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Better Access to Travel Insurance Forum

The Better Access to Travel Insurance Forum seeks to offer a platform to identify the issues faced by people with rare medical conditions, represent good practice within the industry and to bring about better guidance and signposting on access to travel insurance through government, industry and rare disease community action.

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Why a campaign?

We all need quality leisure time, it could be argued more so if you have a rare medical condition. Gaining access to travel insurance is an important and re-occurring issue reported across medical conditions, and therefore the campaign was launched.

The Forum has therefore been established to give a voice to the rare disease community experience of accessing travel insurance and to understand the government role in this. The Forum will also aim to better understand the barriers to travel insurance from an industry perspective and secure a framework of ongoing political support.

The survey

We surveyed 120 people with rare medical conditions. The survey provides the cornerstone for the campaign and establishment of the Better Access to Travel Insurance Forum. The key findings were as follows:

  • The cost of premiums and high levels of declined insurance applications demonstrate a need for improved understanding by the insurance industry of rare medical conditions and the associated risks.
  • There is a need for better understanding and transparency between people with rare medical conditions and the insurance industry over what insurance policies cover—especially in relation to bundled policies, which will require better sign-posting to appropriate providers.
  • There is also a lack of clear information on specialist insurance provision by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which is vital to support people with rare medical conditions to comply with government advice.
  • There is a strong desire for government to support a campaign to improve access to travel insurance.
  • There is also a clear need for a platform, bringing together those with rare medical conditions, clinicians and the industry to raise the issue of access to travel insurance and enable a collective voice for change.

Ambitions for the future

Following the PNH Alliance survey, the Better Access to Travel Insurance Forum has been established as one of the key stages of this campaign to secure a dialogue with policy-makers. The primary objectives of the Forum are as follows:

  1. Improved sign-posting and guidance from government bodies and industry on travel insurance for people with rare medical conditions.
  2. Introduce a code of conduct between consumer and industry to improve transparency of bundled policy exclusions.