Insurance woes

[Alafair]

I have OCD traits and despite my intention not to get dozens of travel insurance quotes and spend hours going through small print, I am failing miserably and at risk of being up all night. At least. My fear is missing something vital. Or choosing a bad company, and that if I get ill abroad they won’t help because I’ve inadvertently missed telling them something, or reading their policy carefully enough, or I should have realised perhaps an exclusion, but didn’t read the info properly. I’m told to check the detail but that literally takes me hours and hours. I need something that will cover a few medical conditions. Visit to Europe I’m getting really stressed and anxious.

Do any of you knowledgeable mumsnetters have any wise guidance on the things I REALLY NEED to check and compare? And which sections of the small print SHOULD be read carefully? These docs are pages upon pages long and it feels impossible.

Or your experience of a company that was good if you got ill or injured abroad? I’m less worried about our cancellation or possessions.

Any help will be gratefully received and reduce my current stress levels!

I always use Money saving expert for this type of thing. They have recommendations for policies with certain minimum requirements, and I trust them enough just to use those recommendations.

However if you want to go through things in detail, you could use ChatGPT to compare two contracts or to ask specific questions about a contract.

Thank you for your reply @Junioh I will try that. It is so hard to judge when to stop comparing and checking, and what is “good enough”. Once it’s done and bought I will forget about it but the what iffery at this selection stage is exhausting.

Go for the best rated you can afford.

https://www.defaqto.com/star-ratings/view#explore-categories

Do you have a string of pre-existing conditions? That makes a difference to which company might be best.
I have looked at this before and bookmarked a couple of very useful threads. I've used All clear and Aviva recently though not claimed. The proof is always in the claim and what you find is that most insurers subcontract the whole claims process to the same claim handling company.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/5185202-ever-claimed-on-your-travel-insurance-did-you-like-your-insurer?reply=139860596

www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/5202191-travel-insurance?reply=139584094

Hi @isitmyturn yes I do. Thank you for the links. I decided and have a high defaqto score company (thank you @oldFoolMe). I don’t want to say who I’ve gone with in case I should get any negative comments which would send stress levels up again. I’m pretty satisfied and actually bought an annual policy as I want to avoid having to do this again any time soon!

Do I understand you will only be travelling in Europe?

If so, the GHIC actually does give reasonable coverage on medical emergencies. Of course you should have insurance as well but if something does go wrong and you've broken some rule you shouldn't be liable for massive bills. Its not the same as if you were going to the States.

Yes @HPFA Europe and I have that card 😊. Thank you!

The best thing to do is to speak to a company that is trained to give advice (most advisors aren’t as you need proper qualifications). If there is then a mistake, it’s down to them to put it right & not you. If you buy off the internet, or with a company that will tell you in the beginning of their legal spiel that the onus is on you, then if it’s in anyway inaccurate they are not going to be held responsible. It’s usually the medical declarations that are inaccurate.