Do travel insurance really need this much info?

[fairgame84]

Just for a week in Tunisia (we're visiting family before anyone questions why we would go there).

I declared our current medical conditions - DS has depression and autism. I have reflux and tachycardia. All good.

I realised after that DD (4 months) was prescribed infant gaviscon when she was 2 weeks old. Turned out it wasn't reflux, it was tongue tie. Rang insurance company to see if it needed to be declared. Yes it does. As does every single ailment we have visited a doctor or received medication for in the past 2 years!

They want to me to declare everything from a uti in pregnancy, cervical ectropion, bv, thrush, infected toenail, infected fingernail. I asked if he was sure he needed all of that and he said he definitely does. Poor bloke had to hear all my bloody gynae issues, I was so embarrassed 😳

Debating whether I need to phone back as I forgot to declare DH low sperm count.

Is this normal? I don't remember doing this before or maybe I was doing it wrong.

If you don't tell them, technically you won't be covered for any related conditions, so it"s a risk decision - e.g. what is the risk of you having a claimable event that is in any way related to your DH's low sperm count? If you think it's high, tell them about it.

Sorry OP I burst out laughing at the sperm comment. My understanding of travel insurance is any medical condition requiring medication or treatment, but agree it’s a pain. I had travel insurance once booked for a holiday, 2 months before we went I had an abscess which was removed and cleared with antibiotics. I rang the insurance company to add it, it cost another £40 to add condition and then another £10 to reissue documents. Another policy would have been cheaper. I once arranged travel Insurance for my elderly FIL who didn’t know the names of conditions he had, he asked his GP but all he got was a list of his medication, I did the best I could getting him insurance but had to go with this instead of GP visits, which they were happy with.

I said we wouldn't be claiming for any of these things, we don't even need cover for our current conditions as they don't result in emergency treatment. They said it doesn't matter and they need to know everything we've been treated for in the past 2 years.

Who's your insurance with? I've never had to declare every minor aliment on my insurance.
Most of the things you've listed are irrelevant as far as insurance goes.

I’ve never had to declare such things as an infected toenail from 2 years ago. I accept that if that toenail suddenly became reinfected I might not get the £6 tube of cream covered by insurance as I did not declare that I had been treated for it previously. I simply would not declare minor ailments from years ago, I think it’s a bit daft to do so.

I go through stay sure because of existing conditions for me and my DD. They ask that level of questions. It does mean that you are fully covered.

Same with thrush. What do you think are the chances you will have a thrush emergency and have to claim on insurance? Very extremely tiny.

Its Tesco insurance.

Staysure were £122 with just our current conditions and none of the minor ailments.
Tesco are £79.

Exactly that's why I was baffled that he needed to know about it and all the other daft things.

But that’s what I mean. Just don’t declare it because you will not need to claim insurance for it.

The thing is OP, that you often see on programs like Rip Off Britain, people who are trying to fight these big insurance companies, because they've turned down claims when they've asked to see medical records, and have discovered that these minor things haven't been declared. So really, while it might be a PITA, it's worth giving the info to make sure that you ARE fully covered.

I do think it's ironic that the nhs goes to such pains to keep our medical records secure and yet we have to give out "special category" personal data to some random call centre worker for storage in an jnsurance company's CRM. You just have to hope the insurance company has robust sanctions for staff members that access data inappropriately, and that they don't get hacked.

What on earth would you need insurance for thrush for? Seems like overkill.

I bought travel insurance the other day. Just went to money supermarket.com - with regard to illnesses only had to declare pre existing conditions and anything which required hospitalisation over last 12 months

You need to declare anything that you speak to the gp about eg if you have had antibiotics. It shouldn't make a difference to the price though. I use the nhs app to give a run through. Some insurance isn't interested in self limiting short illnesses so check

When I bought my Travel Insurance I was not asked about any illness. Admittedly I have an annual policy through my Health Insurance. The only thing they were interested in was did I do any extreme sports as they do not cover them

I don't! That's the whole point. I don't need it but they are adamant I have to declare everything I've seen a doctor for in the past 2 years.

There was a thing about this recently on one of those rip of travel programmes.

Women collapses on holiday, finds she has an aggressive brain tumour.
Insurance wouldn't pay out because she had been to the drs for a headache in the past 2 years and didn't declare it.
No one would think to declare a drs appointment for a headache which was not diagnosed as anything other then a headache.
Insurance companies will use any way to get out paying. Declare everything

I went through moneysupermarket then when I called tesco to ask about the gaviscon for DD they said they need to know about everything in the past 2 years.

Just remembered I had breastfeeding induced mastitis last year that I haven't told them about.

Mostly the information is so they can decide if the risk to cover you for x pounds is worth it. Certain thinks ca cause other illnesses or even death so it's all about risk.They can decided risk if they don't know the details.

I only had to declare anything requiring surgery or hospital stay. Pregnancy is not an illness so not a hospital stay relating to pregnancy.

I’m f*cked then as my list of ailments is as long as my arm - inc gynae ones!
There is only one which could possibly impact on the holiday for which I’m on long term meds - the rest, meh!

They do need to know everything. This is what people on MN who declare it only takes 5 minutes to sort out travel insurance do not understand. It takes bloody ages for my family, most very minor things, but yes everything needs to be declared.

Yes I was told I had to declare every doctors visit in the last two years. So if you go with symptoms that turn out to be nothing or just a minor thing that clears up, you still need to declare it or you policy will be invalid.
So if I have a heart attack on holiday and hadn’t declared a small patch of eczema they would not pay out.
The cynic in me thinks it’s just another way to put up prices or wiggle out of paying you. Lots of people wouldn’t remember minor ailments.