A WHOPPING 15% of travellers fail to declare medical conditions to their insurers, new research shows.
An alarming number of middle aged men and women with pre-existing medical conditions are placing themselves at risk when holidaying abroad, according to travel insurance provider AllClear.
New data reveals that many people are deliberately failing to declare their conditions to their insurer before they travel – in the hope they will save money as a result.
In the research, roughly 15% of people aged 45-50 admitted they intentionally omitted certain conditions.
One in ten failed to declare a condition if it had been diagnosed some time ago.
But Garry Nelson of AllClear says that by doing so they run the risk of their insurers failing to pay out should an incident occur.
“Some have conditions that they consider so minor or that they have lived with for so long that they don’t think it will be a problem,” he explains.
“But the effect of changes in environment and climate upon conditions such as asthma or high blood pressure can result in an individual falling ill and needing medical treatment, and such treatment can be costly.
“If they have not declared that condition, then the insurer has every right to refuse the claim, and in the worst cases this can cost the individual many thousands of pounds.”
Concern
In the same survey, 89% of middle-aged men and women failed to guess correctly the average cost of a medical emergency claim in Europe (£5,348) – a fact that brings into sharp relief Mr Nelson’s concern.
He added: “Some people are taking a gamble with their insurance just to save a few pounds.
“But for those who gamble and lose, the true cost could be severe. The simple message to every traveller has to be ‘if in doubt, declare it’.”
