Nearly half of winter sport holidaymakers wary about notifying pre-existing medical conditions

PR Web

MANCHESTER, U.K. (PRWEB) October 05, 2018

Nearly half of Brits who have been on or are planning to go on a winter sports holiday think their travel insurance would be more expensive and that they would struggle to get insurance at all, if they disclosed their medical conditions. That's the worrying finding of a new YouGov poll commissioned by global travel tech specialist, Aquarium Software, who is calling for the travel insurance industry to do more to encourage consumers to tell the truth when it comes to pre-existing medical conditions.

The study of over 2,000 British adults took an in depth look at attitudes to travel insurance and winter sports in particular. While 46 percent felt medical conditions would make winter sports cover more expensive, by lying; telling small 'porkies'; or having 'selective memories' on their policy declaration, people are perhaps unknowingly invalidating their cover. Yet there are niche providers who cater for winter sports and others specialise in pre-existing medical conditions, bringing comprehensive cover within reach for many who may wrongly feel priced out.

"Non disclosure of medical conditions is a significant problem for the insurance industry, because people feel they will be unfairly penalised for telling the truth," said Aquarium Software Managing Director, Ed Shropshire. "Others genuinely forget past conditions or mistakenly think they are not relevant, and rumours that some insurers may try to dodge paying legitimate claims does not help. It is perhaps human nature to put a sheen on the truth in certain situations, but travel insurance is one area where the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth pays in the long-term – even if there is a short-term financial cost," said Ed.

"In the next 15 years, the over 65s population in the UK will increase by 4.4 million. Many with medical conditions will still wish to travel. For sustainable business models, we must ensure people are not priced out for telling the truth, while insurers still need to make a reasonable profit," added Ed. "Consumers need to shop around; price comparison sites are a good first port of call, but may not always be best for specific age groups; medical conditions; or activities. Niche providers including charities and associations may be more likely to offer affordable premiums and the best cover for very specific scenarios," concluded Ed.