Travel Insurance and new condition.

Having checked my last travel insurance which I thought was with Staysure, it's actually with AllClear and I have had my quote for insurance for my trip to Rome which seems quite reasonable.

My granddaughter has a long term life limiting diagnosis and we have always found that its better to actually telephone the Insurance Company and talk to someone as they seem to know what to do to try and help you. Having said that the little minx still goes to Europe without on occasion.

Another friend of mine who was a very frequent traveller had an ongoing investigation into a neurological issue (she swears its a result of the Covid vaccine) but could not get any insurance at all until one of her consultants gave her a short term diagnosis just so that she could go on holiday. They still don't know the true diagnosis because its so similar to many other conditions.

I am insured with AllClear ...annual world wide cover, EVERY time I have a procedure or a check up I inform them. My cover worldwide was never cheap (I have five pages of medical conditions !) cost me just under £2,000 as I travel to the U S , Canada, Mexico, Panama, the Antarctic, Alaska, Norway etc etc etc ...plus going around Europe, France and Menorca (where I used to live), lots of other European countries ........they have an extremely comprehensive list of requirements ....I said last time if I die abroad, just throw me overboard (often go on cruises solo) ...they said they cant do that (probably pollute the ocean ! ) ......Now that I am approaching 77 in a couple of weeks, going further afield until my Ins runs out in February, I am having to think about renewing it, and how much extra it is going to be ! I do know if I cut out the U S it would be cheaper ....did ask Stay Sure for a quote, but they say they cannot quote until 30 days before my current insurance runs out !!!! ...seems a bit odd ! but make sure you identify EVERY problem as whoever you insure with will, if they can, find a reason NOT to pay (my husband was an Insurance broker with Lloyds of London ....actually used to laugh and boast about how many claims were not met ....a lady on here said once her husband DIED just before they were going on a cruise ...after many months, medical letters, etc the company REFUSED to pay for the cancelled cruise and made some ridiculous stated reason as ;he had toothache aged 10 !) (not exactly what was said, but she said it was like that !!! the Ombudsman did manage to get a small payment from them ....but paying insurance you shouldn't have to do that !

I was waiting for a hip operation and my insurance bumped up my premium by £100, I was taken off the list due to arthritis medication making me immunosuppressed. I rang the insurance company and they reduced the premium by £100. Crazy really as I was then just as likely to have a fall with my dodgy hip.
They asked if my health had any additional changes and I said I had a basal cell carcinoma on my nose which would be operated on later that year but caused no problem as it was slow growing and only showed as a tiny spot on my nose and they upped the premium by £100. I changed to another insurance company and they covered me with no extra charge. It pays to look around and be honest as they will ask for your medical records if the claim is pricey.

I don't have annual insurance as I used to be covered by my paid bank account, but had to cancel that as my car became too old for the breakdown insurance. I was 69 at the time and I knew they only covered for travel until 70. Anyway when I took out a policy for an individual trip, one of the questions asked was whether I was on a waiting list for anything. I assumed that was because it might cause me to cancel if an appointment came up. I thought I was on a waiting list for something very minor, and would not have cancelled my trip for it if an appointment came up, so I said no! It seems I may have lied, but meanwhile when I enquired why I hadn't heard anything further about treatment for my minor complaint, about a year on, they have no record of it. My NHS app tells me I'm not on any waiting list! Now I know that being on a waiting list may negate my cover in future I wonder if it is worth enquiring about treatment again as I've put up with the condition for a few years, first waiting 'til I retired to deal with it, then retiring during the pandemic... Seems we can't win!

Try Insurancewith [ not to confuse with Insurewith]. They work with lung cancer charities and are especially emphatic to cancer , but good reports of other medical covers.
The founder is a ladyb ' living with cancer' and set up company with an awareness of how difficult it is to get cover with pre existing diagnosis .

Nandalot

What a relief, called them today and they have updated medical conditions with quite a reasonable charge so we can go on holiday with peace of mind!

So pleased to hear that, have a lovely holiday.

Sorry, just seen you have!

Phone & ask

janeainsworth we have a paramedic at our surgery too.

What a relief, called them today and they have updated medical conditions with quite a reasonable charge so we can go on holiday with peace of mind!

Years ago, Staysure cancelled my annual policy, when I called to tell them I was awaiting an angiogram.
They said I had too many conditions and would have to take out a new single use policy.
You rely need to call them sooner than later.

Grantanow
Do you mean a paramedic or one if the new physician associates? There’s a big difference.
Paramedics are specially trained in emergency medicine & mainly work in the ambulance service.

Iam64

Just Travel refused to continue my existing cover on any health issues because I was waiting hernia surgery. I tried several companies, they all refused cover, refused to exclude the hernia problem

That happened to me with Staysure. Our local GP surgery's paramedic diagnosed a hernia. Because if the NHS waiting time I paid for a private consultation and scan which proved the diagnosis entirely wrong and Staysure then continued my insurance cover for the US. Paramedics are not an adequate substitute for a real GP.

My upgrade was £250 this year

Last time we upgraded our " free" travel insurance to cover all our medical problems it cost us over £400 for the year. We paid it as used to take a lot of holidays but covid stopped thst so it was an expensive add on .

The ‘fit to fly’ letter can be a real problem. Getting health insurance as we develop conditions that have to be declared can be another challenge.
My impression is every condition that has to be declared incurs an additional premium of £50

"If you have a condition on your insurance policy, get a certificate to fly from your own Dr"

Is there a similar certificate for those who travel by rail or road?

It’s getting very precarious with travel insurance.
6 days before we were due due to fly to Hawaii with our daughter Virgin asked for a certificate to fly from her.
Her Dr was on holiday. They wouldn’t accept any other.
She has flown to the states with Virgin 6 times.
She flew with Virgin every month for 2 years.
She has had this condition since she was 19.
The reason Virgin gave was to do with her breathing.
My daughter is a diver. She has a PADI certificate which allows her to dive to a depth where the pressure far exceeds that which a plane would ever experience.
I’ve put this before but it’s worth saying again.
If you have a condition on your insurance policy, get a certificate to fly from your own Dr

As the result of a brain scan earlier this year I discovered I had experienced a TIA at some point in the past although it wasn't recognised as such at the time by me or the GP (in a telephone consultation!)

We were due to go on a cruise shortly afterwards so I contacted Staysure online and had to pay an extra premium. I hope you are able to resolve this so that you can fully enjoy your holiday, Nandalot.

I haven't booked yet but I think I'll contact Staysure before I do as I don't want to travel without at least the repatriation cover.

Just Travel refused to continue my existing cover on any health issues because I was waiting hernia surgery. I tried several companies, they all refused cover, refused to exclude the hernia problem

This all sounds very depressing! It is a holiday with DD and DGCs in Minorca. I think we will have to bite the bullet and phone tomorrow.

If you already booked you should be able to cancel with the insurance, or pay extra to go, as it is only an investigation that’s booked, if I felt OK I would go on a European trip and accept the exclusion.

I was waiting for a non urgent appointment with cardiology following a referral from GP, and notified my travel insurers (annual policy) who refused to provide cover for an undiagnosed condition. They also refused to continue to cover me for any limb or bone related issues which they had previously covered. I had fallen and dislocated my shoulder in the previous year, and was fully recovered. In order to not lose my holiday I paid for a private cardiology consultation and was declared fit and healthy. The insurers then agreed to reinstate full cover. I have a GHIC card but was not prepared to rely solely on that.