Cancel or not?

Woodstok2000

Check with Your insurer, but if medical advice is not to travel and the condition is covered they should pay out.

They're in the risk business. The risk of you falling ill abroad and incurring significant costs to them will likely push them towards paying out on the cancellation.

luci

A letter from your doctor confirming that, in their opinion, you should not travel should be enough for your travel insurance provider to process a cancellation. However, the best thing you can do is call your insurer and ask what they need as proof that you cannot travel on the advice of your doctor. It is usually in the policy wording that you are not travelling against medical advice.

soolin

For continuity I have merged the two threads but please read the 'new' first post as original question has bene updated.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6673125/cancel-or-not

No, if a doctor writes that you are medically unfit to travel then the insurers will consider it assuming that they agreed to cover the pre-existing condition. That unfitness can consider the current conditions and not be a blanket unfit to do any form of travelling.

If the doctor has said "your probably best off not going" or something similarly weak and not a definitive declaration then you are on ropy grounds.

Its very rare that an insurer will challenge the medical decision of a treating physician, the few times I have seen it done was on the grounds of fraud rather than bad medical decisions… ie their GP mate had written the report making false declarations rather than two doctors disagree on if its appropriate for someone to travel.

sammyjammy

Perhaps you could rearange the dates for when it might be a bit cooler?

Grumpy_chap

My doctor has indicated that I should not take a planned trip 

What exactly has the Dr said?

Go back to the GP and say you are concerned by what they said at the last appointment and ask the Dr to provide a written "fitness to travel" letter so you can go, or a "not fit to travel" statement in writing.

That forces the GP to actually stand by their "indications" and gives you the certainty to travel or to cancel which (subject to the cover purchased) will be covered by insurance. Even if there is no insurance and you lose the value of the holiday, you will at least know you did not travel on firm medical information rather than a whim.

The GP will most likely charge for this statement to be issued in writing.

TELLIT01

If your GP will give you a letter stating that they advise against travel you may be able to claim of your insurance. That is assuming you declared the health condition which is the cause of the advice.

heatherw_01

Your insurance should cover you as your doctor told you not to travel. If you travel and something happens, your insurance will not pay out as you were advised not to travel.

I would cancel if it was me.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82042549#Comment_82042549

As mentioned in posts above, it seems to me that it comes down to the extent to which the doctor is prepared to put that in writing in appropriate terms for an insurance claim, rather than just 'indicating', given that OP isn't actually unfit to fly as such and is simply pre-emptively concerned about high temperatures at the destination and their potential effect on existing conditions.

danco

I decided to cancel after experiencing the heat in the UK over the weekend. Today's weather report for France is even hotter than the very hot weather already expected.

My doctor said that I have been advised against travel on medical grounds, because the prolonged heat would place me at risk of worsening of my underlying cardiac condition.

My insurers want a statement from her in a very specific format, and we will have to see how they respond.

No point in discussing matters further until she has filled in their certificate and they have responded.