagnosis even though the new medical condition has nothing to do with any of the existing conditions. (They are giving me a very small refund to cover this.)  I’m confused – what’s the point of having an annual policy or buying the insurance well in advance of the holiday if a new health condition nullifies any cover for existing conditions? Luckily none of my existing conditions are serious and likely to affect me travelling but if they had been, I would have had no cover for a very expensive holiday I’ve got booked in Sept. I used this insurer which was expensive as I was led to believe it offered good cover (particularly for people with existing health conditions), and that is what you are paying for. I’ve never experienced this before with any other insurers and certainly wouldn’t use them again. It doesn’t make sense. Is this usual practice now? (It seems that you are paying and taking all the risk.)

See my post below dated 19.6.24 regarding Staysure! The holiday was a special trip for our Silver Wedding!

bazzarone

This "guide" doesn't actually link to any insurance sites if you are over 65 with medical conditions. You keep getting sent back to the guide for those below 65. Can you fix please

MaggieL

Aged 76, I have had travel insurance with Avanti for a few years. I have some pre-existing medical conditions, none of them life-threatening, but including Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which is dormant but could flare up in future. Since informing Avanti, before travelling, that I was now on a waiting list for a shoulder replacement (caused by arthritis), they have removed cover for ALL my pre-existing medical conditions. They would only cover something new or unforeseen. I can understand the suspension of cover for anything associated for shoulder arthritis, but are they unique in refusing to cover me for anything else pre-existing, or is this general for all travel insurers? It seems a draconian rule to me. I would appreciate advice, please. ML

luci

MaggieL said:

Aged 76, I have had travel insurance with Avanti for a few years. I have some pre-existing medical conditions, none of them life-threatening, but including Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which is dormant but could flare up in future. Since informing Avanti, before travelling, that I was now on a waiting list for a shoulder replacement (caused by arthritis), they have removed cover for ALL my pre-existing medical conditions. They would only cover something new or unforeseen. I can understand the suspension of cover for anything associated for shoulder arthritis, but are they unique in refusing to cover me for anything else pre-existing, or is this general for all travel insurers? It seems a draconian rule to me. I would appreciate advice, please. ML

This is my post at the top of this page from last year:

I was diagnosed with gall stones and was due to have surgery 3 weeks after we were going on holiday. I contacted the insurer, UK Insurance via the then free Nationwide FlexAccount, and they agreed to cover it without any additional premium.

I find it strange that they would remove cover for PEMCs you have already declared and they agreed to cover. I may have expected them to perhaps decline cover for your shoulder arthritis, as there was a possibility you may have to cancel if your surgery could have been scheduled during the dates you were due to travel.

I think this may be one for the Insurance Ombudsman. You have to raise a formal complaint with Avanti first and get a final decision letter from them, or wait 8 weeks, before you can take it to the Ombudsman. I would call Avanti again and speak to someone else. The first advisor may have got it wrong.

In the meantime, if you still need to get cover, the following websites are for people who find it difficult to get cover. I tried several on there and found that AllClear would cover all my conditions.

https://www.biba.org.uk/find-insurance/travel-medical-conditions/

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/travel-insurance-directory

katejo

MaggieL said:

Aged 76, I have had travel insurance with Avanti for a few years. I have some pre-existing medical conditions, none of them life-threatening, but including Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which is dormant but could flare up in future. Since informing Avanti, before travelling, that I was now on a waiting list for a shoulder replacement (caused by arthritis), they have removed cover for ALL my pre-existing medical conditions. They would only cover something new or unforeseen. I can understand the suspension of cover for anything associated for shoulder arthritis, but are they unique in refusing to cover me for anything else pre-existing, or is this general for all travel insurers? It seems a draconian rule to me. I would appreciate advice, please. ML

I have heard of this happening even when the client told their insurers that they were having a routine scan such as a mammogram. No symptoms at all but all cover for pre existing conditions was suspended. I don't know which insurer it was. I find it unfair. Why should we pay for an annual policy if it can be suspended in this way? 

luci

katejo said:

MaggieL said:

Aged 76, I have had travel insurance with Avanti for a few years. I have some pre-existing medical conditions, none of them life-threatening, but including Polymyalgia Rheumatica, which is dormant but could flare up in future. Since informing Avanti, before travelling, that I was now on a waiting list for a shoulder replacement (caused by arthritis), they have removed cover for ALL my pre-existing medical conditions. They would only cover something new or unforeseen. I can understand the suspension of cover for anything associated for shoulder arthritis, but are they unique in refusing to cover me for anything else pre-existing, or is this general for all travel insurers? It seems a draconian rule to me. I would appreciate advice, please. ML

I have heard of this happening even when the client told their insurers that they were having a routine scan such as a mammogram. No symptoms at all but all cover for pre existing conditions was suspended. I don't know which insurer it was. I find it unfair. Why should we pay for an annual policy if it can be suspended in this way? 

I was of the same opinion as you, as my neighbour's policy was cancelled when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I looked into it via the ombudsman's website. The reason insurers can change the goalposts is that the risk has now changed. They can cancel the policy, charge an additional premium or exclude the condition.

Most insurers require you to advise them if there has been a change in health after you've taken out the policy. With LV=, you only need to advise them at renewal. I've been diagnosed with a couple of potentially serious conditions since I took out a policy with them. I've done dummy quotes and almost all insurers won't cover me. I've found a couple that will for Europe only. I am ramming in the holidays before my policy with LV= expires.