Hols Insurance

[ruskin10]

Hello all, thankyou for those who responded to my `turn down` for holiday insurance post. I will look into alternatives for a quote. Incidentally, while waiting for the young man in the bank to get through to the holiday insurance department on the phone, he asked if I wanted a quote for (you`ll never guess what) house insurance~~~~~ he was nice and I said ok but that I had just renewed policy. A minute later he raised his eyebrows and almost spluttered. The payment was £180 per month for a 3 bed semi, needless to say I will not be taking up the offer. This is life with Lloyds, Hey ho! Pat

[BobD Volunteer]

Strange that. I'm with Lloyds and buildings (up to £400k )plus contents (including contents of all shed and workshops) is about £40 per month for a four bed detatched bungalow.

[Hidden]

We're with SAGA (for travel insurance) who I know from experience pay out when there's a claim. Not cheap though. We pay £250-300 for annual cover for two people in their 60's, Europe any time up to a limited number of days per year and per visit, the limits are quite high. Me declared with AF, controlled by drugs.

Koll

[Bob56]

As an ex insurance broker I can testify to the bewildering differences you can get in household and motor insurance, not seemingly always based on the facts. Generally speaking, the usual trade off is between the choice of a company with a good record of paying claims ( not always easy to establish though beyond anecdotal evidence) and those offering the cheapest deals. Going via one of the aggregator sites to get a comparison is a good first step ( I won't name names but those like the African rat like creature or the overweight opera singer) .Even if you don't buy through one of those sites it will give you a feel for what sort of deal you can get. If quality of cover and benefits are important to you then look or ask for the Defaqto rating usually displayed with the quote.. This is an independent industry rating from 1 to 5 stars with 5 obviously being the best. Getting decent travel cover for AF and related conditions is a complete different can of worms with precious little consistency, but for now back to normal business!

[seasider18 in reply to Bob56]

Do you know of any brokers who actually do travel insurance to suit the individuals needs? I once phoned around and all said they are never asked for it as people use holiday agents and specialised companies.

[Hidden]

For retired civil servants it might be worth exploring the Civil Service Pension Alliance webpage. Through Axa PPP, they provide worldwide travel insurance and the only conditions seem to be that you are fit to travel and do not suffer from any mental conditions. There is an annual charge, currently I think, around £265 for a couple. Like all insurance, you do not know how good they are until you have to make a claim, but well worth a look.

John

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've just checked and the annual rate until the end of March 2016 is £235. Rates apply from 1 April. If you join after April you still have to pay the annual fee and its £2 per month to join the Alliance.

[KipperJohn]

My worldwide travel insurance is with HSBC but excludes heart disease and AF. I got a quote from Saga (with whom I have home and car insurance) to include the exceptions above and a one off return trip to Australia was nearly £500. Last year I went to Australia and required hospital treatment - X-rays, CT scan blood tests and meds - and on Good Friday. I wasn't charged anything as they said there were reciprocal arrangements with the U.K. We are staying with my son and his family so well looked after. I know my condition well - I have just come out of a 36 hour episode which is the first in the last 3 months. On the balance of probabilities and being well medicated I shall probably stick with my normal insurance. In the event of changing a flight that'll cost £500 probably anyway. Of course that not the only consideration but I travel quite extensively and no real

Problems yet and have had PAF for 6 years.

[RichMert in reply to KipperJohn]

So are you saying that you do not declare the AF but take on the insurance on the basis that you hope it covers you for every other eventuality? I ask because I have a European short break arranged and took the cover because it included breakdown assistance. I ignored ticking any boxes related to previous ailments purely because I expected to get hit big time for the AF that touchwood I am now free from through Ablations 2 years ago.

[KipperJohn in reply to RichMert]

I declared all my AF and heart conditions to both HSBC and Saga. HSBC will cover me for everything except the declared conditions and their annual worldwide travel insurance for trips up to 30 days is part of my bank account 'benefits' Saga was a one off quote for a single trip and included all declared conditions and treatment including ablation last year.

[PeterWh in reply to RichMert]

The fundamental principal on almost all policies is that a false declaration (and an omission is classified as a false declaration) would invalidate the WHOLE policy even if that aspect played no part of a subsequent claim. You may be lucky and get away with it but equally you may not. Insurance companies are clamping down heavily because people are making false declarations to get cheaper insurance. The bigger the claim the more likely there will be problems. Believe me insurance companies and lawyers enjoy nit picking.

One new post by me and two responses by me in the last few days are very relevant and the links are:

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

healthunlocked.com/afassoci...

[seasider18 in reply to KipperJohn]

I have always been told that Australia does not cover you for existing conditions. Although there was (perhaps not now) a different ruling for people who had travelled there in the past that continued for them.

The Daily Mail had a readers question about this recently in Money Mail that I cant get back to but earlier European article attached,

tinyurl.com/jcfyufp

[seasider18]

Recent article on holiday insurance in the Daily Mail said that you need to be careful that the policy is actually for your destination rather than just Europe that as now with many countries split in A & B. Malta and Spain are now in B as medical costs are higher there.

[KipperJohn]

I can only speak from personal experience. My son, who is now an Australian citizen, took me to a local hospital last year. They asked for my passport details (which included the necessary electronic visa). The hospital advised at the outset that there would be no charge for any treatment due to reciprocal arrangements with the UK.

[KipperJohn]

Here are the full details of reciprocal arrangement for health care when UK passport holders visit Australia:

humanservices.gov.au/custom...

[wendy6]

Have you tried 'Staysure' they specialise in people with pre-existing medical conditions and do not charge an arm and a leg!

[ruskin10]

Thanks Wendy6 will give them a try

[Lastec1]

I had a similar problem. Lloyds wouldnt take my existing (AF + Hybrid Ablation ) into the Insurance but said it would cover me for anything else. So, we went to Staysure for a months holiday in Hawaii. They quoted £504 so I took it as the States are very expensive when. It comes to insurance. However I never got to Hawaii due to a soft bang on the head which gave me slight annoying little headaches. 6 weeks later I was really not coping with much. My wife blamed it on a diet ? Got to a point where I couldn't get out of bed. A young, new female doctor came to visit me. She did all the tests and immediately made an appointment for a CT Scan. The result, a slow bleed, caused by Warfarin ??? I had immediate surgery on my brain to relieve the pressure & 2 days later aloud home. Just prior to surgery I asked the surgeon if my holiday to Hawaii would be OK . He said yes in about 6 weeks ??? So I informed Staysure and they sent me all the claim forms. The holiday was for the whole of January 2016. Last week I was informed by Staysure that everything I had claimed for, was to be paid into my bank account . Good result eh ?? Well done Staysure !!!