Travel insurance chest infection question

[fluke13]

I know travel insurance is more expensive for me because of my condition. 1 of the questions is "have you had a chest infection/pneumonia in the past year and how many times you have had antibiotics for this" Now I have taken my rescue pack 4 times in the past year but not because I have a had a chest infection but as a preventative(my throat goes tight when an infection is imminent) to stop the infection going to my chest as advised by my consultant. So my question is do I have to declare this as it isn't a chest infection but a preventative. Hope this makes sense

[mrsmummy]

This is tricky. If the question is have you had a chest infection and you have not then you would say no. But saying you have not when you have is risky because it could invalidate the insurance.

[fluke13 in reply to mrsmummy]

I haven't had a chest infection as I have always been told that my rescue pack is best used to stop any potential infection going to my chest. I try to prevent this from happening as once on my chest obviously the infection can be worse. Does anyone else use their rescue pack like this or only when it is definitely on your chest?

[Hidden in reply to fluke13]

An interesting point. I think the insurance company might want to know what do you think makes your throat go tight if it isn't the start of a chest infection?

[hypercat54]

Well the question is have you had a chest infection or pneumonia? If you haven't then say no. The bit about ab's is if you say yes. x

[Hidden]

Just say the truth. If you are sick abroad and you have no insurance it can literally bankrupt you..

[music]

Hi Fluke13

This is a good question because i sometimes wonder this

Music

[HuwieHex]

Your insurers would probably ask to see your medical records before paying a claim. So you should ask your GP or Consultant how should you answer the question. If they cannot support your contention that the rescue pack is prescribed for preventative use then you must declare it.

[Phil40]

If you don’t declare COPD and try to claim I cannot imagine there is any way an insurance company will pay you a penny.

Insurance companies will look for any reason possible to pay as little as possible and this is a no brainer.

Do not try to kid yourself; declare everything and bite the bullet because they WILL check your medical record if you have a claim for anything over a few quid and not declaring an obvious health condition will invalidate your insurance.

I bet even if you broke your arm or something nothing to do with breathing then they would check your record for previous breaks or problems with your bones, see your respiratory problems then happily tell you where on the policy it says not disclosing health conditions of any sort will invalidate your policy.

They would say, ‘ well, you may have been feeling faint from your COPD and fell and broke your arm so you are not covered.’ Or something like that.

But that’s just my opinion and maybe I am the only person with bad experiences with insurance companies who are not keen to pay out.

Regards

Phil

[fluke13 in reply to Phil40]

I always declare COPD and Emphysema. My question was about infection.

[Phil40 in reply to fluke13]

Oh yes I see I do apologise I didn’t think that through.

I still stand by what I said; if you have taken meds x4 I would be amazed if any insurance company didn’t try to argue that you have not disclosed that and not pay out. That’s what would happen to me.

Does it cost you that much more?

The one time I didn’t get fully insured I nearly broke my ankle in France on a motorcycle tour. Fortunately it wasn’t broken and I could ride home but when I thought about how much it nearly cost I decided not to risk it again. There’s a lot to be said to going away with peace of mind.

And if you didn’t have doubts about this you would not be asking the forum.

Regards

Phil

[fluke13 in reply to Phil40]

Cost is about £50 more. Not so much about the money just the wording on forms. Any infection I get usually shows itself in that my throat gets tighter and my sputum goes sticky and white/cloudy (sorry). The nurse I see has always told me that this is when I should take rescue meds to stop the infection travelling to my chest. I always declare everything because if you don't the insurance is useless anyway. I as asking out of general curiosity, I think its an interesting topic.

[katieoxo60]

Hi there, generally speaking I would say your rescue pack should be declared in the drugs you take for COPD as it is preventative treatment. However the more drugs you take the higher your insurance cost is. What baffles me is why we have to declare all on an insurance policy for UK putting up our premiums for medical problems that are treated free anyway? Not only do they penalise us for being ill and disabled, but charge us incase we are ill in England these days, while others come here and get it free. For your peace of mind you need to declare all as they will take your money then say your not covered, they do the same with life policies even though you can't get one without a doctors report, Oh and many companies won't insure if you have been ill in the past year with several infections. They charge more if you see a consultant on a regular basis also. If you are going abroad you do need insurance at what ever cost it is still cheaper than foreign medical care costs. Why medical issues affect all other parts of a policy never ceases to amaze me and lots of people make mistakes (even professionals), so someone could have genuinely forgotten past medical history, so why should a past illness from years ago be a reason to refuse insurance cover or cancel it as invalid. Sorry for going on a little but it is true even in death they say you must have known.It is all aimed at taking your money and refusing to pay in the event of mishap where ever possible. A new one now many coach companies will not accept you to travel without valid insurance. Hope you get this matter sorted and stay well whilst on holiday. xx

[Phil40 in reply to katieoxo60]

True that.

It’s all about keeping your money as hard as they can. Insurance companies are no favourites of mine.

Phil

[katieoxo60 in reply to Phil40]

Hi I have a critical illness insurance with life cover and I beleive I've almost paid in as much as it is worth and still never had a claim, I've been paying it monthly for 20 odd years now and they have had the interest on my money. The house maintainance ones seem good till you get a break down , sadly my experience of insurers is not good. I had a TV when it broke two months down the line the insurers said it was fair wear and tear. Fortunately Amazon replaced the faulty goods within 24hrs under the sale of goods act.

[Carnival567 in reply to katieoxo60]

As regarding insurance for travel in the U.K., my late father in law aged 85 at the time, took a coach trip to the Isle of Lewis. While there he had a heart attack. Naturally the excellent healthcare was free, but my husband had to fly up to be with him. Fortunately he recovered enough to be discharged but was not allowed to travel back on the coach. His insurance covered all flights back to East Midlands, accompanied by a doctor, and a minibus with doctor back to his home in Lincoln. It also covered my husband's flights etc. Well worth the comparatively small amount of money, especially as he was taken ill again with a pulmonary embolism and had to spend another week in hospital. He had never been so ill before, so he could easily have said insurance was a waste of money. Happily he lived another 8 years in good health, dying after a short illness at almost 93. Otherwise your comments about the right amount of travel insurance are spot on. Like you my advice would be , don't risk it.

[jjnanna]

Beware the insurance company will do everything in their power to prevent paying out ...mine did !!

[jjnanna in reply to jjnanna]

fluke 13. You obviously have an EH11 card so use that as a Spanish nurse at the hospital told me the best hospitals are the local ones they use ....not the private ones and I agree there as my care was disgusting !

[Grayjay]

On mine I declared 3 lots, but then had to take another so declared it to insurance and they said that I've moved into a different category and charged me an extra £40.😥

[giobronchio]

Well, I thought that if you travel in Europe you should not have any medical insurance because you are part of the EU.

I am Italian and resident in UK. My husband and myself we pay taxes in UK and obviously get the same NHS benefits as all English people.

I was in Italy few months ago and had a chest infection I went to a Medical point ( a sort of A&O that is called Guardia Medica in Italy), he visited me, he gave me antibiotics and I went to the Pharmacy and got my medicines and did not have to pay a penny. This is just showing my UK medical card.

I see constantly in Italy people walking into A & E in the hospital, people coming from all over the world, they get medical treatment and in case the illness is a severe one, they even get hospitalized and do not pay a single penny.

Perhaps you should call NHS and ask this kind of information if you travel in Europe and maybe you will save yourself some money???

I hope this can help.