Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O’Dwyer has urged insurers to reconsider the blanket mental health exclusions in travel insurance policies.

“Evolving society expectations mean old practices may need to be reassessed,” she said in her address to the Insurance Council of Australia forum in Sydney last month.

“For example, blanket mental health exclusions for products such as travel insurance may need to be revisited.”

The issue was highlighted in 2015 by student Ella Ingram, who was forced to cancel a school trip to New York after she developed depression. Her travel insurer QBE declined to pay $5860 because its policy excluded mental illness.

Ms Ingram took QBE to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal on the grounds of discrimination, and was awarded more than $20,000.

The insurance industry pledged to tackle the issue, but more than a year later campaign groups say blanket exclusions are still common.

Beyondblue’s Policy, Research and Evaluation Leader Stephen Carbone has accused insurers of “moving at a snail’s pace”.

“On the positive side, we have had regular meetings with the industry and they have been receptive to our concerns,” he told insuranceNEWS.com.au. “But very little has changed. It would be great if we could have less talk and more action.

“Some insurers have taken out those blanket exclusions, but it needs to be an industry-wide thing.”

ICA has previously said there is insufficient data to allow travel insurers to underwrite mental illness. But Dr Carbone says “if [insurers] went to the bother, they would find enough information”.

“You can’t just keep saying it is not there, and do nothing about it. You can’t keep using that as an excuse.

“How many people have to go to court to get justice before the industry recognises its practices are unfair?”

ICA spokesman Campbell Fuller says the industry “continues to consider how it can better service the needs of policyholders who experience mental illnesses”.

He says the council is discussing with members the possibility of adopting broad principles on dealing with mental health issues, and the potential for data collaboration to improve access to travel insurance for people with a mental health condition.

“ICA notes several travel insurance companies provide cover for mental health-related claims.

“Further, travellers with mental illness will generally be covered by their travel insurance policy for claims such as theft, cancellation and loss of luggage provided their claim is not related to a mental health condition.”