European travel insurance - pre existing conditions

I too have been reading these with interest. Two years ago we went to NZ and insured with Staysure - my husband has some pre-existing conditions but the policy for him was only £70 which I thought was good - mine was very cheap. However having been diagnosed with AF and now on several medications I checked with them to find out what the cost would be for me to fly to the US for our AGM in May. I declared the meds etc and the policy went up from the nominal price to £354! It was actually a good enough reason to get out of going but has been an eye opener should we plan another trip out to NZ in the future.

Absolutely Jayanna. Both accounts are Flex. I have never been overdrawn in more than 20 years with Nationwide and am happy to upgrade for age. I have never been refused any insurance and am so cross they sent me a letter inviting me to apply and then let me waste time giving the same details over again. I hadn't even noticed they offered free travel insurance until I received the letter. It's back to Staysure now and I will inform my local branch ( they are usually excellent by the way) that I am closing all accounts including ISA. I hate being "had".

Travel insurance with a bank often does not cover pre existing conditions. When I was going to USA I was able to 'upgrade' the cover for a small charge. If you do not do that it gives the ins. company the opportunity to refuse to pay out if you need to use the policy.
It is worth finding out what the citizens of the country you are going to have for their health cover - for instance in France only 70% is covered by the health system and either you pay the rest or you have insurance to do so. Sometimes hospital costs are not covered either.

I have used Staysure but they did want an extra £50 on top of £515 premium for leaving Singapore airport and going on a free bus tour around the city!
I declined and stayed in the airport.

I have my world wide travel insurance free with my Nationwide Flex Plus account. Before that I had European cover free with the ordinary Flex Account. I can't work out why yours doesn't qualify?????

I am hopping mad! I received a letter today from Nationwide headed Your Last Chance To get Free Travel Insurance. Great, I thought. Just need to upgrade on age. I have two Flex accounts-a current and a small one for a local writing group.
The current one fills all criteria. However, after 25 minutes on the phone giving my details to 3 different operators I've been told the offer is only open to the small account and that does not qualify. What a scam! I am surprised at Nationwide as I have banked with them for years and have recommended them to friends. Be aware!

Not sure what you mean GillT57. I never mentioned EHIC, only that other travel ins companies would not insure me. I have been with Staysure for years. One company would insure me, but the quote for annual travel ins for Europe only, was £1100!

Not sure you are correct marydoll as EHIC is a government document which guarantees the holder the same level of medical care as a citizen of the European country they are visiting, so as others have said, it covers GP consultations, medication etc but not repatriation costs or hotel costs if you or family member has to stay for treatment. We have an annual policy with Staysure, very reasonable price and covers USA and cruising too.

Should have said "insure", not "ensure" and I am a pedant, who is quick to notice others' grammatical errors.

I have a number of serious pre existing conditions and Staysure were the only company who would ensure me. You have to be very rigorous and inform them of any investigations or changes in medication, to make sure you stay insured. My insurance was put on hold last year because I was having investigations and was suffering from a chest infection.

Top up your EHIC card with their insurance, it's far cheaper than anywhere else. The top up pays for repatriation and out of pocket expenses. This is for EHIC countries only. And you don't have to declare medical conditions!

A bit of a minefield. I have pre existing problems too. I have just had to cancel a trip to Spain due to a cycling accident and some fractures. I have an annual policy with The Post Office and they have been great. Refund already in my account. I have used Trailfinders in the past who are also excellent. I find Sage extortionate.

Thank you Grannetters all. I have just been reading these "reviews! I did a quick browse on "Staysure" on t'internet last night. I only need an "existing conditions" cover for about 8days in Iceland.
It is largely about my mechanical back problems which are getting worse. Apart from that the rest of me is fairly healthy.
I will probably go with Staysure. it is good to find a company that is prepared to offer this service to rather creaky over 65s.
These sort of threads are so useful.

Staysure were way cheaper than any other company for us, in fact we have an annual joint policy with them for under £100, which includes cover for DH's three medical conditions. It's world-wide with the exception of the USA and a handful of other countries. I was thinking it was for Europe only when I asked Rock for a quote for 8 days in Mexico. They came up with £365!

World First and also Liverpool Victoria have insured my holidays. I have a few pre-existing conditions and found their quotes to be reasonable. Costs for DH were astronomical, and in a couple of cases insurance was refused. I was grateful in the end to go with astronomical.

I have used UIA insurance in the past. It's for unison members or their family and retired members.Extremely good value and very easy to arrange.

Oops sorry Badenkate

Thank you Badencake I'll look into this. When I was speaking to the insurance person he could only offer me a yes or no. There was no room for a discussion these people find difficulty in various scenarios it's either black or white with them. I'm going in to my bank to complain about their method of questioning and to clarify certain questions. It's all such a drag however I've now got an annual insurance cover at half the price the bank offered.

I think what they are concerned about is an emergency admission. Have you tried the insurance comparison sites for people with medical conditions suggested by Martin Lewis?

www.moneysavingexpert.com

No, they are asking about admission rather than out patient appts.

No Galen just unsure how the insurance companies interprete this

The Post Office were very good when I recently had to sort out insurance for someone else travelling to the US.

Weren't admitted were you?

I was sent after an annual health check to the hospital from the gp surgery to get a heart monitor reading. I was then sent home from hospital advising me to make an appointment with my GP. When asked by the holiday insurance company if I've had an unplanned hospital admission I was unsure of how to answer this. What do you think answer would be?

That's reassuring Jalima - I felt I was stepping into dangerous waters. We do visit various European countries and I've always felt absolutely safe with my travel insurance and EU health card. The travel insurance was provided by the bank as part of our account but when I contacted them after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, they told me they wouldn't provide any cover for me in future. I've just printed off the documents from the insurance company and plan to read them very carefully.