Insurance pre existing medical conditions

We have an excellent GP practice which calls you in regularly for a 'MOT' Consequently they have discovered at an early stage a number of conditions which were asymptomatic but better treated. When applying for travel insurance these were of cause disclosed.

Makes you think though that others who had not had such professional GP's or had not been so proactive with regards to their health, but with a number of underlying conditions will obtain cheaper insurance.

I always take Annual Travel insurance and at renewal a new health declaration is always needed. If you have something to declare and most people have, it is straight forward. It is possible to obtain a policy which includes or excludes the pre-existing condition which you have declared. I include cover but if I was cruising around the British Isles it would not be as risky as the Caribbean to exclude the condition. You also have to declare a geographical area where you are going US and Caribbean being the most expensive. In my opinion the insurance cost is the ultimate reason why people have to stop cruising based on deteriorating health. The policy in some cases is much more expensive than the cruise fare but you cannot risk a dodgy declaration.

Regards John

Yes John you can't chance a dodgy declaration, even if the problem is diagnosed part way through an annual policy the insurers must be informed. However I have acquaintances with bank travel insurance who never disclose on going problems and blindly travel. Heaven forbid they have a problem.

Yes, I agree Cruisebore !....I have medical insurance (new value,bypass etc)

I have an annual MOT...when it was diagnosed... There are thousands of people out there who don't go near their doctor, who must have undiagnosed problems....They get cheaper insurance because the insurance companies do not ask them the obvious question....when did you last have a medical screening ? I am sure that insurance companies must pay out a fortune because when asked ' have you got any pre-exsisting conditions ?' the answer is always no - instead of DONT KNOW....which would of course not be an acceptable to the insurance companies. So, if you want cheaper insurance all you have to do is avoid your doctor !!! (which cannot be in your best interest at the end of the day)

a few years ago we were on a page and moy land based holiday to Italy. Stayed in a lovely village.

The rest of the group were older than us, including one old couple.

He became ill and went into hospital out there. Others who talked to wife discovered they both had a list of ailments as long as your arm.

They chose not to disclose any of them, as the insurance would have cost more.

They just took their medication and hoped for the best.

That time it did not work. He was still in Hospital when we had to come home.

The wife was worrying how they were going to cover costs, as the insurance company said they wouldn't.

Lesson learnt.

I have an annual worldwide travel policy with my bank and always disclose any medical conditions. IMO the extra charge is reasonable and I was surprised on my last renewal that the premium went down :eek::D What happened is that a couple of years ago they noticed a slight heart murmur and my premium went up. However when renewing last year they asked again about it. Basically it is a heart valve and the consultant said something along the lines of 'there is no need to medicate or monitor this, we may pop in a new valve when you are in your 70's if needed. The insurance company were happy about that and reduced my premium by approx £40 - result :D

Yes John you can't chance a dodgy declaration, even if the problem is diagnosed part way through an annual policy the insurers must be informed. However I have acquaintances with bank travel insurance who never disclose on going problems and blindly travel. Heaven forbid they have a problem.

You are very correct to point this out.

I once knew a forum member who boasted about her 'amazing' bank related policy - despite not telling anyone which bank it was provided it - who has now come unstuck.

Some folk will spend thousands on a cruise and then take risks with insurance to save a couple of quid.

I have an annual worldwide travel policy with my bank and always disclose any medical conditions. IMO the extra charge is reasonable and I was surprised on my last renewal that the premium went down :eek::D What happened is that a couple of years ago they noticed a slight heart murmur and my premium went up. However when renewing last year they asked again about it. Basically it is a heart valve and the consultant said something along the lines of 'there is no need to medicate or monitor this, we may pop in a new valve when you are in your 70's if needed. The insurance company were happy about that and reduced my premium by approx £40 - result :D

I too experienced a mitral valve problem following a scuba diving accident in 2007. Fortunately the surgeons repaired the heart valve and i was able to continue diving.

Of course I had to declare this event despite not ever having a later problem - touch wood. So I now declare the condition with stay sure but reduce any excess premium by opting to have that particular condition not covered.

Where there is a will there's a way...

You are very correct to point this out.

 

 

 

I once knew a forum member who boasted about her 'amazing' bank related policy - despite not telling anyone which bank it was provided it - who has now come unstuck.

 

 

 

Some folk will spend thousands on a cruise and then take risks with insurance to save a couple of quid.

It's not necessarily the policy - just the failure to disclose :(

We recently discovered that many Bank policies do not cover cruising.

Many also will not allow you to add this to the policy. It is always worth checking. It is not worth the risk of not having cover, a family member died abroad without insurance, the cost of repatriation was unbelievable.

The other way round to this though is that thousands of people who have no risks whatsoever are put on statins and therefore have to declare it. they don't need them, they cause terrible side effects and if you don't have any heart trouble or cardiovascular disease, you don't need them. A friend of mine who had high cholesterol had the most terrible side effects, one of which could have caused permanent damage. She is now off them and feels like a new person.

I've got MS and my husband has asthma. For our upcoming cruise on 2nd May the insurance company added £9 for me and £1.90 for my husband, £38 in total. I would never go anywhere without declaring pre existing medical conditions. It's a very small price to pay for peace of mind.

It's a different story for life insurance though, I can't get anyone to cover me. Thank goodness I've got an NHS pension that pays out if I drop down dead!

The other way round to this though is that thousands of people who have no risks whatsoever are put on statins and therefore have to declare it. they don't need them, they cause terrible side effects and if you don't have any heart trouble or cardiovascular disease, you don't need them. A friend of mine who had high cholesterol had the most terrible side effects, one of which could have caused permanent damage. She is now off them and feels like a new person.

Statins can be a big problem. My mother had a cholesterol reading marginally above the governemnt recommended limits, though round about where James Le Fanu (Daily Telegraph doctor) says they should be for over-70s. (About 7.) She had to dissuade the doctor from prescribing statins, and changed her diet a little, and went back for a further test and was in the OK zone. (About 5.) Ten years on, she's not had that test again, and as she was never prescribed statins, she doesn't have to declare them.

If my doctor found several apparent illnesses with no symptoms, I'd think he was trying a bit too hard. Occasionally you will find something wrong that hasn't caused any problems yet - but will; but if you find several potential problems, I'd wait until they become actual problems before going for several different simultaneous treatments.

But yes, not being ill does help insurance. And not knowing that one day you might be ill, that helps peace of mind too!