Over 6 million Brits suffer with respiratory problems, according to the NHS. However, 40% of us don't realise that we have to declare breathing conditions and allergies when buying travel insurance.
According to a survey by PayingTooMuch.com, many travelers are unaware that if they fail to disclose conditions like chronic bronchitis oranycase of asthma, they could void their travel insurance policy and face hefty medical bills abroad, as well as a £45,000 bill to be flown home.
Alongside asthma and depression, the top medical conditions travelers fail to disclose are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, skin cancer, heart attack, prostate cancer, blood clots, depression, irritable bowel syndrome and breast cancer.
In fact, the Financial Ombudsman Service receives around 45 complaints every week regarding unsuccessful travel insurance claims, most of which involve failure to disclose pre-existing medical conditions.
And it's not just pre-existing medical conditions travelers are getting caught out by, almost 15% of people have suffered from a NEW medical condition while on holiday according to the survey, demonstrating you never know what's around the corner.
Commenting on the importance of disclosing pre-existing medical conditions, travel insurance expert at PayingTooMuch.com Beth Macer, said:
"If you are prescribed medication for treating or controlling a current or previous medical condition then you need to declare the condition for which the medication is prescribed, to your insurer. Failure to declare your conditions could cause serious repercussions when it comes to making a claim."
The 4 most popular travel insurance myths dispelled
To help you avoid falling into this trap, PayingTooMuch.com has dispelled some common travel insurance myths when it comes to declaring medical conditions.
1) "I don't have to tell my insurer about asthma or allergies."
40% of Brits are unaware that asthma and allergies have to be declared to a travel insurer.
However, breathing conditions like asthma and chronic bronchitis must usually be disclosed, even if you no longer receive treatment for them. So no matter how long ago the condition was diagnosed, or whether or not you've suffered any symptoms recently, your insurer still needs to know about it.
All allergies should be disclosed, regardless of how serious they may seem. Even a food allergy could cause issues when travelling abroad, if you are dining in restaurants with foreign menus and/or language barriers and accidentally eat a dish containing nuts, gluten or dairy, for example.
If you have anaphylaxis, telling your travel insurer is crucial - especially if you carry an 'EPI' pen. This would need to be covered if you required treatment for an allergic reaction or anaphylactic shock whilst travelling.
2) "I don't need travel insurance because I have an EHIC."
Although nearly 1 in 10 Brits view the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) as an alternative to travel insurance, the card only covers necessary medical treatment from state healthcare providers, which isn't always free.
It won't cover repatriation if you need to be flown home, and it won't pay out for baggage, cancellations, missed flights or other expenses.
So, take care of your health whilst on holiday by buying adequate travel insurance and carrying your EHIC.
3) "I don't have to mention any problems with past pregnancies, even if I travel whilst pregnant again.'
80% of us don't realise this, but women must declare past pregnancy complications when applying for travel insurance to cover them for current and future pregnancies.
Although a normal pregnancy isn't a pre-existing medical condition and doesn't need to be disclosed to a travel insurer, over 250,000 pregnant women suffer complications (eg. miscarriage, gestational diabetes, etc.) which are defined as pre-existing medical conditions and as such, must be disclosed to a travel insurer if travelling while pregnant again.
4) "I can't have the holiday I want because I can't afford the travel insurance."
Ever compromised on your holiday because of a high travel insurance quote? Then you're amongst the 15% of Brits who have lost out on their ideal holiday because they didn't think their budgets would cover the travel insurance.
Don't let an expensive travel insurance quote put you off your dream holiday. Shop around - prices range widely between insurers, with some offering specialist cover for specific groups of travellers, including older holidaymakers.
