Travel insurance: mild depression years ago

wildcat99

I had a couple of episodes of mild depression several years ago. I had antidepressants for a few months but that was all. Now I'm absolutely fine - I haven't taken medication for years and have not the slightest problem with my mental health. But when I went to get a travel insurance quote I put it in as a pre-existing condition and the price instantly doubled.

I'm 100% certain that any illness or accident that might befall me when travelling would have absolutely nothing to do with my years-old episodes of depression. Nor is there the slightest possibility I'd cancel the trip because of it (even at my worst, I still went on holiday).


My question is: are there companies where you can opt out of cover for a particular pre-existing condition? I'm guessing that simply not declaring is isn't an option as I assume that if you do need to make a claim, the insurance company would get hold of your records and then invalidate the insurance even if you were claiming for, say, a broken leg which had nothing to do with your depression.

Has anyone experienced this situation and got any tips?

huckster

Yes you have to disclose it if asked. Some travel insurances exclude pre existing conditions and if you did not tell them, you might have an argument in the event of a claim.

Might be worth speaking to PJ Hayman Travel Insurance Brokers about this. Or contact a Travel Insurers recommended by mental health charities.

Most people have a mental health issue at some point, but not all are recorded on a Doctors file. What you need to consider is the argument Insurers might use in the event of a large claim for medical expenses. They may say that you had a stressful incident causing mental health to deteriorate on holiday, which led to you suffering the medical problem. You are stuck in a hospital bed in a foreign country while you argue with the Insurers.

See what Insurance you can find that fully covers you. It is not worth the risk of not having correct Insurance, because the potential sums involved could be life changing. You read of people in the media stuck in a foreign country fearing they might have to sell their house, because they did not have Insurance that covered their health condition.

System

Its not a case of not covering you for it should there be an accident they would in all probably decline the claim .

My daughter broke her leg in Mombasa it had nothing to do with her declared medical issues but they checked I had declared everything which I had .

lisyloo

Its not a case of not covering you for it should there be an accident they would in all probably decline the claim .

I don't think an insurer would get away with denying a claim for a broken leg on the basis of depression not being declared. We have an ombudsman to stop insurers taking liberties.


However it certainly could raise a red flag with the insurer (if you've not been honest about the depression, what else have you not told them?) and they'd certinaly be within their right to demand doctors notes etc. and delay proceedings considerably, and getting resolution through the ombudsman takes quite a while as well as the hassle.


This sounds to me like you've ticked a box and got a "stock" price without them having the detail of your condition which was both mild and is resolved.
I suspect your circumstances are therefore not condusive to getting good price from pre-programmed websites.
You might be better off in this case using a broker.
A good broker would know which companies would not treat your condition unfavourably.
This might exclude you fomr the very cheapest direct prices but generally those don't come with excellent cover or service anyway.

comeandgo

Shop around. I have to declare depression but as not been sanctioned in the past two years and never had a holiday disrupted by depression cost is the same but for the life of me can't remember the insurance company name but it is a specialised one for ongoing issues.

System

lisyloo wrote: »

I don't think an insurer would get away with denying a claim for a broken leg on the basis of depression not being declared. We have an ombudsman to stop insurers taking liberties.


The first call i recieved after my daughter broke her leg in Africa was from the insurance asking about her medical issues , at the end of the call the person said the claim can proceed as i had declared everything . Her accident had nothing to do with any of her issues it was just an accident .


While the ombudsman may be able to sort issues out how quick would that be ?The final bill was around £18k that included repatriation from hospital bed to home .

TrickyDicky101

lisyloo wrote: »

I don't think an insurer would get away with denying a claim for a broken leg on the basis of depression not being declared. We have an ombudsman to stop insurers taking liberties.

They likely would if - had the previous depression been disclosed - the insurer would never have offered the OP travel insurance in the first place. Your point is relevant if the insurer would have simply hiked the premium if disclosure had been made.

lisyloo

ok thanks for the correction.


Isn't the latter much more likely for a minor and resolved condition?

TrickyDicky101

lisyloo wrote: »

ok thanks for the correction.


Isn't the latter much more likely for a minor and resolved condition?

Depends on the insurer - I have a chronic medical condition that precludes me from using many insurers for travel insurance (and yet more for life insurance) - especially if cover was purchased via price comparison sites or other online facilities. If they won't cover, then they won't cover.

Better to disclose and know up front than risk complete denial of cover if something does happen.

Perversely, some of those insurers that won't cover at all via price comparison will underwrite via specialist brokers. I presume it's all down to their risk assessment policies and procedures and how they apply to the different distribution channels.

wildcat99

Thanks all. It looks like for peace of mind I just have to suck it up...