ABI debates travel insurance issues

Travel insurance policies suits the majority of holidaymakers but are not appropriate for everyone, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI).

For instance, people who have been diagnosed with cancer often find it difficult to buy travel insurance because high street products are not individually tailored.

ABI spokesperson Kelly Ostler said that many mainstream policies do not cover people with pre-existing medical conditions.

She argued that it is not feasible for every policy to cover cancer risks and said it is up to the individual insurance company to decide what illnesses to underwrite.

However, there are enough specialist insurers, like Pink Insurance, on the market to cater for holidaymakers who have a particular illness, she remarked.

"It is a case of [...] shopping around. There is an active specialist market out there and many cancer charities provide a list of those companies."

A recent study by charity Cancerbackup found that people who had been cancer-free for years were often offered unaffordable premiums by travel insurance providers.

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