The missus and I are due to go to Lanzarote on 26 Jan on an Easyjet package holiday.
Her father, who has an ongoing blood cancer condition has taken a rapid turn for the worse this last week to the extent that he got blue lighted to hospital today. As I type , he is getting blood transfusions overnight and then if they can get his haemo levels under control, they can then start tests to see what is causing the drastic falls (internal bleeding , organ failure etc
Barring miracles, I can't see us getting to Lanza due to either bereavement , or support/care needing to be provided.
Anyone any experience with similar situation as far as travel insurance goes? Do we just wait to see what happens nearer the time, is there anything I can put in place just now or should be warning the ins co about?
How would it work for proof for travel insurance if there is no death? I would obviously have no right to have access to any medical reports to justify our position?
I will have a look at the small print and maybe livechat them but just wondering if anyone has experienced similar?
Edit - the insurance states exclusuion for
"Any claims for known or existing events. For example, cancelling or cutting short your trip due to a known illness or injury of a close relative or travelling companion"
Last edited by: Bobby on Mon 6 Jan 25 at 21:20
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On further checking of the actual policy document
"Any claim where the event, incident or circumstances already existed when you opened your account or booked your trip (whichever is later). For example, you’re aware of the serious illness of a close relative or travelling companion, which could reasonably be expected to affect your travel plans.
Define serious?
Define reasonably expected?
Very open to interpretation?
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When did you book the holiday?
When did you take out the travel policy?
What was the recent health state of your F-i-L when you booked holiday & travel insurance
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>> Define serious?
>> Define reasonably expected?
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>> Very open to interpretation?
No not really, its very simple to interpret. Close relative? its a close enough relative if you feel the need to cancel.
Serious? if it causes you to cancel, then you thought it was serious enough.
Reasonably expected? Its a cancer related pre existing condition. That qualifies.
I have done loads of trips since my two cancer experiences, I have been pretty diligent in disclosure for insurance, often resulting in a form of screening, which leads to either a: Exclusions, b: increased costs, c: refusal. Currently I cant get annual travel insurance, but can get trip by trip based with a combo of a: or b:
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We have annual travel insurance through the bank.
Booked this holiday in September.
FIL has been having 4 weekly routine blood transfusions since June for a “blood cancer” issue, not sure of exact name.
No reason (for us) to expect these wouldn’t continue or take a turn for the worse.
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IMHO it looks a strong case for the insurance to pay out.
If it had been booking the holiday a week ago and taking out insurance since then there may have been grounds for the insurers to refuse a payout.
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>> IMHO it looks a strong case for the insurance to pay out.
If i was betting, I would back the refusal horse.
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"No reason (for us) to expect these wouldn't continue or take a turn for the worse."
You're saying that, in your mind, his condition was "stable". However, that term, speaking from a medical/legal point of view, is slippery. I see one travel insurer defines it thus: "A controlled and well managed pre-existing condition that has remained unchanged for a specific period of time (as determined by the insurer) prior to your date of departure."
Most of us, I suspect, would think your claim would have merit, but Zero is probably correct in thinking that the insurance company would think it wasn't clear-cut and that their default reaction would be to refuse to pay out.
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If it is one of the premium account add on insurances I suspect you may face initial refusal and an uphill battle to get paid. I had one of these and had two claims rejected:
The first was travel insurance for which a medical problem caused cancellation. As I had failed inadvertently to disclose a long standing but unrelated condition, they refused payment. Part of their process was to get permission to write directly to my GP to find out.
The second - emergency call out. I reported a blocked sewer. They insisted it was not an emergency as it had not yet overflowed. It was just a matter of time until the level in the drain rose flooding the garden - it would then be an emergency but cost a lot more to clear up. in the end I phoned Wessex Water who sorted it.
I then changed my account as the costly premium service was actually "rubbish". For the best chance of a claim you need as much detail on the health condition as possible - consultants letters, health at the time the holiday was booked, prognosis for the particular type of blood cancer etc.
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If the prognosis back in June was 6-12 months, then unlikely they will pay. If 2-3 years, then it should be considered unexpected. That would be my guess, anyway. The insurance company will likely refuse payment but there is always the insurance ombudsman.
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Travel Insurance Query - Bobby
