To lie on travel insurance application?

[Amoamasamat]

Just bought annual travel insurance for the family. There were the usual questions about prior medical conditions. Thankfully we have none, except dh was diagnosed with depression several years ago and still takes a medium level dose of ADs. He's not now depressed thanks to the ADs but he is still being 'treated' i.e. receiving medication although hasn't seen his GP for a year. (He actually believes the ADs right an imbalance of chemicals in his brain and that he will take ADs for life.)

Without really thinking I ticked the NO box for mental health condition.

So, we lose our luggage, the airline goes bankrupt or dh breaks his arm doing a back flip into the pool - is our insurance null and void due to my lie? Unless a claim is mental health related, would the insurance company ever know?

The policy will just state "in event of a claim" and won't be specific.
The permission given has to be general and vague, as nobody knows what might happen. Once something has happened, and a claim made, then the information supplied needs to be relevant to the situation. The GP can be struck off for providing information not relevant to the claim. Medical consent has to be specific. You don't go into an operating theatre having signed a vague consent form - it will be specific to what you are having done. What should happen, is when you make a claim, that is when you should be signing the consent form, which can then be tailored to the information needed.

They really cannot get a complete copy of your medical records.
For a medical claim they will get a medical report which may flag a pre-existing condition and they would then check with your GP.
They absolutely cannot refuse to pay out for lost luggage because you didn't tick a box to say he has had depression - they would have no way of ever finding out.

Yes you should always be honest on forms but it is not as dramatic as some posts on here would suggest.

What they ask for is the full problem list, medications and lots of data like previous BP etc. And if the request come with patient consent then we send it.

Look, I know that all the people on here making statements about what will and will not invalidate an insurance claim are well- meaning, but the law changed fundamentally in August last year and there was also a big Supreme Court Case about misrepresentation in insurance applications. Google Insurance Act 2015. The way it works is quite complicated but, broadly, the insurers can't just go around "voiding policies" because of unconnected incorrect facts given. That doesn't give policyholders carte blanche to lie, of course, but my point is that a lot of what you are advising the OP is out of date.

Insure and go is a good website to get a quote fir pre existing medical condtions. Its surprisingly cheap for most conditions to be added. You can see the addtional cost before buying the policy and see exacty what how much that medical condition youve added will cost.

Allclear insurance is the one I use and it is really cheap compared to most others

What they ask for is the full problem list, medications and lots of data like previous BP etc. And if the request come with patient consent then we send it.

Is this for travel insurance? And what form does the consent coming? If its a general consent as described above it is not sufficient under the act.
What exactly are they asking for? It should be specific and closed questions with a medical for something like life insurance or specific to an injury or condition for a travel claim. If not you should not be responding to phishing exercises for data (your patients can take action for this).

Please list all Mr smiths medication
Please list all his current medical problems
Is he waiting for any test results
Please give the last 5 blood pressure readings

Etc etc

Patient gives consent and has the option to see it before it goes.

And if the request come with patient consent then we send it.
Patient consent from when the policy was taken out, or patient consent from when the claim was made? If the former, it would not constitute valid informed consent.

Please give the last 5 blood pressure readings
What if Mr Smith hasn't had his blood pressure taken for 10 years, or not at all? Or the last time he did it was artificially elevated due to a temporary problem he had at the time?

Consent when the claim is made. Of course if there are no BP or whatever in the notes we just say so

There are plenty of insurance companies that don't charge extra for things like this.

Call them up and amend the details. You have the right to cancel.