50,000 sign petition on mental health discrimination after Bupa refuses travel cover

A peition calling for travel insurance companies to stop discriminating against people with mental health conditions by refusing them cover has reached over 50,000 signatures. It will be delivered to the FCA and  secretary of state for health Jeremy Hunt, as well as Bupa.

The petition-starter claims to have received “thousands” of similar testimonies, according to The Independent.

Bupa travel insurance customer Elizabeth Watson started the petition. She claims the insurer refused to offer her cover for a holiday in Spain because she suffers from bipolar disorder.

Watson claims that she was offered a premium of £21 after sharing her physical medical conditions and current medications.However, when she disclosed her bipolar disorder she was told that she would no longer be covered. She alleges that she was not offered a higher premium.

Bipolar disorder, formerly known as manic depression, affects 2% of the population according to the NHS Digital Survey. Website BipolarUK recommends that sufferers obtain cover through two specialist insurance companies: Active Minds Insurance Services and Free Spirit Travel Insurance. Its website states this is because “it can be difficult to purchase travel insurance from High Street insurers if you have a severe mental illness.”

When contacted by Insurance Times for comment, Bupa UK director of consumer insurance Richard Norris said Bupa apologised for the distress caused to the customer. He confirmed that Bupa is unable to offer travel cover for some sufferers of mental health conditions, stating: “We aim to give our customers the most comprehensive cover possible, including mental health conditions where possible.”

Norris continued “We screen our Premier and Gold travel insurance customers for physical and mental health conditions to check whether we can provide coverage for any pre-existing conditions while they’re abroad.”

Since the petition was started, more testimonies from customers who have experienced similar problems have emerged, though it is unclear which insurers were involved and it is difficult to comment on individual cases or pinpoint whether there will be any additional fallout for the industry. The Independent reports that Watson claims to have has received “thousands” of messages from people who had also struggled to purchase travel cover.

One commenter on the petition said they and their family had travelled without insurance after experiencing a “similar issue”. Another gave the example of a paranoid schizophrenic family member who is unable to obtain insurance, despite needing new experiences to help combat their condition.

Almost half of adults believe they have a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their lifetime and a third will receive a diagnosis, research by the Mental Health Foundation shows.

The petition comes at a time where the industry’s contentious image with the public is already an issue, with consumer confidence and trust low.

The ABI does not comment on individual cases and Bupa is not a member, but, speaking more generally to Insurance Times, chief media relations officer Malcolm Tarling highlighted that there are options out there for travellers with mental health diagnoses if they shop around and suggested that customers may benefit from help by specialist insurance intermediaries.

Tarling commented: “Insurers want to offer travel cover to as many travellers as possible and mental ill health should not be a barrier to getting cover with insurance often available by shopping around. Insurers will assess the risk from someone with an existing mental health condition as they would from those with a physical health pre-existing condition. As with any pre-existing condition, customers should disclose full details of any mental ill health when applying for travel insurance. Insurers will take account of developments in the treatment and management of mental ill health to ensure they reflect current understanding.”

He added “It may be necessary to use a specialist travel insurance intermediary to help access those insurers with experience in assessing mental ill health.” 

You can view the change.org petition here.