Vague travel insurance news stories
Discussion
I've seen a few of these stories where people haven't been able to get home lately...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37084862/gri...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-367...
But they're kinda useless without revealing some detail, presumably they don't want to highlight the error (assuming it's an error) out of respect for the families? Despite being in my early 30s I have a catalogue of previous illnesses (myocarditis, pneumonia, kidney stones) and whilst I declare everything to the letter I do feel incredibly paranoid, particularly as the myocarditis was a complex life-threatening case. Technically it's a one-off and I was given the all clear, but if you've had it once you're more likely to have it again. Same goes for the kidney stones, currently clear but my body chucks them out every few years, I'm x-rayed every 24 months as a precaution but obviously a lot can happen in that time.
How do others manage previous illnesses etc? Whilst I discuss them in detail on the phone, the paperwork that inevitably comes through is vague to say the least as they are usually just a short one line summary.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/37084862/gri...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-367...
But they're kinda useless without revealing some detail, presumably they don't want to highlight the error (assuming it's an error) out of respect for the families? Despite being in my early 30s I have a catalogue of previous illnesses (myocarditis, pneumonia, kidney stones) and whilst I declare everything to the letter I do feel incredibly paranoid, particularly as the myocarditis was a complex life-threatening case. Technically it's a one-off and I was given the all clear, but if you've had it once you're more likely to have it again. Same goes for the kidney stones, currently clear but my body chucks them out every few years, I'm x-rayed every 24 months as a precaution but obviously a lot can happen in that time.
How do others manage previous illnesses etc? Whilst I discuss them in detail on the phone, the paperwork that inevitably comes through is vague to say the least as they are usually just a short one line summary.
Regards the first link...
[b]"He had holiday insurance but he only got it the day he got sick with his bad stomach. He took the insurance out, he thought he was covered.
"They took his insurance details at the hospital and carried on operating on him, two days later the insurance [company] said he wasn't covered.[/b]
I imagine taking out insurance while you are on holiday on the day you think you need a doctor might have something to do with them not paying!
Why do people think they will be ok just to save a few £££'s?
[b]"He had holiday insurance but he only got it the day he got sick with his bad stomach. He took the insurance out, he thought he was covered.
"They took his insurance details at the hospital and carried on operating on him, two days later the insurance [company] said he wasn't covered.[/b]
I imagine taking out insurance while you are on holiday on the day you think you need a doctor might have something to do with them not paying!
Why do people think they will be ok just to save a few £££'s?
Does anyone bother with travel insurance these days? I thought the in thing was to not buy it, or get a really cheap policy without disclosing your serious illnesses or the fact that you are going off piste skiing, cave diving and going over Niagara in a typewriter case, and then when disaster strikes, and you either have no insurance or the insurance is invalid because you lied to them, post a sad face online, get it picked up by the Daily Mail about how the wicked insurers have abandoned you, and start a crowdfunding scheme to clear the debt so you don't lose your house.
Saleen836 said:
Regards the first link...
[b]"He had holiday insurance but he only got it the day he got sick with his bad stomach. He took the insurance out, he thought he was covered.
"They took his insurance details at the hospital and carried on operating on him, two days later the insurance [company] said he wasn't covered.[/b]
I imagine taking out insurance while you are on holiday on the day you think you need a doctor might have something to do with them not paying!
Why do people think they will be ok just to save a few £££'s?
Sounds familiar.[b]"He had holiday insurance but he only got it the day he got sick with his bad stomach. He took the insurance out, he thought he was covered.
"They took his insurance details at the hospital and carried on operating on him, two days later the insurance [company] said he wasn't covered.[/b]
I imagine taking out insurance while you are on holiday on the day you think you need a doctor might have something to do with them not paying!
Why do people think they will be ok just to save a few £££'s?
I forgot to renew my multi trip policy and by the time I remembered, I was in Germany.
Renewed it on the Monday.
On the Thursday of the same week I found myself in a German Klinik with chest pains.
I contacted the Insurance Global Support Team the next morning while the hospital did their work, keeping me in for 6 days of thorough tests.
The insurance paid in full.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Does anyone bother with travel insurance these days? I thought the in thing was to not buy it, or get a really cheap policy without disclosing your serious illnesses or the fact that you are going off piste skiing, cave diving and going over Niagara in a typewriter case, and then when disaster strikes, and you either have no insurance or the insurance is invalid because you lied to them, post a sad face online, get it picked up by the Daily Mail about how the wicked insurers have abandoned you, and start a crowdfunding scheme to clear the debt so you don't lose your house.
I imagine most people who do not have illness issues, rely on freebe travel insurance thrown in with their bank account/credit card/ house insurance. I do this, except for one important area that you mentioned: Off Piste Skiing (with or without a guide). For this cover specifically, I took out a policy with the Ski Club of Great Britain.I've just returned from the Caribbean and I wanted cover for Scuba diving to 30m. Checked all my freebe policies (I have 3 or 4) to find that Direct Line covers worldwide travel, but only diving to 12m (very strange as standard qualifications allow 18m). But I phoned them to double check and was told that actually, if you are qualified to 30m then you can dive to 30m. To be sure, I got them to put it in writing, and indeed received a letter of confirmation.
If you have a pre-existing illness, then unless you declare you are of course not covered under the freebe policies. However, if I had not declared 'kidney stones', but wanted to claim for a stolen wallet, then surely this wouldn't be a problem.
Jarcy said:
However, if I had not declared 'kidney stones', but wanted to claim for a stolen wallet, then surely this wouldn't be a problem.
That's an interesting point. Follow thru your thinking on that. Take an extreme example. You have 3 previous drink drive offences. You take out car insurance without disclosing them. Then your car gets hit by a meteor. Do they pay out, if they find out about the non disclosed offences? I would say not. Sure, your claim had nothing to do with the drink history, but had they known the truth, they would have refused to cover you, or charged you loads extra. So best case scenario, you've cheated honest policyholders by paying in less into the overall pot for your policy.If you don't want cover for the kidney stones, tell them about it but ask them to exclude it. See if they'll do that. But if they ask the question, I think you must answer it honestly to have cover for any part of the policy.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
If you don't want cover for the kidney stones, tell them about it but ask them to exclude it. See if they'll do that. But if they ask the question, I think you must answer it honestly to have cover for any part of the policy.
My point with regards to freebee policies is that they never ask the question. The cover just arrives thrown in with what ever product you're buying. And it keeps rolling over year after year. You may subsequently gain kidney stones, but I would have no qualms over claiming for a stolen wallet. The risks are unrelated.Jarcy said:
My point with regards to freebee policies is that they never ask the question. The cover just arrives thrown in with what ever product you're buying.
You are supposed to tell them about pre-existing, or any new, conditions though.How do you end up with 3 or 4 such policies? I think the only one I have is travel accident insurance with my Amex card but that's obviously very limited. I could get full insurance with my bank account if I upgraded it but I looked at the policy and didn't like some parts and I've seen very negative comments about customers' claims experience.
Sheepshanks said:
You are supposed to tell them about pre-existing, or any new, conditions though.
I accept that of course, but my experience if that I've never been asked. I don't actually have any conditions, and if I and was concerned I guess that I would pro-actively volunteer the information. But health matters are totally unrelated to claims for loss of personal effects or travel disruption.Sheepshanks said:
How do you end up with 3 or 4 such policies?
Easy!Direct Line Home Insurance includes worldwide travel
Nationwide Flexaccount - thrown in, no fees
HSBC Premier Account - thrown in, no fees
Ski Club of Great Britain platinum membership - included in membership, but paid for this to get specific cover.
Edited by Jarcy on Thursday 18th August 08:54
Jarcy said:
Direct Line Home Insurance includes worldwide travel
That's interesting - I haven't seen home insurance that included travel before, although it looks like they point blank won't cover existing conditions and I don't see business travel cover.I suppose there must be other people like you who are potentially covered multiple ways - I wonder what happens in the event of a claim, especially a big one? It's a general principle of insurance that if there's cover elsewhere they'll try and share the claim.
Jarcy said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
If you don't want cover for the kidney stones, tell them about it but ask them to exclude it. See if they'll do that. But if they ask the question, I think you must answer it honestly to have cover for any part of the policy.
My point with regards to freebee policies is that they never ask the question. The cover just arrives thrown in with what ever product you're buying. And it keeps rolling over year after year. You may subsequently gain kidney stones, but I would have no qualms over claiming for a stolen wallet. The risks are unrelated.But you can't just not tell them and expect the policy to cover you, even if the risks are unrelated.
Sheepshanks said:
I suppose there must be other people like you who are potentially covered multiple ways - I wonder what happens in the event of a claim, especially a big one? It's a general principle of insurance that if there's cover elsewhere they'll try and share the claim.
We had the situation in Egypt last year when my son needed medical attention. I visited the doctor armed with all of the policies (or where I hadn't paperwork with me, just the debit card for the relevant account).We ended up claiming against the one that, from the doctor's experience!!!, was most convenient for us to claim against. i.e. the company who would settle the account directly with the Egyptian medical centre with only a small excess for us to pay. Others had higher excesses, or wanted us to settle and then reclaim in the UK, or proved difficult to get an immediate approval code. Once back in the UK, I completed the insurance form in support of our claim and listed the other insurance companies, as required. I let them sort out the bun-fight over sharing the cover.
IIRC, the claim went against Nationwide in the end, and that was supported merely by the account details on the debit card. The doctor knew who to phone in the UK for confirmation. Good service!
TwigtheWonderkid said:
The risks being unrelated isn't relevant, as per my drink drive example. Even a freebie policy must have Ts & Cs. Surely it says that the onus is on you to advise them of any medical issues. When you do that, the cover will either be cancelled, or stop being free and you'll have to pay something, or they'll acknowledge the info and say they are happy to continue.
But you can't just not tell them and expect the policy to cover you, even if the risks are unrelated.
I do agree, but in the real world when filing a claim for my (hypothetical) stolen wallet, I don't think there's a question that says, "by-the-way, do you happen to have kidney stones?".But you can't just not tell them and expect the policy to cover you, even if the risks are unrelated.
Jarcy said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
The risks being unrelated isn't relevant, as per my drink drive example. Even a freebie policy must have Ts & Cs. Surely it says that the onus is on you to advise them of any medical issues. When you do that, the cover will either be cancelled, or stop being free and you'll have to pay something, or they'll acknowledge the info and say they are happy to continue.
But you can't just not tell them and expect the policy to cover you, even if the risks are unrelated.
I do agree, but in the real world when filing a claim for my (hypothetical) stolen wallet, I don't think there's a question that says, "by-the-way, do you happen to have kidney stones?".But you can't just not tell them and expect the policy to cover you, even if the risks are unrelated.
Probably not!
But suppose it wasn't a stolen wallet, but run over by a car in the USA. Massive injuries, a million dollar bill. Again, unrelated to the kidney stones, but faced with a bill like that, they would apply for full medical history and might walk away from the claim.
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Probably not!
But suppose it wasn't a stolen wallet, but run over by a car in the USA. Massive injuries, a million dollar bill. Again, unrelated to the kidney stones, but faced with a bill like that, they would apply for full medical history and might walk away from the claim.
OK, it's possible the car insurer wouldn't cover a car that was insured by someone with drink driving convictions, so that MAY be valid, but travel insurance often just excludes pre-existing conditions. I gave them a list of my Dad's illnesses when I first went to the US, and they said "thanks - so we'll exclude all those". I haven't bothered since.
So if you got run over then I think the insurance would be in some difficulty trying to deny the claim based on a pre-existing condition. I suppose it could get complicated though if the accident exacerbated a pre-existing condition - ie set off a heart attack when you'd already got some heart condition.
My Uncle recently fell ill on a cruise.
What surprised me (but maybe should not have), is that the fully equipped Hospital the cruise ships is not carried as a cost of carrying lots of old folks, it's a profit centre.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions. Fortunately he fell ill on the last night, as that night in the ship hospital cost over £8,000.
I'd say expensive mistake, but it was not a mistake, he knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
What surprised me (but maybe should not have), is that the fully equipped Hospital the cruise ships is not carried as a cost of carrying lots of old folks, it's a profit centre.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions. Fortunately he fell ill on the last night, as that night in the ship hospital cost over £8,000.
I'd say expensive mistake, but it was not a mistake, he knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
surveyor said:
My Uncle recently fell ill on a cruise.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions.
He knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
So he could pull the "sad Daily Mail face" about the injustice of the fat cat insurance industry?He had not told of his pre-existing conditions.
He knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
He's even more of a genius then people who don't take out insurance at all - he actually paid to be uninsured
Edited by Soov535 on Thursday 18th August 16:40
.surveyor said:
My Uncle recently fell ill on a cruise.
What surprised me (but maybe should not have), is that the fully equipped Hospital the cruise ships is not carried as a cost of carrying lots of old folks, it's a profit centre.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions. Fortunately he fell ill on the last night, as that night in the ship hospital cost over £8,000.
My in-laws cruise a lot and I was surprised by the medical situation too. What surprised me (but maybe should not have), is that the fully equipped Hospital the cruise ships is not carried as a cost of carrying lots of old folks, it's a profit centre.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions. Fortunately he fell ill on the last night, as that night in the ship hospital cost over £8,000.
Bearing in mind, from my in-laws description, that some passengers aren't far away from being on life-support when they board, it's hard to imagine they've got insurance coverage. And there's an obvious incentive for the ship's hospital to ream everyone who turns up.
Soov535 said:
surveyor said:
My Uncle recently fell ill on a cruise.
He had not told of his pre-existing conditions.
He knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
So he could pull the "sad Daily Mail face" about the injustice of the fat cat insurance industry?He had not told of his pre-existing conditions.
He knew the risk and gambled - although I'm not really sure why he took the policy out in the first place.
He's even more of a genius then people who don't take out insurance at all - he actually paid to be uninsured
Edited by Soov535 on Thursday 18th August 16:40
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