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Travel Insurance

(66 Posts)
jaymbee36 Mon 29-Aug-16 10:23:16

I have a DILEMMA.I have been visiting and staying with my daughter and family in America at least twice a year for years using the free travel insurance that came with my Bank Account. This 'perk' ended when I turned 80 this month and I am finding it difficult to find affordable insurance for my next visit in November.as soon as I list my Ailments (including Cancer of the womb 3 yrs ago) the price ranges from £1300 to £3000 -(this from the bank that gave it to me for free), the tickets only cost me £500. So now do I cancel my holiday or chance it and go without insurance.

Floradora9 Tue 30-Aug-16 19:27:21

I would be careful of buying travel insurance outside the UK someone said thier son in the States did it for them. When I looked closely at insurance for our visitors from Oz you had to have started and ended your holiday in the UK.
Nationwide gives insurance free up to 75 then an extra £50 but we pay a couple of hundred more at the moment to make sure all our ailments are covered. The charge nothing for me being type 2 diabetic.

Chris4159 Tue 30-Aug-16 20:08:06

My mother is 83 and has high blood pressure cholestral etc on lots of heart tablets. We travel to US a lot to visit my sister. She always gets a good deal with STAYSURE ins. They are specifically for people with pre medical conditions. Hope this helps.

Iam64 Tue 30-Aug-16 20:09:22

I booked an annual policy with justtravel.com earlier this year. I have various chronic conditions and a list of regular medications. I'd tried searching for on line quotes but found it difficult as entering some of my health stuff meant I was rejected. I phoned justravel.com and spoke to a staff member who was helpful and took me through their long list of questions. It was reassuring to check things out with her,rather than simply fill in an on line form and worry I'd either over or understated health issues.
I phoned them recently to update my information. I'm going to the US and feel anxious about missing something minor but then having a claim rejected because I hadn't told them. Like everyone else has said, I wouldn't go abroad, especially to the US without proper health cover.

GardenGirl Tue 30-Aug-16 20:19:37

There is a new website for all Insurance renewal quotes

www.boughtbymany.com

They are really on the ball, try it out to see what cover they come up with
Worth a look, if just to see what their take on it is

Marydoll Wed 31-Aug-16 00:18:00

I too have difficulty getting travel insurance. There is only one company who will insure me was My annual policy was about £600 for Europe. Last year I was off work, very unwell due to a rheumatoid arthritis flare up. They immediately suspended my insurance and told me they could not cover any of my ailments because I was having various tests done. I can't figure out how the pain in my hands affects my insurance cover for asthma.I just couldn't take the risk of travelling without insurance in case anything happened. My poor husband would have had to deal with the mess. Good news is I have it reinstated, just back from Berlin, then Malaga and off to Rome in a fortnight. Trying to cram everything in before it is suspended again. Please don't go without insurance. You hear horror stories about families trying to raise money for repatriation.

janeainsworth Wed 31-Aug-16 01:45:12

There's an advert in the Oldie magazine for travel insurance for up to age 86. www.onestop4.co.uk which says it covers pre-existing conditions.
We travel to the USA for up to 13 weeks at a time. We get our insurance through a broker - Bishop Skinner. The actual insurance is with a company called Avanti.
On previous trips it has cost about £350 for both of us (66 and 68).
This time it went up to over £700 because MrA's medication for high blood pressure had actually been lowered! hmm
As others have said, don't even think about going to the States without insurance. I feel happier arranging it through a broker as I feel there's less chance of the company refusing or quibbling about a claim.

Iam64 Wed 31-Aug-16 08:43:01

Marydoll - I'm another RA person and on lots of meds as a result, in addition I have other health problems. I found just travel helpful because I can phone and update them, rather than everything being on line and the fear i've misunderstood or misinformed them.
The issue of ongoing tests is a problem isn't it. I'm coming out the other end of a series of investigations and plan to phone to make sure they know about this before we go to the US in September.
I've always felt ok travelling in Europe with both an EU health card and travel insurance but as we Brexit I wonder whether it will become more difficult.

LaraGransnet (GNHQ) Wed 31-Aug-16 09:41:52

Hello - we're just going to move this thread over from Writers' Room to Travel. smile

lionpops Wed 31-Aug-16 10:04:24

No you never travel anywhere without travel insurance. We read weekly about those that did and friends and family at home are forced to fund raise to help repatriate them back to the UK. I have no sympathy with them at all. In your case travel abroad has always meant higher insurance premiums for the elderly. My husband will be in the same position in a few years time. We have the same insurance with Lloyds and have had free travel insurance for years with them. As we travel extensively annually this has been the best perk ever and they will owe us nothing at the end of it.
First I would use a proper Insurance broker to assist you track down the most suitable cover for your health issues past or present. I would think the cheapest you will find won't be below £700. Try Go Compare, Direct Line, All Clear Options as well You could get the best quote and tell your daughter what it is and maybe she might like to help you with the payment if they are in a position to do so.

jaspersgran Wed 31-Aug-16 14:39:00

Never ever travel without insurance especially USA and Canada and such like. We us Staysure as they cover pre-existing conditions.

milkflake Wed 31-Aug-16 18:06:10

We have been going to see our son for years in USA and watched the insurance get more costly as the years have gone by.
If you go without insurance you could face horrendous medical bills, people have lost their houses to cover medical bills in USA. Plus it's not fair on your family over there as they would feel partly responsible.
I am surprised your bank covered you for pre-existing conditions, and up to 80, all the bank policies that people I know have, are only for basic insurance and up to 75 . Conditions have to be admitted and extra paid for these.
Saga are giving us a good price.

Marydoll Wed 31-Aug-16 19:58:42

Thank you all for the suggestions. My insurance needs renewed in October, so I'm looking about. However, various comnpanies including, some very well known ones wouldn't cover me, so it's becoming increasingly more difficult.
The irony is that until recently, I was working in a very demanding job and rarely off sick. I've never had to make a claim in 20 odd years, yet I am considered a high risk.

jaymbee36 Thu 01-Sept-16 19:46:09

I've finally settled on a policy from Travelsure for - after lots of haggling - £1098.72, the cheapest I could find to cover all my ailments including cancer.

janeainsworth Thu 01-Sept-16 19:54:29

Well it will give you peace of mind 'jaymbee*.
Enjoy your family time sunshine

Coolgran65 Fri 02-Sept-16 00:34:36

My DH an I used Staysure, I think it was recommended by Martin Lewis. We declared all previous conditions and were not charges for diabetes 2, RLS, Fibromyalgia, Temporal Arteritis. However once we mentioned we were on statins it went up by £70 each.