Open consultation: CP19/23
15/07/2019
Consultation closes
15/09/2019
Policy Statement
05/02/2020
05/02/2020
We have made changes to the Handbook to introduce new requirements to help consumers with more serious pre-existing medical conditions (PEMCs) better navigate the travel insurance market. Firms that sell travel insurance will have to signpost consumers to a directory of specialist firms that provide this type of insurance.
The Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) has launched a travel insurance directory on its Money Advice Service website for people with serious pre-existing medical conditions.
This directory meets our criteria for a Medical Cover Firm Directory.
All firms that offer retail travel insurance must include details of the MaPS directory on their websites within 30 days from when the directory goes live on 8 October 2020. This is to ensure that consumers will have access to the directory, ahead of the introduction of the signposting requirement in April 2021. In the future, should other directories meet our criteria (as confirmed by us), firms will be able to list details of any of these directories.
Consumer enquiries about the MaPS directory can be made to the Money Advice Service’s Customer Contact Centre which is available from Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm: 0800 138 7777. Firms can contact the Directory Helpdesk by emailing: [email protected].
From 26 April 2021, firms must signpost certain customers with pre-existing medical conditions (PEMCs) to a Medical Cover Firm Directory, as set out in Policy Statement PS20/3.
In addition to signposting, the FCA will be working with stakeholders to try to improve consumer understanding of the travel insurance market, including producing material on PEMCs. This information will help consumers understand the implications of travelling with exclusions, and how factors such as country of travel can impact medical costs and therefore travel insurance premiums.
Our changes will:
These changes will primarily be of interest to:
Some consumers with PEMCs have problems navigating the market and finding affordable cover for their conditions.
Some are declined cover, only offered cover that excludes their PEMC or offered what they consider to be unaffordable premiums.
In July 2019, we consulted on new requirements for firms to signpost certain consumers with PEMCs to a directory of travel insurance firms that are able and willing to cover consumers with more serious PEMCs.
We also consulted on new guidance to clarify how we expect firms to treat travel insurance customers with PEMCs.
We received 37 responses to the consultation from a range of stakeholders. These included both mainstream and specialist insurance firms, trade bodies, medical screening companies, charities, consumer organisations and price comparison websites.
This policy statement summarises the feedback we received to this consultation, our response and the final rules and guidance we are making as a result.
In April 2020 (see below), we announced we would allow firms to delay implementation of these measures, allowing them to focus on urgent priorities related to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
We now believe firms should be in a position to implement the changes. As travel has resumed consumers with PEMCs will want to access specialist insurance. This is especially important as some travel cover may have coronavirus exclusions.
Expected next steps:
The FCA supports firms’ reprioritisation to focus on preventing and mitigating consumer harm during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We believe that the benefit to consumers from firms dedicating resources to dealing with critical functions in the short term may outweigh the harm from delaying the implementation of our signposting rules.
The FCA Board have made new rules which postpone the November 2020 start date for the signposting rules contained in this policy statement.
We are monitoring the situation, and will update stakeholders on the revised implementation date when we have more clarity on the impact of the coronavirus.
Our rules requiring a firm to include details of a medical cover firm directory on its website 30 days after a firm becomes aware of an operational directory will commence on 1 June 2020. The Money and Pensions Service is currently developing a directory; however, it is not clear when this will be operational. We will update stakeholders on this in due course.
On 5 February 2020, we published our Policy Statement on Signposting to travel insurance for consumers with medical conditions (PS20/03), following a consultation of the proposed requirements in Summer 2019.
Unfortunately, 20 responses to the consultation were not reviewed in error. This was an isolated incident and has not affected other consultations.
We have now analysed these responses. The addendum outlines the representations and how we have taken those into account.
The FCA Board, having regard to the additional 20 responses, confirmed and re-made the Insurance: Conduct of Business Sourcebook (Access to Travel Insurance) Instrument 2020 (FCA 2020/03), and in light of stakeholder feedback to PS20/03 made 2 changes to the definitions in our rules to give more clarity about our expectations.
The changes to the instrument are attached in the Appendix of the addendum to PS 20/03.
27/07/2020: Information added 26 April 2021 new implementation date and expected next steps announced
07/04/2020: Information added Coronavirus update postponing signposting rules start date, and addendum published