Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion

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  • EXCLUDING PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS
    For everyone else here looking to find a policy whereby you can simply exclude certain pre-existing medical conditions without having to phone up the insurer, there are a number of websites that allow you to simply just state which conditions you want to have excluded. Either exclude them from the policy or pay an extortionate premium!
    For example try Avanti travel insurance. I know there are others out there also, but this is the one I used today and saved about £900 for my mum's annual worldwide policy (over 75 with a number of conditions).
  • Doc_N
    Doc_N Posts: 8,267
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    Oranjeboom wrote: »
    EXCLUDING PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS
    For everyone else here looking to find a policy whereby you can simply exclude certain pre-existing medical conditions without having to phone up the insurer, there are a number of websites that allow you to simply just state which conditions you want to have excluded. Either exclude them from the policy or pay an extortionate premium!
    For example try Avanti travel insurance. I know there are others out there also, but this is the one I used today and saved about £900 for my mum's annual worldwide policy (over 75 with a number of conditions).

    That is a very risky strategy!

    Firstly, you're obviously excluding something that by definition has a pretty good chance of giving rise to a claim.

    But more importantly, all the insurer has to do is link that excluded condition to something apparently unrelated that gives rise to a claim, and that's excluded as well.

    Insurers are expert at doing that, and will use their expertise to great advantage, excluding conditions that you would have assumed were covered because of some tenuous linkage.

    Cut your premia by this method if you like, but it's a high risk strategy.
  • luci
    luci Posts: 5,952
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    edited 5 October 2019 at 7:32PM
    koru wrote: »
    I think companies like World First, Holiday Safe, Boots all use a medical screening system that starts with asking about medication.
    I appreciate this reply was a couple of months ago, but I have just started researching a replacement for the Nationwide FlexPlus travel insurance.


    Are you aware that all those companies, and more, are part of the TIF Group? Anyone considering them should read the separate thread about TIF on the forum.
  • koru
    koru Posts: 1,494
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    luci wrote: »
    Are you aware that all those companies, and more, are part of the TIF Group? Anyone considering them should read the separate thread about TIF on this forum.
    Thanks, I wasn't previously aware of the controversy about TIF. I hope the quotation engine is used by companies outside the TIF group, as I find that it is the only one that asks appropriate detailed questions. I'll have to research next time I need cover.
    koru
  • luci
    luci Posts: 5,952
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    edited 6 October 2019 at 11:17PM
    koru wrote: »
    Thanks, I wasn't previously aware of the controversy about TIF. I hope the quotation engine is used by companies outside the TIF group, as I find that it is the only one that asks appropriate detailed questions. I'll have to research next time I need cover.
    I first became aware of TIF via the BBC News article. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-46274918

    Soon after, MSE quietly dropped Holiday Safe from their "suggested" insurers.

    There are many other companies in the TIF Group, including travelinsurance4medical, Alpha, insurancewith, etc. In fact, when I checked last night, most of the companies on Page 1 of Trustpilot travel insurance reviews, ie those with the highest review score, were part of the group. This is quite worrying as many people may not realise that the 5 star reviews are for the buying process and not for claims. Not only do they ask for reviews, one reviewer said they got constant emails asking them to post as review "which were bordering on spam".

    I am currently researching for worldwide travel insurance with medical conditions which is proving a nightmare as usual. Some are underwritten by a company in Gibraltar (not sure if that's a bad thing or not). One I saw last night was interesting:-
    If you have a pre existing illness and want to make sure that it is covered, you will need to make an appointment to see your GP and seek from him/her confirmation that you are fit to travel on the specific trip and that such confirmation is recorded on your notes
    https://www.globaltravelinsurance.co.uk/faqs

    Can you imagine your GP's reaction if that was the purpose of your appointment?

    Top Dog was a contender, but some of their terms and exclusions are prohibitive to say the least. They even list them as " Significant or unusual exclusions or limitations".

    I'm about to look at Globelink. Does anyone have any input on them?
    Edit - I checked their policy wording and their claims are handled by Rightpath Claims so checked reviews of them. Oh dear. Overall rating of 1.1 stars on more than one review site.

    Any suggestions of sites or companies to try would be appreciated.
  • [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]Amazed that we were able to get 1 years from AllClear Travel Insurance for Metastatic + Prostate travel insurance for my hubby and me - even a long time on holiday of 55 days for each trip, and with gadget cover for £1672 for Europe - which weirdly includes St Peterburg, All this and my Hubby is 72 yrs old !! So we will be good to go in Canaries, Russia river cruise, and Motorhoming our way around Europe ( even Turkey) etc sounds expensive but time will tell
    [/FONT]
  • I've also gone with allclear since being diagnosed with potential problems
  • MoneyMate
    MoneyMate Posts: 3,224
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    edited 14 November 2019 at 11:28AM
    Just be careful with a lot of companies like Allclear they may use Mapfre Assistance for medical problems, absolute nightmare to deal with as you have to deal directly with Mapfre.
    But as mentioned Tif may be worse.
    This link may help you to find out which companies are used for Medical Assistance
    https://www.thatsinsurance.com/
    There are more questions than answers :shhh: :silenced:
    WARNING ! May go silent for unfriendly replies
    Please excuse me Spell it MOST times :o
    :)
    :A UK Resident :A
  • I am now a little confused. My husband had an emergency coronary stent fitted 2 weeks ago. He had no previous symptoms. Presumably now he is taking 'protective' medication & has had treatment he is fitter than he was. Our insurance is annual - August to August - & we do have a weeks trip booked in March. I informed the insurers of the change of medical circumstance who thanked me & after some questions advised that any heart condition is now excluded as no broker would cover it. This they said may change if i phone again in 6 weeks. We plan to go on the trip but feeling a little nervous that any 'incident' will be linked to his heart condition & so be excluded from the policy....... Any advice on this as I am now wondering whether insurance is worth the paper it is written on.
  • Doc_N
    Doc_N Posts: 8,267
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    2muchfun wrote: »
    I am now a little confused. My husband had an emergency coronary stent fitted 2 weeks ago. He had no previous symptoms. Presumably now he is taking 'protective' medication & has had treatment he is fitter than he was. Our insurance is annual - August to August - & we do have a weeks trip booked in March. I informed the insurers of the change of medical circumstance who thanked me & after some questions advised that any heart condition is now excluded as no broker would cover it. This they said may change if i phone again in 6 weeks. We plan to go on the trip but feeling a little nervous that any 'incident' will be linked to his heart condition & so be excluded from the policy....... Any advice on this as I am now wondering whether insurance is worth the paper it is written on.

    Standard form these days for most, if not all, insurers - even on an annual policy which logic suggests should provide cover on the initial terms for a year.

    They will have offered you a refund of any lost deposits etc, but as you say the risk is that anything arising will be linked to the heart condition, and that could prove quite easy for the insurer. You do have the Financial Ombudsman Service to fall back on, but that’s certainly no guarantee of success, even in an extreme case.

    Only you can decide on the risks, I’m afraid. An EHIC card might provide some cover within the EU, and we do have reciprocal arrangements elsewhere, but neither of these covers everything, particularly the potential cost of an air ambulance.
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