Following the announcement from the Government Equalities Office (GEO) last month that insurance companies may continue to use upper age limits, the travel insurer, World First, has decided to do the opposite by raising its upper limit from 79 to 100.
According to research just released by Age Concern and Help the Aged, “older travellers” and in some cases those as young as 65, face a very real problem with a third of surveyed companies refusing to offer them travel cover .
World First (which specialises in delivering affordable cover for travellers with pre-existing medical conditions) has also increased the range and severity of medical conditions that it covers, conditions which are often found in older generations.
Andrew Harrop, head of public policy at Age Concern and Help the Aged, commented that the GEO decision to allow maximum age limits put unnecessary restrictions on older people’s lives. He added: “It defies belief that in 2010 a business is still able to refuse to deal with someone because of the date on their birth certificate.”