Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion

koru wrote: »

The ombudsman should force insurers to highlight if they have this sort of wording in the policy, making clear that it could mean you are left with just a refund of premium, if your health worsens before you travel, but you still want to travel. I think very few people would buy policies like this if they realised.

MSE should be highlighting this trap, and warn people to check the wording to see what happens if your health worsens from when you book the trip and buy the policy.

I totally agree with you. How do we get MSE on the case as I really think these specialist companies are potentially ripping people off? You should read some of their policy wordings! They seem to have a "get out" clause for everything! I can't help but think that they are taking advantage of people who are desperate to not miss out in life just because of their incurable diagnosis.

Insurance is about risk. If you develop further medical conditions, the risk then increases. The insurer can decide at that point whether to continue with the policy, and impose a higher premium or cancel the policy - it's the insurers choice.

The terms and conditions, including any exclusions, of an insurance policy cannot be deemed unfair under law. You would have been notified of the terms and conditions of the contract - they're set out in the policy booklet which is more than likely to be available prior to purchasing the policy (more so these days).

Basically if the risk changes, the insurer can LEGALLY choose to cancel the policy.

A couple of years ago I became ill just before a holiday. My doctor said I could travel if I wanted to so I phoned my insurance company. They declined to cover the trip under the new circumstances & offered the number of another company that may cover me. I decided I'd rather not go, I didn't fancy enjoying myself in constant pain, so I cancelled & claimed back the cost from the insurance company. They promptly paid back £6000 which, having read the paperwork before shelling out for the insurance, is just what I expected to happen.

exactly! and what is worse is that i am now in a position of being denied any cover if i go abroad again and all because of circumstances that were completely out of my control!
imagine if you will that a motorist is driving down the road, in perfect conditions both road and weather wise and has no problem with the vehicle. he gets a puncture in almost brand new tyres, loses control of the vehicle, mounts the path and mows down a woman and her infant, killing them both (God forbid!). not content with that, the vehicle continues over a wall and into the living room of a house, killing a man and his dog while they were enjoying a cuppa and watching the news. none of this was the drivers fault! it was all a complete accident! there would have been multiple claims against the drivers insurance company and yes, his premium MAY have increased but i'll bet a dime to a dollar that he would NOT have been denied insurance in the future and that he would NOT have been subjected to extra stipulations on the insurance he already had, nor would it have been cancelled! he would have been entitled to carry on driving under the present insurance just as it was when he bought it and he DEFINITELY WOULD NOT have had to agree to never get another puncture as long as he was driving!
i know this is a different insurance and circumstances but the principal is the same. why should conditions be allowed to change after a claim is made against travel insurance after the risk has already been assessed and the premium thought appropriate charged and paid? even worse, why should extra conditions be placed on to a person wishing to purchase travel insurance in the future because a claim was put in against that policy because it was called upon to do what it was bought for, ie, cover the purchaser in case of illness? and remember, unless there is something wrong in the head with the person concerned, ie, a bit crazy, who goes off with the intention of becoming ill? out of curiosity, is this the sort of thing that happens to people who willingly and deliberately put themselves in harms way by volunteering to go to places in order to try to stem an epidemic of some sort and try to save countless lives? if so, then yes, they must be a bit crazy but thank God they are or the rest of us could be in deep poop!!