Pre existing medical conditions & travel insurance

Tigerly1

I should like to know how an insurance company can know more about medical conditions than a consultant ( specialist).
I had Pancreatitis 4 years ago, had surgery, was given all clear by Professor, applied for travel insurance ( 3 years post surgery with medical agreement to travel) and was told that the Pancreatitis WILL recur and therefore its a current condition NOT past medical history;.
I should be interested to know precisely why insurance personnel set themselves above a highly qualified medical professional, also if anyone knows of an Insurance Company that wont charge extortionate premiums ( NOT Staysure)

Alan_Bowen

Insurers are in the business of assessing risks, and each will take a different view. Whichever you tried, and I assume it was Staysure, may have had a bad history of claims in this area and therefore load the charge accordingly. There is simply nothing you can do but look elsewhere, try Avanti, Allclear or Direct Insurance

DomRavioli

Tigerly1 wrote: »

I should like to know how an insurance company can know more about medical conditions than a consultant ( specialist).
I had Pancreatitis 4 years ago, had surgery, was given all clear by Professor, applied for travel insurance ( 3 years post surgery with medical agreement to travel) and was told that the Pancreatitis WILL recur and therefore its a current condition NOT past medical history;.
I should be interested to know precisely why insurance personnel set themselves above a highly qualified medical professional, also if anyone knows of an Insurance Company that wont charge extortionate premiums ( NOT Staysure)

Because you had something previously that required surgery, you are at risk again of such things. An insurer's job is to calculate that risk and then charge you a price accordingly.

They don't claim to know more about medical conditions than a consultant, but they know more about risk than they do.

There are a lot of insurers who will take medical conditions, and each insurer judges you based on that risk - nobody can say what their premiums will be, nor what you judge as extortionate.

I have two severe disabilities, and my insurance is around £30 per two week europe trip with no winter sports or diving cover.

leylandsunaddict

Did they say 'current condition' or pre existing medical condition, which is the usual terminology?

The only quotes I've had from Staysure have been very high in comparison with a lot of companies that don't actually specialise in insuring pre existing conditions.

Katiehound

You could try Explorer Travel Insurance- they cover pre-existing medical conditions and seem to be reasonably priced.....

MummyMoo

I have Bipolar Disorder and my daughter has asthma, and we are going to Florida for three weeks in October. Most insurance companies wanted ridiculous amounts (one wanted nearly £400 and the with very poor features). The best I found was Virgin Money, £105 for both of us with Essentials Extra which has decent features. They might be worth a shot.