To think travel insurance is an utter scam?

[ragingruby]

Before taking out annual travel insurance, declared health conditions of menopause and insomnia - both managed by medication. Have had some issues recently with piles. Got anusol from GP to manage.

About to travel later this week. Rang to advise of Insurance company, Staysure, re new condition (as their documentation notes you have to). They said they will continue cover but not for the pre-existing conditions and neither for the recent condition, the latter of which they said don't just emerge suddenly so I must have known about the piles for some time and hadn't told them.

I'm like 'what???'. I've just told you!

They wouldn't budge.

So, despite previously insuring the conditions of insomnia and menopause, both of which are being managed, they've decided now not to. Apparently I'm covered if I die and need repatriation or for medical aid if in a car crash though I suspect they will say if I was driving, I was likely not to have had enough sleep!

Not going to renew my cover with them next year. Renaming Staysure as 'StayAway'. What's the point?

My dh had this recently and I declared it. He’s always had issues w piles but I only recently added it because the underwriter changed so I had to re-add conditions. The only ‘extra’ payment was for DS and his MH issues cos he saw a psychiatrist.

If you've consulted the GP about it or are on drugs for it, then it needs to be declared, not due to the menopause itself (many women won't have seen the GP and won't be on drugs). Just like every other GP consultation or prescribed drugs that you take has to be declared (within time limits etc).

Insurance will try and get out of paying for anything. I wouldn't want to be in hospital abroad ill or with a broken bone and them turn around and say as you haven't declared xyz we are not paying out. Which has happened to a lot of people. They don't have to be connected to the injury or illness you have gone to the hospital with.

Menopause would need to be declared if on HRT as its a medication.

It's crap isn't it.

We've always taken out insurance, have never claimed and yet this year dd got stuck abroad because of a cancelled flight. They couldn't get her another flight for days, and the airline refused to pay any compensation so took it to travel insurance and they've offered a fraction of what it cost her.

If you have health insurance already you may find it includes travel insurance or you can avail of it

It can feel like a swindle but I won't leave home without it. Even going from Ireland to Spain for two weeks.

People who get seriously ill or injured abroad, their care can run to hundreds of thousands. And if you can't pay, they'll discharge you early and not give a fuck if you are not fully healed, if you're stranded abroad alone requiring personal care or are at a risk of developing sepsis.

I've sadly seen where not having insurance has gone terribly wrong.

It’s not about trivial things- as in don’t risk underplaying your conditions.

You can get insurance to cover the various conditions, and it’s well worth having when the cost of repatriation is so high.

A family member was air lifted off a cruise, treated in hospital, then returned home along with his wife. Fortunately he was covered for the pre existing condition because I insisted on honesty when they took out the policy. She was somehow convinced it was better to try and downplay the condition to get a better price.

Ok I get that if I had seen a doctor about menopause I should declare it. I haven’t though.

When I’ve had piles I just buy an ointment.

Insomnia - if I was on sleeping tablets I suppose I can see the logic in declaring that.

And I would definitely declare things like a growth in my lung or osteoporosis.

Menopause isn't an illness? Piles, you can buy the cream from any pharmacy. Though I do know how painful it can be. I guess you could need a mobility scooter or something if they were so bad you couldn't walk. Insomnia, again I'd say that's not worth mentioning.
But they are notorious for dropping you in it if you withhold even the trivial.

It was Staysure - a supposedly reputable company. There is a drop down box to declare conditions. Menopause, Insomnia and haemorrhoids are all there. I didn't declare the last one at the time of taking it out as they've only arisen in the last few weeks and I went to the GP. I subsequently told them. Staysure's point was that I should have told them earlier.

I am pretty sure they'd go through your medical record with a fine tooth comb if you had to claim and find something you had not declared and then invalidate your claim, even if it wasn't relevant.

There's a drop down box and the conditions are there to click.

Taxgurut - yes. This.

I think if you had been the GP about it and it is recorded on your records, and you were the driver of a car accident and claiming, they would interrogate you regarding your claim. If they found you'd not declared this but it was on your health record, based on Staysure's response to me, it'd potentially invalidate your claim

In the event of a medical claim, they'd want access to your health records ... and your non-disclosure risks invalidating your claim

@LuckysDadsHat

Insurance will try and get out of paying for anything.

They really don't. They "try and get out" paying for unsubstantiated claims and where there has been negligence or failure to disclose.

We've made numerous insurance claims over the past 40 years. One, for example was when our family business was robbed of cash at knifepoint. Another was car insurance when a neighbour didn't put his handbrake on and their car rolled into ours writing it off, another car one was when I was hit by a flying cow (I kid you not, it was first hit by a lorry coming in the other direction which made it temporarily airborne), we've claimed for a tree falling into our garden causing damage during a storm, we've claimed for our house being burgled, we've claimed for two holidays which we had to cancel due to health conditions meaning we couldn't travel, I've claimed for loss of passport, driving licence, cash and cards when I was pick-pocketed in Rome, we've made claims under tradesmens/suppliers insurance when they've caused damage to our house. No problems at all with any of the claims. Yes, it's a pain in the arse filling in the claim forms, providing invoices for proof of purchase of stolen items, providing proof of loss, providing proof of medical conditions requiring holiday cancellation, providing photos of damage etc etc., and of course generally the pain in the arse of having to keep phoning them due to them being slow and incompetent, but at the end of the day, every single claim we've made has been paid out.

By contrast, my brother was most put out when his suitcase was lost on a flight and the insurance firm wouldn't pay out for his lost Rolex watch, designer sunglasses, expensive camera equipment, etc. Not that he ever had those items, he thought he'd get away with claiming for them anyway! Inevitably they asked for proof of purchase, which he couldn't supply as he'd never bought them! Funny thing was that they refused to pay out for the stuff he did genuinely lose as they refused the whole claim because of the fraud he tried to commit!

I said the same about piles to them - that many women were likely to have experienced these if they'd been pregnant/given birth. They wouldn't shift.

Do insurance companies have unfettered access to your medical records?? This is very surprising. What has happened to doctor/patient confidentiality? (I'm not in the UK, may be different there)

It's all about answering the questions. If you've been to the GP about piles or the menopause, then it has to be declared, because they specifically ask about consultations with GPs.

If there's a question asking whether you've ever bought over the counter cream for piles, then you'd have to answer yes. If there isn't such a question, then you don't need to declare. Except if there's another question somewhere asking whether you've had piles, or whether you've bought over the counter cream (which there isn't!).

It's all about answering the questions honestly. Not making your own decision about what they need to know!

I would never have thought to even mention those conditions, especially menopause and piles. It would be like mentioning you have a cold! Insomnia maybe I would’ve mentioned if I was on long-term medication for it. Still though, the likelihood of you needing medical treatment abroad for any of these conditions is very slim.

If you make a claim, part of the claim is signing to agree for them to have your medical records. If you don't sign that agreement, you can't make a claim. They can't access your medical records without your agreement.

They don't have access to them, but if you claim for medical reasons they will request your full medical history. You can refuse this obviously, but you won't progress your claim and will get stuck with your medical bills abroad.

Again, it's about answering the questions. If you went to the GP for a cold, then you'd declare the GP consultation. If you bought a bottle of Benylin from Asda, then you wouldn't as there isn't a question for that!

Menopause isn’t a medical condition. Neither is insomnia (unless a symptom of something). Piles, yes, but being covered or not for them is neither here nor there.

We were on the phone to Staysure for over two hours trying to get insurance. Because two of us were waiting for tests for minor conditions, we had all pre existing excluded. Unfortunately in the two weeks we were away, dh had a problem necessitating hospital treatment with knock on costs, missed flights, hotel etc. We will claim but have little hope of the claim being successful ( we have never claimed on insurance before).

I'd also add that the GHIC card is good. We didn't have to pay hospital costs as it was an emergency (Europe).

But if you've seen a GP for it or are on drugs for it, it HAS to be declared. You have to answer the questions honestly. And one of the questions asks whether you've consulted a GP - regardless of why, the answer is YES!