I have (what I now find is laughingly referred to as) medical cover
including in a travel insurance policy which is bundled with my Royalties
Gold bank account with RBS.

I skimmed a recent circular about this policy, but the resurrection of this
topic on GP-UK prompted me to check cover before a planned trip to
Antarctica next year.

I find the following (totally new) sections of small print, which appear to
exclude the vast bulk of those of us who have the spare time and spare cash
to make such a trip:

<quote>
Medical Statements

We must be informed of any fact which is likely to influence us in the
acceptance, assessment or continuance of this insurance. Failure to do so
may invalidate this insurance, leaving you with no right to make a claim.
Please ensure that you read this entire section to ensure that you
understand what level of cover applies to you.
Cover will be excluded for all claims directly related to any pre-existing
medical condition, if,
-YOU suffer from 2 or more of the `Conditions Covered', and 1 or more of the
'Statements' applies to you or
- 1 or more of the 'Statements' applies to you and your condition is not
listed in the 'Conditions Covered' list
If you suffer from 2 or more of the 'Conditions Covered' and none of the
'Statements' apply to you, then this policy will cover all claims directly
related to those medical conditions.
Conditions Covered

If you have been diagnosed with just one of the medical conditions listed
below, and are only taking one form of medication, the cover provided by
this policy will include all claims directly related to that medical
condition: 

Acanthosis Nigricans	
Acid Reflux	
Allergies (Including Hayfever or Peanut)	
Alopecia	
Arthritis	
Asthma	
Bells Palsy	
Blindness	
Chicken Pox	
Claudication	
Common Cold, Influenza or Sinusitis	
Deafness	
Diabetes	
Diverticulitis	
Dyspepsia	
Ear Infection	 
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Glaucoma
Gout
Hernia (all types)
High or Low Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol
HRT
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Menieres Disease
Migraine
Osteoporosis
Parkinsons Disease
Psoriasis (Eczema)
Tonsilitis
Vertigo

Statements

At the time of booking your trip (or taking out this insurance, if it was
after the booking of your trip), You.
1. Are receiving in-patient treatment or are waiting to receive treatment.
2. Have been prescribed more than one medication in total, whether taking it
or not.
3. Have been diagnosed with a heart or cancer related condition in the past
12 months.
4. Are travelling to obtain medical treatment.
5. Are travelling against medical advice or failed to get confirmation you
are fit to travel after being diagnosed with a condition or received
treatment in the last 12 months.
6. Have been given a terminal prognosis.
7. Are aware of a reason why you may not be able to go on the trip or
continue with it.
</quote>

Statement 2 doesn't specify current prescribing, "Have been..." could
include "at any time in your life", but I presume it means current. I'm
hypertensive with a (previously) raised cholesterol level, but with a BP of
120/80, cholesterol 4.9 and Cholesterol/HDL ratio of 2.3, I think I've done
my bit to reduce the risk of complications. As I'm on more than two
prescribed drugs on a regular basis, the policy specifically excludes cover
for all claims "directly related" to these conditions. This term is not very
precise, but I suspect that MI and stroke are likely to be regarded as
excluded.

Statement 5 apparently requires a "fitness to travel" certificate for
everyone who is receiving any kind of long-term treatment for anything.

It appears to me that no-one with any kind of medical qualification ran a
sanity check on this small print - for example, what are common, acute and
self-limiting conditions as Common Cold, Sinusitis, Ear Infection and
Tonsilitis [sic] doing in the list? Why is "HRT" in as a medical condition?
And which of us doesn't have at least some evidence of "arthritis"?

I'll obviously have to follow this up promptly with the insurers (UK
Insurers Limited), noting that the policy explicitly says "Limited" and not
the more usual "Ltd."...

The cost of being evacuated from a ship in the Antarctic following a CVA,
and subsequent investigation and treatment would be so huge as to bankrupt
me, so I clearly need to be sure that it's not excluded by the small print,
especially as my father suffered a severe CVA in his early 60s.

Michael