advice please. Insurance won’t pay out for gallstones.

ah thanks for getting back. Did you single trip policy cover you for gallstones, in case. Was it hugely expensive?

It is very difficult, and often impossible to get cover beyond a certain age for some pre-existing conditions.

Hello Jura. I saw the post and as i read it thought, oh someone else is in exactly the same position as me until I noticed it was my post from January.
You ask what happened, sorry I never came back but it was a bit full on at the time.
As you know staysure refused to cover me so I took out another single trip policy with another company.
I had hoped the operation would be done before the holiday but complications meant it was delayed til our return.
Was warned not to eat spicy or hot food....but a bit hard to avoid in India. Curry for breakfast lunch and dinner!
I feel fine now and have had no problems since.
I won’t be using stay sure again and now need to look round fir another insurer. It’s a minefield.
Thanks to all fir the comments, perhaps I should have taken it again up with them but didn’t, and now it’s probably too late. Annoying having to pay twice for the same trip.
Oh and as a ps our airline went out of business during our holiday which made things super awkward on our return.
It’s certainly one to remember.

such a pity when people post for advice then just disappear. The answer would be useful for many.

What happened in the end Silverlining?

Ask around different insurance companies and see if you would insure you . No problem in having more than one insurance as long as you do not claim from both. Get some strong painkillers form GP if he is willing to give you them just in case.
I had gall stones ( undiagnosed ) for 20 years . After they found them ( Very small but painful ) and took them out my daughter told her GP I still had them . She was shocked until DD explained they were in a jar at home .

[email protected] insured me when I added gall stones on to my worldwide travel insurance. They wanted to know if my gallbladder was damaged during my attack and I had to get in touch with my GP who said the gallbladder wasn’t damaged. I wasn’t asked to pay any more premium. However with my medical history I pay £108 annually which I think is fair. If you want to know more please PM me.

The bank has me insured for little things but won’t consider me for any pre existing conditions.

I went to Switzerland last year with an uninsured condition - I just took my chance as no-one would cover it. EHIC is of course a factor when it comes to treatment; it is if you need to be flown home, or relatives need to stay on to be with you that the problems arise.

If you seek insurance elsewhere, I think it is important that you do mention this recent attack. If you became ill with this condition while you were away they can access your records and will note that you have not mentioned this. Thus will they wriggle out of payment!

I can understand that a new condition before you go won’t be covered if you go but can’t believe that in that case they won’t pay out for cancellation costs - surely not

They are sneaky! I have CLL which is currently is not manifesting itself in any way other than in my blood count. I have insurance citing CLL as an exception, i.e. if I became ill with CLL related issue I have to pay! Very few travel insurance will cover cancer illness.
I do not understand how updating information on your health means that a new condition is not insurable!

I’m still confused - is anyone else? My understanding is- I take out holiday insurance and declare all the conditions I have at the time. The insurance company agree to cover the conditions or not. If not I decide whether to take the chance or not. Then just before going some condition emerges. I ring them to tell them and they will agree to cover me or not ( maybe for an extra premium). If they won’t cover me, will they allow me to cancel and pay up for that? Or only if it’s reasonable to cancel in the circumstances? And if it’s not reasonable to cancel then why would not they cover me. Am I missing something?

PECS....ouch! And a timely reminder that we should all have travel insurance even if not actually leaving the country. If you have to cancel a trip due to poor health its still pretty expensive. Its not all about loosing your suitcase abroad or needing health care whilst actually on holiday. Also if you do some activities that you would not normally do....that could nullify your policy. Always best to specify everything and then read policy twice!

silverlining take care! I had to be hospitalised due to a gall bladder infection & I had not been diagnosed with any gall stones before! I was on holiday but only at Camber Sands with the DGC.

Check the small print first silverlining (I'd hate to recommend something that had a loophole which you missed). However, the link did specify that they would cover for gallstones I think.

I didn't have to claim but I would use them again. However, they do (as do all companies, I think) use 'zones' and, if I had wanted to just go out of the airport into Singapore for just a few hours, that would have been an extra £50 insurance.

My first new quote today was a definite no no but now have had one from All clear which was much much cheaper for what seems the same cover, thank you Jalima.

Before I commit I will contact my current insurer again to check why they wouldn’t include the new health information for an added cost, otherwise it’s clear that its going to be All Clear.

Where the gallstones being investigated or diagnosed before you actually booked the holiday?

Tartlet and silverlining
This is from the Financial Ombudsman's website:

ongoing duty of disclosure:
Some insurers try to exclude from cover not only pre-existing medical conditions but also any medical conditions that arise between the start of the policy and the start of the trip.
We generally take the view that this is not fair and reasonable - particularly if these terms were not brought to the consumer's attention when they took out or renewed the policy.

Like others, I can't see why the company will not cover cancellation of this holiday, as the condition does not appear to pre-date the taking out of the insurance (unless related symptoms had previously been reported to a doctor).

Martin Lewis often says how important it is to take out insurance as soon as you book a holiday precisely so that you are covered for cancellation if something unforseen like this happens between booking and departure.

But companies can hide all sorts of get-out clauses in the small print!

It is staysure, which you mention you have used too.
Oh goodness silverlining!
The only reason I didn't use them again was because they promised a reduction in my insurance after using them for three years - then tried to charge more even though I had never made a claim. I then insured with AllClear which were £200 cheaper but as I didn't have to claim I am not sure just how helpful they would be in the event of needing to use them.

Jalima, I'm sorry but travel insurance doesn't work like that.
I'm confused - you take out insurance in case something happens that you knew nothing about beforehand and you then have to cancel your holiday.

Jalima, I'm sorry but travel insurance doesn't work like that. As soon as a condition is diagnosed it becomes pre existing and excluded from cover unless the company knows about it and has specifically agreed to cover it.

Of course insurance companies do their best not to pay out and stick to the terms of the policy. They'd soon be out of business else. We just need to do our best to stop them wriggling out of things.

I find that strange. I had a one off policy for a holiday this month and I was diagnosed with cancer at the end of November. They added the condition without extra charge and told me I would be covered. As it happened we did have to cancel but because of my husband's sciatica.

Can I ask whether you tried more than once to get the company to include the gall stones? If not, I think it would be a good idea to try again (Not mentioning that you've previously been refused) and see what happens. Mention that you're expecting to pay a supplement. Worth a try anyway in case it saves you taking out a second policy.

Thank you all decor your input. jalima you ask which company and It is staysure, which you mention you have used too. Will check All Clear, thankyou.
I understand there’s no problem insuring myself again for this single trip which is what I plan to do. It doesn’t seem right that I have to do this as I already have insurance but there isn’t an alternative.
By the way I hadn’t mentioned my recent attack I just reported a new gallstones diagnosis. It’s very common and most people don’t even know they have it, i only found out by chance.
Will be looking for another insurer next year. Oh yes.

Jalima, as soon as the gall stones were diagnosed it became a pre existing condition but one which the insurance company hadn’t already agreed to cover.
I think they are being unfair and unreasonable Tartlet!

I took out joint annual worldwide insurance last year but have subsequently been diagnosed with gallstones

If you had taken out the insurance before your gallstones were diagnosed then it isn't a 'pre-existing condition', and, unless it is specifically excluded in the small print they seem to be wriggling out of their contract with you.
Most unfair imo.

Can you tell us which company this is so that we can all avoid it?