Travel Insurance Claim Denied

Howdy all,

This may seem trivial to what everyone might be going though but I am seeking some advise.

In December 2023 my partner felt some lumps on her right breast which we did not worry too much about as she had lumps like this a few times before which turned out to be breast cysts so she made the point of booking an appointment with the GP in order to get an referral at the breast clinic, as is the norm in Scotland, to have them aspirated. Visit was made to the GP on 16/01 and referral was made to the clinic for 29/01. In the meantime I went ahead and booked a holiday on 25/01 for 2 weeks during Easter. The visit to the clinic was made and at that point there was concern that this time it was not cysts. A biopsy was taken and on 05/02 a breast cancer diagnosis was made which was a huge shock.

I made a claim to my travel insurance as we obviously had to cancel the holiday in order to start the treatment but they have denied my claim stating that as "symptoms" presented in December and the initial GP visit was made on 16/01, this is classed as a "pre-existing condition" and they will not cover. I am at a bit of loss on this as surely "lumps" should not be classed as a symptom of a condition that has not been diagnosed yet and that initial GP visit should not be classed as the "first consultation"? The GP visit was basically a visit to the nurse in order to get the referral and they did not even examine her!

I ask this as I am sure I should contest this but wanted to check that I have not missed something here and to see if anyone else has experienced this?

Thanks

p.s Treatment is going very well and after 4 rounds of chemo, shrinkage is at 90%

  • Hello Loosing_It_

    I'm sorry to hear about your partner's recent diagnosis. It's understandably been a difficult time for you both but it's really good to hear that treatment is going well and there has been a positive response so far. 

    With regards to your question about the refused travel insurance claim, I've found information on the Citizens Advice website regarding problems with travel insurance claims along with information on the Financial Ombudsman Service website which may be of particular interest. 

    I hope this helps and send our best wishes for the rest of your partner's treatment. 

    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator 

  • Definitely one for Citizen’s Advice, I guess it all depends on the exact terms and conditions you signed up for. These “people” (insert your favourite swear word here) are really good at wriggling off the payment hook for the slightest reason. They might, for example, argue that you were on a cancer care pathway when the holiday was booked and that if you’d declared that they would have declined your application or significantly increased your premium.

    Too late now but sometimes its better to reschedule a holiday, rather than cancel it - or even transfer it to friends and family. I’ve rescheduled with Tui in the past under similar circumstances. They’ll bend over backwards to avoid giving anyone a refund.

    Your response to chemo sounds promising - which is the main thing!

    Best wishes
    Dave