Travel Insurance - pre existing med conditions of people you care for - not your own

Bakedbeans

Hello this is my first post. While I’m not directly ‘saving money’ here as actually looking to spend it – however the ultimate reason I’masking could save me around £3k or the full cost of a holiday.

My mum had a cancer diagnosis in Jan 14. At present she isin remission & feeling well. Naturally after a holiday when the ‘holiday blues’ set in hubby and me like to start thinking of next years trip – we have always done this and often planned trips over a year in advance. So now home and following a holiday we never thought we would get at the start of 2014 – mums positive attitude and wellness have made us slip back into the habit of wanting to look fora trip for 2015.
I am reluctant to commit to anything so far away (and was so up until mum got her first set of results in April when we booked the hol we've just been on) for fear of the unthinkable happening or her ‘taking a turn’ and me wanting to of course be home. but now the fear is I would be ‘setting myself up for a fall’ and have no ‘protection’if I wasn’t able to travel. However the type of holiday we want (a cruise – the better value cabins fill up early on) often pays to be booked in advance.

What I wonder is if anybody has had similar thoughts and experiences/worries and knowledge of cancellation protection policies or specialist insurance companies for people caring for but not diagnosed with cancer themselves. I have looked on the net and they all refer to the diagnosed person’s ‘pre existing medical condition’ and not offer a safety net for thecarer/relative. One thing to note is that I have been offered insurance if mum was to be travelling with me under the same policy, but she would not be travelling with me.
This is just me wanting to be practical and prepared – and the cost for adequate protection even if its a couple of hundred isn’t really an object for me, it is just having it in the first place as a safety net as of course the disease can be volatile.

I look forward to hearing of similar experiences and any practical advice, and thank you for taking the time to read.

InsideInsurance

Unfortunately the vast majority of insurers do not give you the option of having pre-existing conditions of non-travelling members covered by the policy.

There was one that did actually allow you to do this but I cannot remember off hand which one it was. I know I have pointed it out before on MSE so searching here should uncover the thread (its either in this subforum or the Insurance one).

alternatively speak to a broker and see if they can locate a suitable policy for you.

Unfortunately just because you can declare them doesnt necessarily mean they will be willing to cover them (or at least cover them for a price you are willing to pay)

maman

Sorry, I don't know of any policies either. Really difficult for you.:)


What got me thinking was when you take out travel insurance (for yourself) with a pre existing condition you sometimes aren't covered for cancellation/being taken ill for that specific condition i.e. it becomes an exclusion. Am I right?

Wammer

You need to look for Close Relatives under the Medical Section of any policy you are considering. Some won't cover Close Relatives if they have been on medication in the past 6 months, others won't cover if they have been a hospital in-patient in the past 12 months.

Unfortunately you need to read the policy wording of any policy you are considering.

I have declared the PEMCs of Close Relatives in the past and I think that may have been with Direct Travel Insurance.

Wammer

maman wrote: »

Sorry, I don't know of any policies either. Really difficult for you.:)


What got me thinking was when you take out travel insurance (for yourself) with a pre existing condition you sometimes aren't covered for cancellation/being taken ill for that specific condition i.e. it becomes an exclusion. Am I right?

No that is not right. You can usually pay an additional premium to have a PEMC covered. Perhaps you are thinking about opting to exclude cover for the condition which you can usually choose to do if the cost is too high.

Edit to add - I see you said "sometimes" and yes that would be right, sometimes, but not on all occasions.

silvercar

We just cross our fingers and book. Until recently we had 4 parents between us, all with various medical conditions. If something happens then you make decisions, but never to book a holiday until the last minute could restrict your travels for a long time.

As it is our supposed next holiday is near a "war zone". The Foreign office hasn't advised against travel and so insurance won't pay out if we decide to cancel, but I'm not sure I want to spend my holiday running from the beach to rocket shelters!