Hello - I have a multi-trip travel insurance policy for Europe with All Clear travel running from January 19 to January 20 for which I paid £530. I have prostate cancer and was diagnosed 3.5 years ago and this was declared as a pre-existing condition when I took out the multi trip policy last January. In early July 19 I booked a 1 week holiday to Lanzarote to depart 7 November 19 at a cost of just under £2,000. In August my regular PSA check revealed an increased level and after a PET scan i was told this Wednesday that the cancer had spread to two bone sites, and that I would need to be on hormone therapy and have a course of chemotherapy over this winter. The outlook from this was good as it was at an early stage. I asked about being fit to travel and they said that I was.
I rang All Clear today to declare the change in my pre-existing condition, they first asked if the doctor has said I was fit to fly.... and they responded that there would need to be an additional premium of £1,646. I was clearly shocked by the amount and asked about reimbursement of cancellation fees for the holiday (which my policy did cover).. They said that would not be applicable as I had been deemed fit to fly and, in any case, All Clear were still prepared to insure me albeit at almost the same cost as the holiday itself. They said I could ask my doctor if he would declare me unfit to travel, but I think that is unlikely he would have grounds to change his opinion.
It seems unjust that on taking an annual multi trip policy effectively becomes worthless if there is a significant change in a pre-existing condition as they can get out of jail by quoting an extortionate additional premium, in the knowledge that it is unlikely to be accepted but in doing so they are able to say they have offered cover and that it is my own decision not to travel. I would be interested to read of similar stories and whether anyone has managed to find amicable solutions. Any help gratefully received and my wife and I are currently shell shocked with the double hit of bad news this week. PS they quoted an annual renewal premium of £7,000 for next year!!!
Hi and welcome to the travel insurance group
I 'spoke' to you in New to the Community so I'm pleased that you've found your way over here.
While you're waiting for replies you could use the search facility in this group to see if you can find any older posts mentioning the problem of increasing premiums when you declare a change in your condition.
I don't know whether you've looked through the Recommended Travel Insurance thread yet as it's where you'll find the majority of recommendations from other forum members. Clicking on the link I've created will take you directly to it if you haven't seen it.
I do hope that you're able to find some reasonably priced insurance and do pop back and let us know how you get on.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
