Does holiday insurance cover family illness?

JohnB47 · 15 June 2018 at 12:02PM

We tend not to travel overseas these days, preferring self catering in the UK. So I've not bothered with holiday/travel insurance for years. So, a general question.

Does this type of insurance usually provide cover for close family illness, as well as the insured? Father and Mother in law are quite elderly (in their 90's) and frail now and I'm wondering if insurance would cover our having to cancel or curtail our two week holiday if they fall ill, or worse.

Obviously I'll check the policy details but I though people would know if this sort of thing is standard. The thing is, they only ask about the state of health of the insured, not relatives, hence the question.

Secondly, any recommendations for good quality holiday insurance companies - or ones to avoid?

Thanks.

Edit: Just went for a couple of quotes and looked at the policy documents. This one is typical:

"We are unable to provide cover for any claim arising as a result of an existing medical condition of a non travelling close relative, business associate or friend, or any known or recognised complication of or caused by the existing medical condition."

Another says:

"If it becomes necessary for you to curtail or cancel your trip following a serious
illness or death of a close relative or business associate, you will only be covered upon the written confirmation of the third partys medical practitioner that he/she would not have foreseen such a deterioration in his/her parents condition at the time insurance was taken out or before your trip was booked."

Hmmm. That suggests that insurance would just be a waste of money.

lisyloo · 15 June 2018 at 3:49PM

Most policies cover for serious illlness or death of a close family member.

You can look in their glossary for who is a close family member but certainly parents would be incuded.

However pre-existing conditions are generally not included.
So for example if a parent had (for example) been admitted into hospital following a fall and you then booked a holiday after that and didn't declare it then you wouldn't be covered if they became serious ill or died and it was attributed to the fall.
Note: this is different to them falling (or whatever condition occuring) AFTER you've booked your holiday which would be insured.
You should declare the condition(s) and your insurer can load the premium accordingly or decline the business or exclude it.

This makes it extremely difficult to be insured when you have elderly relative who probably have multiple conditions.

We had a close call in Janury when my FIL was admitted to hospital (many months after booking).

We spoke to his consultant who said there was no reason for us not to go, so we went on holiday and he had a serious bleed and it was touch and go.

He has died since but we have a similar dilemma now with MIL in a nursing home at 90. It's not just death/serious illness that's a concern but any illness that might mean you want to be close to your nearest and dearest.

I think serious illness means they might die, so bear in mind you won't be covered if they are poorly and you are (rightly at their age) concerned.
Details will be checked with medical professionals.
One of the difficulties I found was that we would need to decide whether to go on our holiday without knowing up front whether the insurer would pay out or not (because they could only judge the medical info in arrears).

I sympathise. We are with insure and go.
Currently waiting to see MIL tomorrow to decide how we proceed with this years summer holiday. She is quite well but SIL is not coping with her deteriorating mental/emotional state (dimensia) so one of our concerns is also leaving SIL to cope with anything that might happen (more likely to be a bout of hysteria and not illness but distressing nevertheless).

JohnB47 · 15 June 2018 at 8:27PM

Thank you for replying and for sharing your situation. I sympathise with you also.

Yes, it is a bit of a problem. Still, we can afford the loss of the money paid for this holiday - it's not one of those really expensive cruise holidays or trip-of a-lifetime. We won't want to lose it of course but there you go.

I'm thinking that it is going to be impossible to get realistic insurance. A 90 year old must have built up enough 'illnesses' to mean an insurance company can easily wriggle out of any claim. And maybe that's only right.

Anyway, thanks again best wishes to you and yours.

lisyloo · 16 June 2018 at 9:33AM

My suggestion was going to be perhaps do some cheap(er) holidays for the short term.
Personally I find that difficult as we like scuba diving in warm places like the Indian Ocean, Indonesia so that advice conflicts with our personal desires and we!!!8217;re in our 50s so don!!!8217;t want to leave our activity holidays until it!!!8217;s too late and with scuba diving we BOTH need good health to do it together.

A certain amount depends on the insurance company you chose. If you pick a cheapo one from the bottom of the list from a comparison site then you!!!8217;re more likely to get them weasling out of a claim. You can check things like de facto ratings and go more on cover than price.

I don!!!8217;t necessarily think it!!!8217;s as grim as just being uninsured though.
My FIL was a heavy smoker and had COPD and cellulitis, but he died in the end of pneumonia which was inevitable as he wasn!!!8217;t eating.
We (and the doctor that did the death certificate) think he had cancer but was never diagnosed as he was too frail for invasive tests (had every non invasive test available).
I think we would have been insured knowing the medical situation and his dea5h certificate.

My SIL booked a holiday AFTER he went into hospital which was due to take place between his death and funeral.
The ferry company they booked with agreed to refund on sight of the death certificate for the entire party (some of whom wer friends not family).

So I agree it!!!8217;s difficult but I don!!!8217;t think it!!!8217;s impossible to be insured.
Many conditions (arthritis for example) are chronic and don!!!8217;t usually cause death. I agree there is a concern that more disreputable companies might link something like a fall to arthritis and yes there!!!8217;s no way to be sure they will pay.

All I can say is get a decent insurer, consier booking late(r) and cheap(er).
Also consider declaring conditions (you are supposed to do that).

lisyloo · 4 July 2018 at 8:47AM

I called my insurer (insure and go Gold) yesterday as my MIL is 90 and in a nursing home with pre-exiting conditions of arthritis and dimensia (both long term and chronic). She is currently quite well.
My insurer (insure and go) said they would cover for my policy and circs as long as we didn't book a holiday when there was a sharp decline (which of course we wouldn't).

Obviously that applies to my policy and circs but worth knowing.

elsien · 4 July 2018 at 8:51AM

Insurance may be a waste of money with regards to cancellation cover in these circumstances but is always worthwhile for the medical cover. Having had a relative taken ill in holiday who had to be medically repatriated home after several weeks in a Spanish intensive care unit, they'd have been bankrupt without it.

Voyager2002 · 4 July 2018 at 8:57AM

Another aspect to bear in mind is the "excess", which in this situation is likely to be fairly high. While someone with frail and elderly relatives who likes expensive holidays might be able to find expensive and high-quality insurance that covers them for this kind of risk, someone who is content with UK holidays is likely to find that the excess eats up most of any insured loss.

lisyloo · 4 July 2018 at 9:12AM

While someone with frail and elderly relatives who likes expensive holidays

The general context of the thread is healthy people having to cancel a holiday due to serious illness or death of a close relative (not elderly people going on holiday).

My FIL went into hospital in January. We were advised by his consultant that there was no reason we should not go on holiday. He had a touch-and-go major bleed whilst we were away. We were out in the pacific ocean without phone or internet signal so it wouldn't have done us much good to know about it at the time as we could not curtail.

He died in April.
My SIL cancelled a holiday which fell between the death and the funeral and was very lucky that the holiday (ferry) company refunded them on production of the death certificate.

Our concern is now is my MIL who is 90 and well and could die tomorrow or in 10 years time, we simply have no way of knowing.

My insurer has re-assured me yesterday.

Does holiday insurance cover family illness?

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