A traveller who had to cancel a holiday when his wife fell ill will be paid more than $17,000 after the ombudsman rejected his insurer’s argument the ailment related to an undeclared pre-existing condition.

The couple’s trip to Japan and the US from May 22 to June 24 last year was called off about a week before departure as the woman was advised to have surgery for a large gallstone.

The wife had visited a GP in March with groin pain, which was later linked to the gallstone and an inguinal hernia.  

Insurer HDI Global argued the ailment was related to groin and hip issues the woman had been suffering for more than three years.

Medical records showed her chronic groin issues were initially diagnosed as bursitis and later as right gluteus minimus tendinosis.  

The insurer said the couple did not disclose these conditions when they bought the travel policy in February last year.

But the husband insisted his wife’s gallstone and hernia issues were unrelated to her previous conditions and were diagnosed only after the policy was purchased.  

He noted her chronic issues had been “well managed” and they had made several international trips in the past three years without problems.

In its dispute decision, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority finds that although the couple did not declare the woman’s chronic issues, there is no “medical or factual basis to link that condition to the gallbladder (or hernia) diagnoses.

“The evidence does not show that the three-year history of groin and hip pain was connected to the gallbladder or hernia conditions, including the gallstone first identified in late March 2025, which required surgery and ultimately led to the cancellation of the trip. 

“The insurer has also not shown that the gallstone or hernia condition were under investigation at the time of the policy purchase.”  

See the ruling here.