We set out the findings from our review of our rules to improve access to travel insurance for consumers with more serious pre-existing medical conditions.
To help improve access to travel insurance for consumers with more serious pre-existing medical conditions (PEMCs) we introduced rules in Policy Statement (PS20/3). These rules required firms to signpost consumers with PEMCs, in some circumstances, to a directory of specialist firms.
We expected to see improved access for some consumers with PEMCs (both for those that did not previously purchase cover as well as those with exclusions for their PEMC) and lower prices for some customers.
In this post implementation review, we look at firms’ implementation of and compliance with our rules and indicators of the impact of our intervention.
Who this is for
- firms that manufacture and/or offer retail travel insurance
- banks that offer packaged bank accounts which include travel insurance
- insurance industry trade associations
- charities, particularly medical charities
- consumer organisations
- consumers, primarily those with PEMCs
What we found
Overall, we consider that our signposting intervention has had a positive, albeit lower than we expected, impact on the market. We estimate that the intervention resulted in an additional 21,000 policy sales.
Next steps
We will continue to engage with the directories as they look to refine and improve the content of the directories and consumer journeys.
Where we have identified non-compliance we intend to follow up with the firms. In addition, firms need to ensure that consumers are getting fair value from their travel insurance products.
October 2025 update
We have made changes to our travel signposting rules:
- Increasing the medical condition premium trigger point for signposting from £100 to £200.
- Updating the trigger point every 5 years in line with changes to the Consumer Price Index.
- Limiting the number of entries to a directory to 1 per firm.
The new rules come into force on 1 January 2026.