Q: I'm writing about what I believe was an unfair, unethical decision on the part of Allianz. My uncle purchased travel insurance from the company for a recent trip to the East Coast for himself and his other elderly siblings, including my mother, to visit family.

My dad's health significantly declined from the time my uncle bought the coverage until the time their departure drew near. My mom was faced with a difficult decision: visit family — many of whom she hadn't seen in years and perhaps would not see again — or stay by my father's side. She decided to stay.

When she filed a claim with Allianz, it decided to classify her choice to treat my father's hospitalization as a "pre-existing condition." That isn't accurate or fair. He has been under a physician's care for some time, but was rushed to the emergency room and hospitalized only after my uncle had purchased the insurance.

My mom and her siblings are in their 80s and on fixed incomes. This outcome has made a hard and sad decision on her part — staying home with my father — even worse. I think Allianz should do the right thing and cover the claim.

A: Your mother's travel insurance policy came with several named exclusions, one of them being that it wouldn't cover any existing medical conditions.

But your mother assumed she'd be covered, as most travelers do, if something were to go wrong. The question was: Did this have anything to do with a pre-existing medical condition?

In the future, you can avoid this situation altogether by taking out the right policy. A more expensive "cancel for any reason" policy allows you to file a claim for any reason, and receive a percentage of your trip costs back.

When you run into a "no," you can send a brief, written appeal to the insurance company. If that doesn't work, you can contact your state insurance commission, or me.

You and your mother contended that your father's medical condition didn't exist before you bought insurance. Allianz had relied on your physician's statement that your father's medical condition was "existing at the time of purchase."

"However, they then reviewed other documentation which contradicted that report and led them to believe that the claim is covered and payable under [the] policy," an Allianz spokesman told me. Allianz apologized for the inconvenience and processed your mother's claim.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chris@elliott.org.