What happens if you have a medical emergency on holiday? Like other travel insurers, InsureandGo promises a “24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week” helpline for distressed holidaymakers. But when Guardian Money reader Joe Greensmith fell ill in Vietnam his medical drama turned into a crisis after he alleges InsureandGo virtually abandoned him as he struggled to find urgent assistance in a local hospital.
When Greensmith rang the insurer’s “round-the-clock” emergency helpline from Vietnam at 9am it was open, despite it being 3am in Ireland where the call centre was, but he says he was told he could not be dealt with until the day shift arrived later in the morning.
Later that day, InsureandGo arranged for Greensmith, suffering from gallstone complications, to go into hospital in Hanoi. “When I arrived, nobody knew anything about me. I phoned the insurance company to be told, again, that I had to wait for the day shift. By 11am I was seen by a doctor who told me I was not urinating blood but bile, and that I had a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment. By this time, my skin and eyes had turned yellow.”
Things then took an even worse turn. InsureandGo authorised an MRI scan, but stunned the by now seriously ill patient by telling him it would refuse to pay for the hospital treatment because his problems stemmed from a pre-existing condition. Greensmith was forced to borrow £3,000 from a friend to fund his remaining treatment.
InsureandGo now accepts it should not have turned down Greensmith’s claim, and has refunded the £3,000 after Money’s intervention.
Greensmith, a boat builder from Lowestoft in Suffolk, had bought the annual travel policy via a Travelex bureau just before flying. He was handed a credit-sized card and leaflet, and when he phoned to activate the policy as instructed, he told the company that he was receiving treatment for gallstones, and that, he says, was the end of the conversation.
Back in the UK, Greensmith was told by his GP that the condition he’d had can kill within two hours. Furious at InsureandGo’s stance, and its failure to offer immediate assistance, he contacted the company to complain.
“When I did so, the customer relations manager told me that the company doesn’t need a 24-hour medical team because ‘all the hospitals in the world have to treat emergency cases because of ethics’.
“To me, this is nonsense – they are confusing western values with a third world communist country. In Vietnam it is a case of no payment, no treatment.”
A spokeswoman for InsureandGo told Money: “When we listened to the call Mr Greensmith made to activate his card, we found that there had indeed been a failure on our part. We should have made it clear that his medical conditions were not covered and explained just what it meant should he fall ill with a pre-existing condition whilst he was away. We should have also offered him the opportunity to either include his conditions at an additional premium, or get a refund for his policy.
“We are genuinely sorry for this failure, which comes down to human error. We will be paying Mr Greensmith’s medical bill in full and are reviewing the training of our staff.”
But InsureandGo rejects Greensmith’s accusations about the helpline. “We also listened to the calls made to our 24-hour medical assistance helpline. Whilst we were are really sorry that Mr Greensmith has had a bad experience, we are satisfied that the service our medical assistance team gave was of a high standard.
“All our staff are used to dealing with time differences and medical centres around the world; it is what they are trained to do. We understand that there was a problem with an appointment made for Mr Greensmith at a hospital. We have thoroughly investigated this and found that we were not at fault on this occasion. Nevertheless, we are sorry for the miserable time Mr Greensmith has had.”
Policy exclusions
If you have what the industry calls a “pre-existing medical condition”, which could be anything from cancer to epilepsy, you may find you have to pay much more for travel insurance, or struggle to get cover at all, writes Rupert Jones.
Those struggling to get reasonably priced cover may want to try a broker. The British Insurance Brokers’ Association website has a tool that allows people to search for brokers by insurance type. The travel option lists a vast range of illnesses and conditions.
Alternatively, charities often have information about insurers who may be able to help. For example, Cancer Research UK’s website lists several catering for those with pre-existing conditions, including AllClear Travel which claims to be the “No. 1 specialist” in this area; Freedom Insurance Services; InsureCancer; It’s So Easy Travel Insurance; Free Spirit; World First; Insurance Choice; Orbis Insurance Services; and JD Travel Insurance Consultants.
The Association of British Insurers says people must answer questions about their medical history “fully and honestly”, plus update their insurer on any changes to their condition.
