To wonder why people don't buy travel insurance?

[EveningHare]

If you can afford a holiday then you should not look at travel insurance as an optional extra

It's vital that you have it, anything could happen and if you don't have lots of money in the bank, how would you pay for it? Go fund me?

I can see sprinkle’s point about enforcing payment of debt 8n the event of death. However, isn’t the problem more that medical bills wouldn’t run up because in many places they won’t give more than very basic treatment before getting authorisation from insurance? So your relative is more likely to die as they won’t be properly treated (a friend of mine was bitten by a raccoon in California - the emergency doctor wanted $100 before he would even look. Raccoons carry rabies).

Roussette - I have. Believe me I have. Mental health conditions are a whole world of awful. If I had had cancer it would be easier. Many insurers just flat out refuse to insure anyone who has ever been hospitalised for MH reasons and most of the rest increase the premiums by hundreds. The best I've found is a few policies which say they won't cover any pre-existing conditions but don't require you to declare them so I'm covered if I break my leg but wouldn't be if I had a psychotic break.

Pretty much no one covers psych treatment abroad.

Thanks eena I didn't know how it worked, thanks for explaining it. Sounds a real worry.

that headstrong young adult will need to be told the situation and accept it. They cannot bankrupt you for a holiday.

That's something that stops working when said young adult turns 18. I must admit, aged 18, I would have taken the risk and just gone.

@EenaMinaMoe Would that be the case even if a person with MH hadn't had an episode in years? Would depression be considered a pre-existing condition?

VladmirsPoutine - yes and yes. Mild depression might incur smaller penalties - I don't know. If you've ever been hospitalised, however, then you will probably struggle for the rest of your life to get insurance.

I tried to jump under a train in my twenties. I am now in my forties. It still affects my ability to get insurance.

Vladimir it varies between contracts.
Many contracts state point blank that psychiatric conditions are not covered.
Others state that only conditions which have not required in-patient care in the past 12 months are covered.
Your best bet is to go through your regular insurer - if you have several other contracts with them (house, car...) they're far more likely to accept cover than just a random policy sold by the travel agent.

vitaminC - can I check, who only counts psych conditions that have required in patient treatment in the last twelve months? If that is the case, it's changed in the last few years and I would really really like to know as that changes a lot for me!

What I find particularly galling about it is that say you broke your arm on holiday in Greece, or wherever, but 10 years ago you were sectioned. The reason for medical care in Greece wouldn't have anything to do with your MH but the insurers could still nullify the contract! WTF!

Persecution? This is a discussion forum sprinkles. I was addressing things you said like you were addressing the things I said. We don't have to agree at all but it's hardly persecution.

vitamin The psychiatric clause has admittedly always worried me. I wonder how many people think to declare taking anti d's for example which could then lead to a declined claim with some policies. It is best to declare everything possible to avoid having a claim declined on the basis of non disclosure.

The drinking clause is another thing that concerns me. Many of us drink on holiday and have different tolerance levels so what exactly is the definition of intoxicated?

“Today 13:07 Nicknacky

sprinkles I’m asking what YOU would do as you are so certain about other scenarios.

And it’s a real situation that I have been in.”

What would I do if I were terminally ill? I honestly don’t know. How can you expect people to know what they’d do in such extreme circumstances?

sprinkes Sorry maybe I wasn’t clear enough. I’m asking if one of your party are ill, what decision would you make?

You have said what you would do in other hypothetical situations. How’s this different?

Ok then please just clarify- why would it be my decision whether or not one of my party took our travel insurance?

How can I make this clearer.....you want to go on holiday with family. One is terminally ill and your options are as above. The responsibility will fall to you all if something happens while you are away.

What decision would you make?

Or do you not give a shit about family and would just leave them to sort it themself? I suppose that is option four but not one that I considered.

I declared depression and anxiety for dd because they asked what medication we were taking she’s on anti ds, one of the questions was have you/they ever had compulsory admittance to hospital. I took that to mean has she ever been sectioned.
The answer was no so I have no idea what would have happened if I’d said yes.

@EenaMinaMoe I'll PM you, but as a general rule, the more specific a contract, the more it covers. If you go on a special-interest holiday and book through the group, for example, there is often pretty comprehensive coverage included. The same if you use an insurance company specific to your line of work! Basic travel insurance through your bank or sold by the travel agent is often much more limited.

@witchofzog I've never turned down a claim due to someone being on anti-depressants and I'm pretty sure none of my colleagues would either! If you'd had a psychotic episode in the past year and were still being treated, then had a similar event whilst abroad, there's a fair risk it wouldn't be covered under most policies, however. That said, I have seen cases where it was and we repatriated the patient to psychiatric care in their own country.

As regards alcohol, we rely on police reports and usually base decisions on the local driving limits, in the event of an accident. If you have appendicitis requiring surgery, after drinking wine with your dinner, you'll be covered, but if you're 3 times the legal limit and fall off a balcony, you don't have much chance of your claim being accepted!

I’m a frequent traveller, both for work and leisure.

I never leave the UK without ;

Proper travel & medical insurance.
Medication & spare medication.
An empty credit card, just in case.

You’re not being clear because you said my party. If I were going on holiday with my terminally ill best friend then I obviously have no right to tell another adult what they should or shouldn’t purchase.

If it were my husband or children who were terminally ill , then yes of course I would take out insurance

There are insurers though that will cover mental health issues. I’m sure All Clear who I went with would have covered admittance to hospital. There was a section on my policy with the questions they asked and I think if I’d have said yes to hospital it would have been noted and covered.
A quick google said they are a specialist mental health insurer.

sprinkles I’m glad to hear that you wouldn’t go without. It was almost 6k we had to put aside for the insurance.

that’s nice.

sprinkles why the sarky “that’s nice”?

I have found when taking out insurance for a relative, that periods of psychosis, unless a very long time ago, mean even with specialist policies, mean that psychosis is excluded.

Well why are you asking? Desperate for me to say no? It’s oretty pathetic. I’ve already said I’ve used travel insurance for years.

I was genuinely curious as you didn’t appear to worry about traveling without insurance or the posssible consequences.

Drop the attitude.