Travel insurance

[alisonbestford]

I know exactly where you're coming from about the 'wigglers' carol

I always feel that something like 'critical illness' cover is a waste of time, unless you took it out as a young, super fit individual and before you'd had any chance to have any ailments..............
Only then, of course, you don't think you'll ever need it, so you don't bother...

 

[carolfoy]

Yes, Alison, when I sell our inhouse travel insurance (currently Zurich) I have to ask a list of questions, one of which is 'do you have a critical illness?' to which EVERYONE answers 'yes, life!'

 

[Deedee]

Jen are you on medication for BP if you aren't then you don't have high BP. My DH argues this his BP is controlled by tabs and is perfectly normal and has been for a few years now so why should he be penalised his BP is no longer high!!! Don't let it worry you unless you intend to be pregnant again during you hols!!!!! LOL

 

[alisonbestford]

I know you'll feel better declaring it Jen but, to satisfy my curiosity ( ), if you think on when you call, would you mind asking them whether hypertension, as a result of pre-eclampsia, needs to be declared?

If you'd rather not, or forget, then I'm just going to have to call medical screening myself in order to stop thinking about it...........
Just goes to show that I probably have too much time on my hands this morning

 

[jen_uk]

I will call and ask them because if I dont need to declare it then I wont, Ive never declared it in the past, it was only last week when I was looking at insurance on the net I read the small print and it said you have to declare any past probelms including BP.

 

[Red-Snapper]

carolfoy has it spot on ..declare it.

Some of the "advice" given out on Insurance from people who clearly dont realise the dangers really makes me wince.

It is entirely possible that if you didnt disclose any form of medical issue you had in the past and then an incident occurs you could have major hassle getting the claim paid wether you think you are in the right or not.

Maybe not fair - but that is the way it is. Insurance companies - like everyone else - are in it to make money and many will seek to avoid a claim if there is a hint something was not diclosed. The higher the claim the more they will want to look into it - medical history etc. It will then be up to you to prove what you left out was not material to your claim just at a time when you could do without the problem.

As has been said, if you declare it but also confirm you no longer have the issue, arent on medication etc then you should not pay anymore and would have a good case for getting cover for it also.

Better to be safe than sorry. Better still - buy from a good Insurance broker.

 

[alisonbestford]

We found M&S to be good, until this year when they won't insure DH as their criteria have changed

Age Concern have come up trumps though

Don't go for the cheapest - as I, all too often seem to say - you get what you pay for

I, personally, can't see the pre-eclampsia thing being a problem but, if it seems to be, be sure to ring round.
Insurance companies have different criteria, and therefore, often differing costs

We had prices of between £88 and £670, and simply no cover at all, quoted for DH this year!

 

[FizzyPop]

i post this every time someone asks about travel health insurance, but i'll post it again..
the one most important thing for us in choosing travel health insurance is it must include medivac.....that is a private medical evacuation plane with full medical staff....it can get you home even in the most critical medical condition....and that's where i want to be....home...
i do not want to be hospitalized in the US (or any other country where i find myself).....at least not for more than a day.....
for treatment i want to be taken back home....and if you're in need of hospitalization the only way to get home is by medivac.....so that's what we get...every single time we travel...

Im not sure if we had this on our insurance, but when our son was stable enought to come home they sent out an ICU Doctor to fly back with us to Heathrow, they also bought us first class tickets.
Our travel insurance is with Fortis.

 

[mnoble_uk]

My view is that either the condition is important or it isn't. We are not experts so we can't decide whether it is or not. There are 2 possibilities : either the insurer deems it not important enough to charge extra - in which case declaring it carries no penalty; or the insurer does deem it important enough to charge extra - in which case declaring it does carry a penalty, but not declaring it may void your policy.

That means I think you should err on the side of declaring it.

 

[Red-Snapper]

The majority of UK travel insurance will include "medivac" but only IF warranted - not at the Insureds request because they want to be ill at home rather than in a foreign country.

You can however buy specialist repatriation cover but again certain policy conditions will apply.