Insurance Firm, Fish Insurance, Warns Holidaymakers as Travellers' Claims Are Sent Packing

LEEDS, ENGLAND, April 12, 2013 (Press-News.org) The consumers' rights group polled over 9,100 of its members about their experience of making insurance claims. Around half had taken out travel insurance with 15 percent having made a claim in the previous two years. It found that travel insurers scored the lowest customer satisfaction ratings of all insurance sectors surveyed and that one in ten claims were rejected.

Now Fish Insurance, which specialises in insurance for people with disabilities and pre-existing medical conditions, is warning people to closely check what travel policies actually cover before they buy them. That's because many respondents in the Which? survey complained that insurers were using exclusions tucked away in small print to refuse claims. One of the reasons most frequently reported for the rejection a claim was the medical history of the person insured or their "close relatives," the definition of which varied and was even found to embrace cousins. Some policies also excluded cover even if the insured person was totally unaware of any pre-existing medical conditions suffered by a relative.

"These findings do not particularly surprise me because the issues surrounding the coverage of pre-existing conditions are long standing," commented Fish Insurance's managing director, John Garrard. "Often people with conditions like cardiac complaints, diabetes and epilepsy can struggle to find affordable cover or to even get insurance. Travel policies are frequently sold on the pile-em-high-and-sell-them-cheap model and that means the cover they provide can be quite limited. Those limitations would on occasion it seem mean that policyholders must be aware of the medical histories of their extended family. That seems both absurd and unfair."

He adds: "Unfortunately whilst people will spend hours and days choosing just the right holiday, insurance is often an afterthought and decision making price driven. But choosing a cheap, commoditised policy can expose travellers to potentially huge financial risk."

He points out that specialist providers like Fish offer policies designed specifically to serve the needs of people with pre-existing medical conditions. For example, Fish's travel insurance includes benefits such as the emergency replacement of a carer and prescription medicines as well as cover for wheelchairs. It will also insure against cancellation or curtailment should a close relative be taken ill, regardless of their previous medical history unless they have been diagnosed with a terminal illness or are already on a waiting list. Unlike insurers criticised by Which? it also provides a clear definition of just what a close relative is.

Mr. Garrard added that travellers should not risk travelling without appropriate insurance or be tempted not to declare any medical conditions they have. "It's important to choose a policy that suits your needs. If you have a medical condition or a disability then that's unlikely to be a GBP12 deal you've found on the internet. You must also be straight with your provider about any conditions you may have. Failing to declare a condition and crossing your fingers is to tempt fate. In such instances an insurer is well within their legal and moral rights to refuse a claim. That might leave you or your family nursing a massive bill.

"We recently settled a claim covering the treatment and repatriation from Spain of a man who, having suffered respiratory difficulties subsequently suffered a heart attack. Had we not then he would have faced a total bill of over GBP40,000."

Fish Insurance is a division of Fish Administration Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. It has forged strategic relationships with key underwriters for whom it operates under binding authority. The company also designs its own schemes, issues policies and manages claims handling. It has over 70,000 policyholders with disabilities or limited mobility who benefit from a portfolio which spans protection for users of direct payments and other personalised budget schemes and cover for manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs, mobility scooters, in-home products such as stair lifts and hoists, wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) and disabled drivers and carers.

Website: www.fishinsurance.co.uk