Travel insurance customers with Pre-Existing Medical Conditions (PEMCs)

The FCA has found that some customers with pre-existing medical conditions (PEMCs) find it difficult to obtain affordable cover for their conditions. To assist these customers in finding cover, insurers and brokers are now required to signpost affected customers to where they can find a choice of specialist providers.

Insurers and brokers who are marketing travel insurance on their websites are already required to include details of one of the approved directories of specialist providers on their website.

• When a firm provides a customer with a travel insurance quote (new business, renewal, or mid-term), the firm must disclose to the customer whether any medical condition exclusion can be removed from the policy and, if so, how.
• Where any of the following circumstances apply, the firm must also provide the details of one of the approved directories, together with an explanation of the purpose of the directory and the benefits of consulting it:
  • The firm declines to quote due to a medical condition
  • The policy is cancelled due to a medical condition
  • The firm offers a policy with a medical condition exclusion that cannot be removed
  • The premium relating to the risk associated with one or more medical conditions is £100 or more, or is unknown.

The responsibility for communicating this information to the customer lies with the firm that provides the rest of the pre-contractual information to the customer.

If Ecclesiastical is unable to provide your customer with cover, we will follow the process below:

When one of your customers has a pre-existing condition that we are unable to cover, we will advise you via email. It is then important that you follow your own processes in respect of Pre-Existing Medical Condition signposting and if required, notify your client of the approved directories of specialist providers to help them in being able to obtain some cover.

As a quick guide to see whether we would be able to provide cover for your customer, we have a list of pre-existing medical conditions that are acceptable under the Travel Section of the Art and Private Policy wording, and can, on occasion, accept other pre-existing medical conditions by referral/medical declaration.

Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Art and Private Client team.