German court rules on travel insurance coverage for predictable health issues

The Higher Regional Court of Frankfurt am Main has ruled that travel insurance providers are not required to fully reimburse cancellation costs if the health issues necessitating the cancellation were foreseeable.

In a specific case involving nearly 12,700 euros in cancellation fees, a woman sought reimbursement after being forced to cancel a cruise due to recurring knee problems and multiple surgeries. However, the insurer only covered approximately one-third of the costs. The court determined that because the medical issues were predictable and existing conditions were excluded under the policy terms, the insurer's limited reimbursement was justified. The ruling emphasizes that policies typically only cover cancellations resulting from new, severe illnesses or unexpected deteriorations of health.