[MartynSinclair]

For more years than I care to mention, I have relied on the Amex Platinum card travel insurance. However, I have recently been prescribed statins. I spoke to Amex to disclose, and they confirmed it “was highly unlikely any heart related travel claim would be accepted, but a decision would be made in the event of claim”. I asked whether I could pay an additional premium to which the answer was no.

Personally, I am not willing to take on this kind of risk when travelling. I need to know whether I am insured at point of travel, not point of claim.

My choices are to try and find an add on travel insurance policy or to find a separate travel policy to provide comprehensive cover

Having done some research, the questions on applications forms are very black and white. One example being, when I disclose I take statins, there is no place to mention that I take statins as a precaution. All applications assume by default I take statins so I must suffer from high cholesterol and high blood pressure. which I don’t!

I am also hearing more and more travellers falling foul of travel insurance with claims being declined not only for non-disclosure, but also for non-disclosure of medical issues occurring years ago.

There is also the added issue of some travel policy administrators managing both the underwriting of the policy and claims handling, which creates a conflict of interest.

I am interested to hear how regular travellers deal with travel insurance, when taking medication and whether anyone knows of a ‘high end’ annual travel policy, that will fully underwrite the policy (requesting medical evidence if needed) on application, not on claim.

Am also interested to hear whether posters have had claims refused for an obscure reason.

Thanks in advance.

[DerekVH]

Martyn, I have taken statins for many years, like yourself as a precautionary measure, I have never had any problems declaring to Staysure and they have never indicated I would not be covered for any cardiac issues. Unlike yourself, I have hereditary high blood pressure and cholesterol and on advising Stayure of a recent increase in medication I was simply asked to pay a small additional fee to my annual policy.

[ASK1945]

Martyn: for more tha 20 years I have had included travel insurance through my bank Premier Account at RBS/NatWest. My Premier account includes various benefits as well as the free travel insurance and is well worth the £20 a month I pay.

When I was prescribed statins as a preventive measure, at a later date, this was noted on my insurance document as admitted being taken, but that was all. Once I reached the age of 70, I have to pay an annual age-related supplementary payment, currently £75.

During the following years I have reported various medical conditions, some relatively serious, which has bumped up the supplementary costs (currently £211) – but none of the reported conditions have been excluded from cover and are listed as being reported on my policy document. The combined cost is still well under quotes for travel insurance that I have received from specialist insurance companies – all of which have excluded some of my more serious past ailments from future claims.

Nevertheless, when I reach 80 in the near future (hopefully!), I am ready for possibly having to move away from RBS/NatWest and Staysure seems to be the company that many of my contempories use.

[MS]

I agree with Amex’s response. The fact you are taking statins shows you are at risk of further complications so you should either pay more or not be covered by Amex insurance for that specific illness.

****Edited by Business Traveller.*****

[cwoodward]

Most Asians would not use costly Statins (that are regarded as a drug by most travel insurance providers) to reduce cholesterol.

Red yeast rice extract (RYRE) has been used in Chinese and several Asian medicines for thousands of years for this and other uses .
It reliably reduces cholesterol levels by about 25%.
Importantly it is classed as a supplement (which it is) rather than a drug
I have business friends both Asian and European ( with very suspect (bad) diets -like Martin !!!) who have used this for years with good results.
It is I understand now being trialed by the NHS – widely available safe and cheap particularly in Asia – available in tablet form in UK I see from Holland & Barrett and others.

Perhaps worth a try.

[cwoodward]

Perhaps a little harsh and overstated MS and nothing that a change in diet wont fix in a few months but in essence true.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Vistaro, Charley Whiskey

[Alsacienne]

At least you have the luxury of having an annual travel/health insurance policy in place. No such type of policy is available in France.

[MartynSinclair]

Good morning and a very happy and healthy new year.

Please re read my original post. I have been prescribed statins as a preventative measure. I explained to the telephone sales agent when asked whether I suffer from High Cholesterol for a definition for “high Cholesterol” which he could not answer. He suggested I answered “don’t know” and he would put some notes against the application and that should be ok!!!

For the record, I do lead a healthy lifestyle, only started to reintroduce meat into my diet after 18 years of being pescatarian. Exercise most days. During a standard own instigation cardio check, Dr prescribed statins, saying they are one of the best medical innovations for years, great safety net taking them.

Had I taken a supplement however, like Red Yeast Rice Extract, I would have avoided all this hassle,….

@MS – Amex are entitled to underwrite their travel policy as they wish, but the policy is an FCA regulated policy and I believe they need to be mindful of the newly introduced Consumer Duty for fair retail consumer outcomes. Travel Insurance policies remain dinosaur to the extent, I believe they are all ‘tick box’ policies and no firm will consider an application using actual medical evidence for the applicant, as with other forms of life insurance. When I offered to send through to Staysure blood history, the reply was, “we are not allowed to see clients medical history”. Claims appear to have a high rejection rate and people taking medication are in some cases being priced out of the market.

Travel insurance market still not working for customers with medical conditions and older people, Which? warns

Staysure quoted nearly £1,000 for worldwide cover (including cruise cover, baggage loss and holiday cancelation cover which was not standard) but was not sufficiently confident about the “dont know” in relation to whether I suffer from high cholesterol. I have written to my GP to inquire whether it can be confirmed, whether statins have been prescribed for preventative or because they cholesterol is high.

With an hour of receiving the Staysure policy details, I got a further email from Staysure, offering me a 20% discount off the premium if I bought today!!!!

1 user thanked author for this post.

cwoodward

[Bath_VIP]

As someone who is registered blind, I’ve always bought my travel insurance through AllClear who are a broker specialising in insurance for all health conditions and disabilities.

My wife has some health issues as well so when I submit our details, I’m able to see what is being asked across a range of conditions.

Despite a notable increase last year, we still paid under £500 for cover for both of us for an annual worldwide including USA multi-trip policy.

Link is here https://www.allcleartravel.co.uk/

2 users thanked author for this post.

TonyR, ASK1945

[Swissdiver]

I am always baffled by the differences between countries when it comes to travel insurance availability. In Switzerland, we have a few, mostly for leisure travel. I had one by Allianz for my business travel. But it seems the product has been discontinued. Other exists though, including one by Europ Assistance, that should also be available in France, @Alsacienne.

Meanwhile I do not rely on credit card linked insurance coverage as often paying with that card is a condition (my clients in general pay for my travels).

Happy to learn more on the topic. Thank you to have initiated the discussion, @MartynSinclair

1 user thanked author for this post.

SwissExPat

[evelyn]

Nationwide Flex Plus account £13 pm includes travel insurance and certainly covers one medical condition per person. eg high blood pressure. Not sure what happens if more than one condition. You pay extra if over 70, can increase time away and amount insured for extra fee.

[theflyingnurse]

Hi MartynSinclair,

I have worked with the underwriters at Staysure many times in helping them determine cover for individuals taken ill abroad. In my experience they are very fair and reasonable in dealing with claims. £1000 is quite expensive for cover but the fact that it is worldwide and covers cruises will add a significant premium to the policy as you can imagine. I have never came across an insurer that fully underwrites at point of application and all insurers I have dealt with almost always ask for past medical history from GP unless it is a very low cost claim.

Nearly all travel insurers use very similar questions and algorithms to determine the cost of cover. You could shop around to see if quotes differ but usually the results are very similar, which has been the case when I have done this in the past. I should say that the call handlers who deal with you are not Nurses etc and they read from a script in a robotic style fashion that is very frustrating. Trying to explain things to them or give context is pointless. You can request to speak with a member of their medical team however and reassuringly all calls are recorded and insurers do use these recordings in the event of any complaints or queries.

Staysure have probably reached a decision on your application based on age and any pre-existing conditions that are a possible risk for a cardiac event. Having a diagnosis of raised cholesterol at any point in your life means you must declare this to them, even if it is now within normal parameters. However the amount this diagnosis will add to your premium is negligible. It is conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, atrial fibrillation etc that will increase your premium significantly.

You have done the right thing in contacting your GP as this will be recorded in your records at the GP surgery. In the event of any claim you may have to make, the insurers will contact your GP (with your permission), and ask for your medical records. I have previously asked family members and friends looking for travel cover to simply ask the GP if they are fit to travel and what conditions they have that need to be declared as this should be recorded on your notes. Hopefully your GP will confirm if you have raised cholesterol or if the statins were commenced for another reason. I would urge anyone who has travel insurance cover with their credit or bank cards to check if this covers pre-existing conditions.

The following article might be of help to you. Good luck finding the right policy.

https://www.nice.org.uk/news/article/statins-could-be-a-choice-for-more-people-to-reduce-their-risk-of-heart-attacks-and-strokes-says-nice#:~:text=The%20draft%20guideline%20recommends%20that,cardiovascular%20event%20may%20be%20underestimated.

5 users thanked author for this post.

ASK1945, JonathanCohen09, DerekVH, MartynSinclair, cwoodward

[MartynSinclair]

Thank you theflyingnurse – a very interesting explanation.

For me cover is the primary issue, not cost and it is frustrating that I have the benefit of the Amex Plat cover. Disclosing to them that I am now taking statins resulted in a simple decision that any claim that is related to the statin medication will not be accepted. No discussion and no option to pay an increased premium. This is on a policy which I understand is regulated by the FCA, so is party to the new Consumer Duty outcomes.

My dealings with Staysure – the premium of £1,000, doesn’t worry me for an annual premium. yet the small print confirms even if I pay an annual premium, I need to inform Staysure of any change in medication or medical conditions, before any booking throughout the year of cover, which as a result, they could cancel the cover mid year! Additionally, I was given 30 days to read the T&C’s, which I appreciated and explained I would need just a few days. However, within minutes of receiving the documents, I was given 24 hours, to make a decision if I was to benefit from a 20% (£200) discount.

For my own piece of mind, I am after a high end travel policy, but it appears most remain paid for applications where full underwriting is only carried out at the point of a heavy duty claim.

1 user thanked author for this post.

theflyingnurse

[theflyingnurse]

Thank you MartynSinclair.

I completely understand your frustrations with the Amex “cover”. You pay a lot for the card and would therefore expect that the travel insurance you get with it would be fit for purpose if you have pre-existing conditions or take certain medications. You may well have looked at this but I have attached a link in which Amex state what they will cover. I note from their smallprint that “Medical assistance and expenses benefits if aged 70 years or over at any time during the trip” are not covered. So for many individuals this policy is of very little use at all if they needed to claim and are of a certain age or have certain pre-existing conditions.

https://www.americanexpress.com/content/dam/amex/uk/benefits/UK_Platinum_Accepted_Conditions_and_Sports_Activities_list.pdf

Keeping in mind that you can buy statins on the internet and your GP could in theory never know about this, you could argue with Amex that you have no pre-existing high cholesterol and that your GP prescribed you the medicine prophylactically, (if this is the case), as many GP’s do now. You could contact the Insurance Ombudsman if you felt you were being treated unfairly. As I recall a referral to them will incur costs for the insurer, https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/businesses/resolving-complaint/case-fees.

I have spoken with a friend who is the CEO of an assistance company and in his many years of experience in the industry he knows of no UK insurer who underwrite at point of purchase or point of travel. Keeping this in mind I would choose a reputable insurer, declare all conditions and opt for cover that has unlimited medical expenses, (essential for trips to the USA), and a high level of cancellation cover in case you have bought F or J class tickets. Or indeed any other ticket with a letter which denotes an expensive class of travel.

There is the option of having pre-existing conditions excluded from cover,(the cost for some could be prohibitive). This would mean that any medical issue that happened on a trip which could be attributable to the pre-existing condition would not be covered. This could be disastrous for some and I personally wouldn’t consider it. I’m sorry if I am stating the obvious but it is imperative to know whether the statins were prescribed as a precaution perhaps due to age or if there some clinical risk factor that has not been explained to you by your GP. If there is no clinical risk factor/underlying condition then there is nothing you can realistically declare in all honesty.

Apologies for the long winded post.

[RoyC]

Like ASK1945 we use NatWest Gold but only pay £ 18 per month through our off shore account. I am 83 and the only limitation is that, on reaching 84, they will not cover car hire collision excess. I am meticulous in advising of health related subjects such as heart pacemaker. Their service is excellent – on making a claim 3 years ago I asked what I should and the answer was ” You do nothing. We will take care of everything from now on.” and they did.

[Author]

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