Travel Insurance - declaring pre existing medical issues

sgmt987

Advice please.
I have recently taken out travel insurance and decided against declaring any pre existing medical conditions.
Travel Insurer declares that, not declaring existing medical issues MAY invalidate claims.
NB. I am happy to pay for any treatment I may need related to my pre existing conditions.
However, if I fell and broke my ankle, or involved in an accident, for example, and its not related to any existing medical condition, surely that must be covered, whether I declare it or not.

Sandtree

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/6/contents

Legislation above (CIDRA) requires that you answer all questions honestly and completely to the best of your knowledge, an intentional or reckless failure to do so entitles the insurer to void the policy, avoid any claims and keep the premiums. 

So it comes down to the question, if they ask you to declare all pre-existing medical conditions and you choose not to then under CIDRA they could choose to void your policy that not only leaves you with a big medical bill but means you must answer "yes" to the "have you ever had insurance cancelled etc" question that all insurers ask for Home, Car etc 

If there is optionality in the question then you can exercise that option.

lisyloo

Some insurance policies ask specific questions e.g. any cardiovascular issues? Rather than a general “any pre-exiting conditions”.
if (for whatever reason) you don’t wish to declare you could hunt around for one with suitable questions.

sheramber

 That is a question you need to ask the travel insurance company.

Some say they will void the policy, others will let you elect for not covering pre existing conditions but will give accident cover.

Alexd52

Then there is the grey area as to whether an accident can, in any way, be related back to an undeclared pre-existing condition

NoodleDoodleMan

I suspect there are many travellers who have not declared pre-existing conditions before going abroad and lived to regret that decision.

Just an opinion.

Ganga

NoodleDoodleMan said:

I suspect there are many travellers who have not declared pre-existing conditions before going abroad and lived to regret that decision.

Just an opinion.

And also some who have not survived who have cost there family some financial hardship

Thrugelmir

If you've lied answering one question. Why should the insurer believe anything else you've declared. Lying is an act of fraud. Get caught out and the consequences are unsurprisingly severe. 

https://www.theifr.org.uk/en/

katejo

lisyloo said:

Some insurance policies ask specific questions e.g. any cardiovascular issues? Rather than a general “any pre-exiting conditions”.
if (for whatever reason) you don’t wish to declare you could hunt around for one with suitable questions.

I much prefer ones which do it like this so I only need to think about those categories and not every minor sneeze under the sun...! Insure & Go used this method but they have been swallowed up by All Clear Insurance during the past 2 years since I last bought a policy.  I do sometimes come across comments from people who have chosen to exclude a condition and wonder how they manage to do it.

Sandtree

katejo said:

lisyloo said:

Some insurance policies ask specific questions e.g. any cardiovascular issues? Rather than a general “any pre-exiting conditions”.
if (for whatever reason) you don’t wish to declare you could hunt around for one with suitable questions.

I much prefer ones which do it like this so I only need to think about those categories and not every minor sneeze under the sun...! Insure & Go used this method but they have been swallowed up by All Clear Insurance during the past 2 years since I last bought a policy.  I do sometimes come across comments from people who have chosen to exclude a condition and wonder how they manage to do it.

When you declare a medical condition there will normally be one of three responses:

1) Its covered free of charge
2) It won't be covered
3) We can cover it for £X

If you get option 3 you get the choice to pay the extra premium of have the condition excluded generally. 

Occasionally you will get a flat decline of the whole policy but that is less common unless you have had some significant conditions.

katejo

Sandtree said:

katejo said:

lisyloo said:

Some insurance policies ask specific questions e.g. any cardiovascular issues? Rather than a general “any pre-exiting conditions”.
if (for whatever reason) you don’t wish to declare you could hunt around for one with suitable questions.

I much prefer ones which do it like this so I only need to think about those categories and not every minor sneeze under the sun...! Insure & Go used this method but they have been swallowed up by All Clear Insurance during the past 2 years since I last bought a policy.  I do sometimes come across comments from people who have chosen to exclude a condition and wonder how they manage to do it.

When you declare a medical condition there will normally be one of three responses:

1) Its covered free of charge
2) It won't be covered
3) We can cover it for £X

If you get option 3 you get the choice to pay the extra premium of have the condition excluded generally. 

Occasionally you will get a flat decline of the whole policy but that is less common unless you have had some significant conditions.

I have never had the option to travel but  without a condition being covered. Either it is covered or they won't sell a policy at all (though that hasn't actually happened to me).