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?

I've always declared absolutely everything when we've taken out travel insurance. We use a specialist company because we've both got pre existing conditions, and find their premiums quite reasonable.

Thankfully we've never had to make a major claim, but I hate to think what would have happened to my sister in law if she and my brother hadn't been insured a few years back. They had just arrived at a small airport in Bolivia when my brother had a major ruptured aneurysm in the arrivals lounge. After three days in a private clinic in a relatively small Bolivian town, he was moved by private plane to a larger hospital in Chile, where he was in intensive care for three weeks. During this time there was a volcanic ash cloud which affected much of the southern hemisphere, which prevented him from being moved. Although he was brain dead, the hospital wouldn't turn his life support off, and he was finally flown back to Australia in a small chartered medical evacuation plane. I can't imagine what the cost would have been if they hadn't been adequately insured.

You need to declare anything that will be in your medical records.

I remember a case where someone went to see their GP about headaches and didn't delare it and their claim was refused.

You have to declare it if you have seen a medical professional about it.

My piles appeared one day so I do not understand how they can say that they don't just appear. They do.

yes, you have to declare anything you have seen a medical professional for and is therefore in your medical records.

Indeed. Sounds very much like discrimination onthe grounds of sex to me.

Bear in mind that call handlers at insurance companies do make mistakes. For example, we were told by our pet insurer all of a sudden (during a call.about a claim) that they would no longer insure our dog as she was an American bulldog cross and they'd be cancelling the policy.

Calling back and speaking to another handler we were told this was incorrect, they apologised for upsetting us and we got £75 for our trouble.

Challenge this sexist nonsense!

If you have seen a doctor for puberty then you would need to declare it.

You only have to declare it if you have seen a doctor about it and it is in your medical records.

Please don't let it put you off getting travel insurance. I was seriously injured, nearly killed, in a freak accident on holiday abroad. I was in a foreign (not EU) private hospital for two weeks until I was stable enough to be flown back to the UK. It was a private flight with two nurses and a doctor looking after me. I was still on oxygen and had to be kept lying flat. The flight was long enough to have to stop to refuel half way. I dread to think what the cost would have been. It was all covered by our travel insurance.

I had to pay £30 for a fit to fly note as I was waiting for a spirometry (?) test for possible asthma.

And because I added this in the few weeks before travel, they suddenly decided that they wouldn't cover me for anything at all except death and repatriation. Despite having had the policy for nearly 2 years at that point.

So if I had appendicitis or broke my wrist whilst on holiday, for example, no cover.

A few days later, I rang back and queried this, and they did say that was a mistake by someone new and reinstated full cover apart from the potential asthma.

This was staysure.

I've also read more generally that you have no cover if you have got any alcohol in your system, e.g one glass of wine earlier that day. Even if the claim is unrelated to that. Which is worrying!

If course they dont

If your are declaring piles you might as well include constipation and excessive flatulence. Hopefully warn your fellow air passengers about the flatulence 😉

@Doggymummar

Yes they do if you are insured by Staysure

The Staysure policy wording defines a pre-existing medical condition as "any past or current medical condition that has given rise to symptoms, or for which any form of treatment, or prescribed medication, medical
consultation, investigation, or
follow-up/check-up, has been required, or received, during the 2 years
prior to the start of cover under this policy and/or prior to any trip: and
• any cardiovascular or circulatory condition (e.g. heart condition, hypertension, blood clots, raised cholesterol, stroke, aneurysm, brain haemorrhage) that has occurred at any time prior to the start of cover under this policy and/or prior to any trip

Medical condition is defined as "Any medical or psychological disease, sickness, conditions (whether diagnosed, undiagnosed or a set of symptoms), illness or injury, that has affected you, or any other insured person.

Given that menopause could be seen as a set of symptoms, I'd be inclined to declare it. But I would absolutely expect them to cover it.

Tbh Staysure are a crap insurer. I'd go with Aviva every time... but then I worked there for over a decade.

Well I've learnt something new.

Thankfully my holiday is in the UK and I'm not that far from home.

but menopause isnt a meddial condition so womenpenalise for it?

My husband's appendix ruptured whilst we were in the wilds of N Arizona. The £52 policy (in 2007) covered all but £100 of the week in ICU, 4 operations, medical evacuation by helicopter, a further week in hospital, cancelled trips to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon, hotels, car hire and a business class flight home via a different route. The bill was just shy of $250k. We are firm advocates of having travel insurance!

2 years later we were going to an EU destination. I declared DH's appendix issue and they put the price up. I queried this - after all, it would never happen again as DH's appendix was long gone and they said it was "statistically likely he would have another issue". Bears out the saying "lies, damned lies and statistics". He has not so far had any other issue.

@taxguru

'you may well find yourself dealing with the same background firm if you think you're going with a different insurer!

That's useful to know. I wonder how I'd choose a different insurer next time then. Perhaps they all resort to the same group of underwriters anyway who'd trot out the same thing. This is why I am hugely suspicious now and whether it's worth just getting the cheapest insurance quote. I think I paid for the Silver option with Staysure (ie, not the cheapest one). If they're not going to honour claims based on a ridiculously tenuous whim anyway, all I need to be covered for is repatriation in the event of dying. *
*
Or, I might just holiday in the UK in future. It's hardly worth the stress and worry.

It would no more have occurred to me to declare menopause as a medical condition than it would have to declare puberty. They are natural life stages in my book even though they can cause issues at times.

I took out an annual Staysure policy a few weeks ago. I can't recall any questions relating to menopause (I'm 58, so would probably be within the age range). Nor any that lead me to declare or mention it at all. From the drop-down menus I just picked out the medical conditions that I am aware that I have (type 2 diabetes, graves disease and under investigation for potential glaucoma). Nothing at all to steer me towards declaring menopause, and I like to think I am very meticulous with these forms.

This thread has made me slightly nervous. I'll see how things go. Hopefully we won't need to use the cover. If we do we also have GHIC cards.

I will shop around carefully again when the time comes to renew next year.

I guess of you've not seen the GP or have medication relating to it, it may be okay (but I'm not absolutely convinced about this). I had and therefore started to type 'menopause' in the symptoms box and up it popped. Similarly, 'insomnia' which was related to menopause anyway, and again it popped up. I suspect all 'conditions' are there on their system

Well, I don't take HRT and periods finished just over a year ago. So maybe I am OK.

I take a fair bit of medication every day, which I have meticulously declared, and why. That is what they asked for. I was still given the cover.

You're wasting your money taking out a policy.

You won't be covered. You're winging it by travelling without cover and yet you're spending money on it.

Madness.

@CleftChin You only declare anything that required prescribed medication or treatment.

My dd broke her elbow quite badly last year from falling off her scooter - she is now fully recovered there are no ongoing issues, been discharged from dr etc yet this has to be declared and has put our premium up for some reason?
you really do have to declare everything

You have to declare anything that required treatment or medication in case there are issues as a result of it. The premium will be worked out based on how likely it is to cause issues in the future - in the case of your daughter it won’t affect anything. Neither will HRT. Therefore it won’t affect premiums. Something like diabetes or epilepsy which might require treatment abroad will attract a premium change.