Holiday insurance has long been an issue for disabled travellers – what can you do to minimise the cost?
WORDS: MARK DAVIDSON
Whenever travelling – be it within the UK or abroad – non-disabled people usually have just a few decisions to make when organising their travel insurance; essentially, the length of cover (single trip or for a set period such as one year), the kind of policy (covering Europe or the whole world) and finding the best deal – increasingly by using one of the main price comparison websites.
However, things can get more complex if you have a pre-existing medical condition or a physical or sensory impairment. This is despite the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) making it’s illegal for you receive less favourable goods and services if the discrimination is based on your disability. And that includes when you’re arranging insurance.
Yet it’s not inherently against the word of the law for you to potentially end up paying more than a non-disabled person looking for effectively the same cover. Why? It comes down to one word in the legislation: ‘reasonable’. Given that it’s an industry based on the calculation of risk, the DDA actually allows the insurance industry to apply special conditions or premiums to disabled people for particular set of circumstances – just as long as they can show that they are fair and justifiable – that they’re ‘reasonable’.
BEING CHARGED MORE
In other words, while simple blanket bans are out, insurance companies can take underlying health issues and physical or sensory impairments into account when calculating the cover they’ll offer and the premiums they’ll demand. Of course, if you feel you’ve been unfairly treated, then you can make a formal complaint to the Insurance Ombudsman, either direct or through your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Alternatively, you can contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
All this can take a lot of time and effort, of course, which may explain why so many people neglect to take out insurance – and come to regret it later. An estimated 1.3 million people travel abroad every year with a known medical history without telling their insurers, while around 500,000 people travel abroad without any travel insurance at all. To say this is risky surely goes without saying; withholding key information could allow the insurer to refuse to pay up, leaving you with horrendous medical and travel costs.
It’s not only holidaymakers that have to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Double Gold Paralympian David Weir has found that it can be difficult to get insurance for his racing chair; in fact, it’s been easier for him in the past to claim compensation from the airlines for damage rather than paying horrendous premiums – surely not the best way of going about things!
REMEMBER TO READ THE SMALL PRINT
Get Kids Going – a charity which provides equipment and wheelchairs enabling children and young adults to participate in sport – advises athletes to insure their own equipment, depending on individual circumstances.
Damage is not the only problem, though; mobility equipment, just like other luggage, can also vanish en route when you’re travelling – whether it’s stolen or simply lost, the consequences can often be the start of a holiday spent in a foreign police station trying to explain what has been taken.
When travelling, it is important to make sure that you don’t fall foul of your insurance cover. In the United Kingdom it is a legal obligation for hotels and restaurants to provide full access to those in wheelchairs. When going abroad however, laws can differ somewhat. As a result, it might invalidate your cover if you don’t read the small print.
CHECK AHEAD WHERE YOU CAN
Bear in mind the weather. A sun-baked beach can soon turn into mud in the rainy season, and unless tyres have good grip it may be difficult getting around in such poor conditions – don’t push yourself too hard, otherwise you might end up in hospital fighting to get adequate compensation. Insurance companies can take the attitude that, if there’s any hint of an injury being self-inflicted, the policy becomes invalid. Warmer temperatures will sap the energy of most people, let alone someone who is pushing a wheelchair. So be careful, otherwise expensive hospital bills might follow.
If you have any pre-existing medical conditions bring a list of requirements translated into the relevant language. It is important when making claims for the cost of any medicine.
In Europe, the right of way may vary from the United Kingdom when crossing the street. So check the relevant highway code as any wrong move may cause a refusal on the part of the insurance company to pay out.
JUDGING RISK
So, how do insurance companies go about insuring holiday makers? Legal and General say they use a formula to determine what insurance cover will be provided. For those using wheelchairs the insurance is fairly standard. However if the traveller has other illnesses then premiums may vary, depending on the level of treatment required. People with cancer may also have to undergo a lengthy set of questions before cover is granted.
One of the seemingly better companies to travel with is the AA. Though most notable for car breakdown cover, they also now have a comprehensive range of insurance policies for people with impairments, and are even willing to insure those who would like to go mobility skiing!
Insurance companies such as Direct Line are happy to insure disabled people and there is no problem getting a quote for a wheelchair user, although this has to be done over the telephone – sadly, because of the complexities and unique realities of various medical conditions and impairments, online quotes remain beyond most companies’ websites.
If you feel the stigma of being interrogated by the main companies is too much there are also a growing number of companies that specifically deal in providing insurance for disabled people. They have a wealth of experience and are often able to give a very competitive quote as travel insurance for disabled people is their core business.
Published by Travel Guide. For more information on disabled holidays visit our website.
Tags: accessible holidays, disabled holidays, disabled travel, travel, travelguide
