The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has raised concerns over the amount of Britons travelling abroad without adequate travel insurance in place.
Most people will have booked their summer holiday by now and may even have their travel insurance policy in place. That said, the Foreign Office is urging people to buy travel insurance and make sure they are fully covered.
In many cases, travellers will not be covered for any ?pre-existing? conditions. For instance, if suffering from epilepsy, cover will not extend to medical costs incurred for care in the event of an epileptic fit. This also applies to compensation for cancellation. Cover for cancellation of holidays is often not valid if, for instance, a close relative has cancer at the time at which the policy is taken out and dies just before the holiday. These insurance issues can often just add to an already very traumatic time.
Unless the policy specifies it, cover does not often extend to injury incurred if participating in a ?dangerous? sport whilst away on holiday. The definition of ?dangerous? will depend on the insurer and travellers should check their policy carefully.
Not only are there limits on what can be claimed for, but often there will be limits on the amounts that individuals may claim on all sections of the policy and they may find they are liable to pay the first ?50 or more of any claim, known as the ?excess?. There will also be a limit on the amount that can be claimed for a single item. This might be as low as ?300. However, these types of valuables will be covered on a household contents policy if taken out with ?all risks? insurance.
People failing to declare pre-existing medical and other conditions of their holiday is often a problem when making an insurance claim according to the Foreign Office. This leads to many complaints. The Finance Ombudsman have stated before that complaints about travel insurance account for around 1 in 8 of their cases. But ultimately, no amount of complaining takes away the pain and suffering felt by so many Britons stranded abroad or presented with large medical bills after a holiday.
In the annual report, British Behaviour Abroad, it is documented that 3,689 Britons were hospitalised abroad this year. What?s more the Association of British Insurers have stated that medical treatment costs are up 33% compared with five years ago and now account for 60% of all claims paid by travel insurers.
Jeremy Browne, Minister of the FCO said ?This report shines a light on the number of Britons who get into difficulty each year. The worrying fact is that so many of these situations are preventable. Helping out Britons is our job, but we can?t get you out of jail or pay your hospital bills?.
Many of these Britons would not have had these problems had they adequate travel insurance in place before they left. Mr. Browne suggests people prepare properly for their trips and emphasises the importance of arranging appropriate travel insurance.
Insurance broker, John Hooper of Coversure said ?Travel insurance is very often an afterthought when planning a holiday. It is understandable; booking your holiday is an enjoyable and exciting time. The last thing you want to be doing is spending time making sure that you have the right cover in place.? Hooper, went on to say ?Many people don?t realise that there are some very significant differences between travel insurance policies. They are not all alike. I would advice residents to contact their local insurance broker for expert advice on which single trip or annual travel insurance policy is right for them.?
The table to the right shows British nationals needing consular help while on holiday.
Contact:
Thomas Birch
Marketing Manager
Tel: 0800 3081 213
Email: thomasbi(at)coversure(dot)co(dot)uk
Note to editors:
Coversure Insurance Services is the largest and longest running general insurance franchise operation in the UK intermediary market. Established by local insurance expert Mark Coverdale in Huntingdon in 1986 the group now controls premiums over ?60m with branch offices at 90 locations throughout the UK.
Head Office: Coversure Insurance Services, Coversure House, Vantage Park, Washingley Road, Huntingdon, PE29 6SR
http://www.coversure.co.uk
Coversure offer all general insurances including Motor, Property and Travel cover. They also have a number of specialist schemes for Public & Employers Liability, Taxi Insurance, Property Owners and Professional Indemnity.
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