Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion
Comments
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As I understand the position (please correct me if I've misunderstood):My husband and I, both in our 70s, have booked a Mediterranean cruise for April. All pre-existing conditions declared and covered, including a mouth problem diagnosed to be non-cancerous after biopsy a year ago. A routine check-up resulted in a further biopsy which found pre-cancerous cells and day-case surgery is necessary. The balance of the cruise is due to be paid before that surgery takes place. Our consultant is certain my husband will be well enough to travel - says the surgery is just a precaution. Rang our insurer (Avanti) who would not tell us by how much our premium might be loaded if the result indicates further treatment needed. As this could be hundreds of pounds, we might wish to cancel instead. We asked Avanti if we would get our deposit back if we cancel now, so that the £3000 balance isn't paid, they said we had no medical reason to cancel, so "No", the deposit would be lost. If we pay the balance, and the consultant recommends further treatment but says we are OK to travel, but Avanti impose a big hike on the premium, we feel we are in a Catch-22 situation - any suggestions?
1 You have a policy in place, which the insurer accepted with full knowledge of your husband's medical condition as it stood then.
2 Since then the condition has changed, and as a result of that change Avanti are saying they can't continue to provide cover without an additional premium - but they won't say what that premium is.
3 You are understandably reluctant to pay the £3000 balance without knowing the cost of the additional premium, and Avanti are suggesting you cancel - but without reimbursement of the deposit by them.
That seems quite ridiculous and illogical, though I have to say that the answer will depend on the precise terms and conditions of the policy. I suggest you go back to Avanti and put it to them that you already have cover from them, and that if there is no medical reason to cancel, by the same logic there's no medical reason to charge an additional premium or deny cover. They should either give you a premium to cover the full holiday costs etc or reimburse the deposit. They can't have it both ways.
You might need to escalate it to a senior manager, but if that fails you might want to try contacting the CEO at glen.smith@hcpl.co.uk. If even that fails, the Financial Ombudsman Service would probably find in your favour on these facts (http://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/) but that would take far too long for your purposes.
Good luck - and please let us know how you get on.0 -
Avanti are not increasing the premium at present nor denying cover.
Avanti cannot quantify the risk until the results after the op are known. If they consider the results bring an increased risk they will then set a new premium based on that new risk.
If the results do not indicate an increased risk then there won't be an increased premium.
Unfortunately, an increase in premium is not a risk covered by the policy that allows a cancellation claim.0 -
Sheramber, the points I wanted to make:
1. We accept that if we cancel before the proposed surgery we would lose our deposit.
2. We are pensioners who have saved up for ages for this Golden Wedding trip. We cannot afford to lose the whole cost of the cruise namely £3500. But the balance of £3000 has to be paid before the surgery is done and any increased risks are known.
3. We accept that if the op shows up "bad news", there will be an increase in premium. If it is huge, say £100s, we couldn't afford it and might have to cancel.
4. We just wanted Avanti to try to give us a ball park figure of such an increase, from their extensive experience - we have no experience at all of this kind of thing. They could say, for example, "You might, theoretically, if you get a diagnosis which increases the risk, have to pay anything up to a further £500/£1000/£1500...etc". At least then we would be able to make an informed decision on whether to lose our deposit now, or risk losing £3500 because we can't afford an increased premium after the results of surgery are known.
5. Meanwhile, our consultant has assured us that to the best of his belief we will still be able to go on the cruise - i.e. he sees no medical reason why we shouldn't travel.
Hasn't this situation arisen before?
In addition, people should realise that they might think they are covered against anything that can go wrong - indeed this website is very clear that this is the case provided you have declared all pre-existing medical conditions. We did that, but still have to face the distinct possibility of losing a large sum of money because a new risk may arise, we may not then be able to afford the new premium, and our insurer would not give us the information we need.0 -
Sheramber, the points I wanted to make:
1. We accept that if we cancel before the proposed surgery we would lose our deposit.
2. We are pensioners who have saved up for ages for this Golden Wedding trip. We cannot afford to lose the whole cost of the cruise namely £3500. But the balance of £3000 has to be paid before the surgery is done and any increased risks are known.
3. We accept that if the op shows up "bad news", there will be an increase in premium. If it is huge, say £100s, we couldn't afford it and might have to cancel.
4. We just wanted Avanti to try to give us a ball park figure of such an increase, from their extensive experience - we have no experience at all of this kind of thing. They could say, for example, "You might, theoretically, if you get a diagnosis which increases the risk, have to pay anything up to a further £500/£1000/£1500...etc". At least then we would be able to make an informed decision on whether to lose our deposit now, or risk losing £3500 because we can't afford an increased premium after the results of surgery are known.
5. Meanwhile, our consultant has assured us that to the best of his belief we will still be able to go on the cruise - i.e. he sees no medical reason why we shouldn't travel.
Hasn't this situation arisen before?
In addition, people should realise that they might think they are covered against anything that can go wrong - indeed this website is very clear that this is the case provided you have declared all pre-existing medical conditions. We did that, but still have to face the distinct possibility of losing a large sum of money because a new risk may arise, we may not then be able to afford the new premium, and our insurer would not give us the information we need.
I do appreciate that the timing means you are in a catch 22 situation. Do you cut your losses now or do you risk waiting and maybe losing even more.
We were similarly affected 2 years ago. After we had booked and paid for our holiday my husband became due for tests after we came back so had what they termed an 'undiagnosed' condition which they would not cover and also would exclude all other medical cover. Fortunately my GP was able to satisfy the insurance company who increased our premium by £50 but we had a very stressful few days.
Most companies will not answer hypothetical questions as if the reality is different it causes problems. Until they know the extent of any future risk they cannot quote. They will need exact information before they can work out a new premium.
If they give you an estimated quote now which you accept as affordable but once the results are known the increase is a lot more what then?0 -
I second this suggestion. In my view, these are a better solution for those people who meet the criteria for cover. I'd never come across ETA before - could be a cheap solution for people who were diagnosed more than a year ago, even after heart attack, stroke, diabetes, cancer. Crucially, they do cover conditions treated in the last 12 months, as long as if their medication has been stable for a year.If I can make a constructive suggestion, it would be to mention companies who will cover multiple conditions but impose conditions. I'm thinking here of companies who will cover any combination of medical condition, such as Global Travel Insurance (higher excess and no cover for conditions diagnosed in last 12 months), Eurotunnel (stable condition) and Eta (no cover for conditions diagnosed in last 12 months).
For people like my wife with multiple serious conditions, this is often the only way to get cover at other than astronomical prices.koru0 -
I checked out the other one mentioned, Global Travel Insurance. They seem less attractive than Eurotunnel or ETA, because their exclusions are much wider. They won't cover any medical condition that, within 12 months prior to the date of issue of the insurance, has been diagnosed or led to the individual being admitted or undergoing a procedure/ intervention. They also won't cover conditions for which you have had symptoms which are awaiting or receiving investigation, tests, treatment, referral or the results of any of the foregoing.
So, you basically need to have been clear/cured for a year.
They also seem to cost a fortune: I did an online quote for a family of three for a week's skiing in Europe. £250! ETA would be £23 and are much more likely to cover medical conditions.koru0 -
Hello
My dad (72) took out an annual policy to cover USA as soon as we booked our holiday last June (travelling April 2017) We covered all existing pre medical conditions. However he has since been diagnosed with another condition and they will not cover him for this.
They are offering a partial refund on the policy but not offering to pay for cancellation. Is this correct? I thought the purpose of taking out insurance was to cover for situations like this.
He is not medically unfit to fly.
Any advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated.0 -
It entirely depends on the wording of the policy. Some policies define pre-existing conditions as those that exist when you buy the insurance or, if later, when you book the trip. Others include any new condition that arises before the trip commences. If yours is the latter type, then the insurer does have the right to refuse to cover such conditions. In my view, this wording should be banned, because unless you are a lawyer, you probably would not realise that this wording means you could be left uncovered.Hello
My dad (72) took out an annual policy to cover USA as soon as we booked our holiday last June (travelling April 2017) We covered all existing pre medical conditions. However he has since been diagnosed with another condition and they will not cover him for this.
They are offering a partial refund on the policy but not offering to pay for cancellation. Is this correct? I thought the purpose of taking out insurance was to cover for situations like this.
He is not medically unfit to fly.
Any advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated.
Your right to claim for cancellation depends on the wording about what reasons for cancellation mean a claim can be made. I'm guessing your policy only allows cancellation claims where the claimant is unfit to travel, which he isn't.
I would go through the wording really carefully to check whether the definition of excluded conditions includes ones that arise after cover is given and whether you meet the conditions for a cancellation claim. If you can, challenge them. If they won't budge, complain to the Ombudsman.
If the wording gives no grounds for a claim, your only option is to try other firms to see if they will cover all the conditions.koru0 -
Thank you Koru for your prompt, helpful reply. I will read the policy carefully.0
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Hi there, I don't quite understand this pre-existing conditions thing....if I want to be covered for an existing hernia condition (for example,) and I am on Statins, or have some other unrelated condition which I have seen a doctor for, does it mean if I don't declare the Statins or the other conditions, I won't be covered for the hernia? Or if I declare nothing and break my leg, then I'm not covered because I haven't declared existing conditions? In other words is it all or nothing....basically if you have any conditions at all you must declare them otherwise they could decline to pay out for anything at all?
Confused....new to the world of travel ins.0
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