Those with a medical condition will be aware that you need to complete a medical declaration when buying travel insurance to cover you for an upcoming trip or trips. What you may not be aware of is the process you need to follow if that medical condition changes, or you are given a new diagnosis.
We are here to let you know the steps that need to be taken if a change of health was to occur between you buying your travel insurance policy and your trip start date. Firstly, we will go through the medical changes you need to tell your travel insurer about. We will then move on to when you need to tell your insurer and finally, the possible outcomes once the medical information has been updated,
If you have a change in health, either related to a current condition or new condition, you will need to let your travel insurance company know, no matter how small the change is. In certain circumstances, your GP may say the change is fine but it is still best to inform your insurer so they can carry out any appropriate re-assessments. It will be stipulated in the terms and conditions that you are required to let them know of any changes between the policy start date and your date of travelling.
The following changes we recommend you inform your travel insurer about are, but are not limited to: any changes in medication, any new or updated test results, a new diagnosis or injury, a change to a current condition, any upcoming or ongoing investigations, any upcoming surgery or planned treatments.
We understand some changes in your health may come as a shock and you may need some time to get your head around the information you have been given. This is absolutely fine; however it is important you let your travel insurer know of any changes as early as possible. This will allow them time to update your medical information and carry out any necessary re-assessments.
Following a re-assessment of your medical health, there are a few outcomes you should be aware of.
Firstly, the insurer may just be able to add the change into your notes on the policy and no additional premium or excess will need to be paid.
Secondly, the insurer will need to re-assess your condition or add on your new diagnosis. During this, you will be asked a number of questions related to your change in health, similar to when you first completed your medical declaration. Once completed, if cover is still available, you may be asked to pay an additional premium and/or your medical excess* may increase.
Lastly, after the re-assessment, your cover may be withdrawn. This usually happens when the insurer deems the change in health as too high of a risk. In this circumstance, the insurer may give you a couple of options. If you are no longer able to travel and need to cancel the holiday you can use your travel insurance policy to submit a claim for cancellation or if you still wish to travel you can cancel the policy and receive a pro-rata refund, but will no longer be insured with that company. Terms and conditions for revoking cover will differ between insurers, so if this is something you are concerned about, we suggest you have a read of your policy wording or speak with your travel insurer at the point of sale.
While travel insurance companies understand that going on holiday is a much-needed break for many, they need to work on a risk-basis. This is why there are specialist medical travel insurance companies available who can cover more complex medical conditions. If you are travelling with a medical condition, we also suggest speaking with a specialist insurer that is more suited to your needs.
If you have any questions, our team is on hand to help. Just send us an email to hello@travelinsuranceexplained.co.uk and one of our team will get back to you.
*A medical excess is to be paid if you submit a claim that is related to a medical condition on your policy. It does not need to be paid if the claim is unrelated to your medical health.