Pre-existing Travel Insurance Guide Discussion 15 April 2015 at 2:47PM edited 30 November -1 at 12:00AM in Overseas Holidays & Travel Planning 365 replies 175.6K views

bashful

Thank you for the quick responses - most appreciated.
The £56 is for their Budget policy (no excesses) which says under declaration of medical conditions "Cover for pre-existing medical conditions is unavailable on the product you have selected." 
However, the cover includes baggage, cancellation, £5m medical expenses (for new problem(s), £5m repatriation, and several other benefits. Policy wording here . Maybe it's worth taking out after all!
Brian

Doc_N

bashful said:

Thank you for the quick responses - most appreciated.
The £56 is for their Budget policy (no excesses) which says under declaration of medical conditions "Cover for pre-existing medical conditions is unavailable on the product you have selected." 
However, the cover includes baggage, cancellation, £5m medical expenses (for new problem(s), £5m repatriation, and several other benefits. Policy wording here . Maybe it's worth taking out after all!
Brian

Personal choice, of course, but there are substantial risks involved in taking out a policy excluding pre-existing medical conditions, particularly when it relates to something like the heart. Insurers being insurers, they'll try very hard to attach any 'new' condition to the existing condition, and it's fairly easy with the heart.  If it were something isolated, such as a an ingrown toenail it would be different.

We still have EHIC arrangements with France of course while we're still in transition from the EU, but that doesn't by any means cover everything, and the biggest risk is the need for an air ambulance - probably well over £10,000.

All the advice is not to travel without medical cover, but, as I say, personal choice.

bashful

Good points well made!  I have taken your advice and have tried again with a few more insurers. I have managed to get a deal with the Post Office at £64 (with £12 cashback) having declared my pre-existing conditions and this includes waiving all excesses which, for only £1.98 for that option, seemed to make good sense! 

Simon7685

I am currently trying to get a reasonably priced policy for travelling to USA in May this year with pre existing health conditions.  We went in 2016 and 2017 and cover was around £140 for 4 of us.  this time it is for 2 and although the health issues are the same I am getting silly quotes starting at £450!  Last October we went to Rhodes and the cover was £31.66 now the same company wants nearly £500...
The main issue that is causing the price hike is I suffer from Prinzmetal Angina.  The stupid thing is that, for those who do not know this condition will not kill me or cause a heart attack or anything else, it is the coronary artery going into spasm which mimics angina type pain but does not affect the blood supply to the heart so causes no cardiac issues just discomfort.  I take medication and it stops it happening 99.9% of the time yet all the companies I have tried want £300 and more just for this condition, which essentially is an artery suffering from cramp!.  I also suffer with kidney stones on a regular basis and currently have stones in both kidneys,  I declare this along with high blood pressure and Asthma and without the Prinzmetal angina I can get cover for under £130.
I have tried comparison sites and dozens of individual companies and no reasonably priced cover to be had unless I do not disclose the Prinzmetal Angina.  Ideally I want to disclose it for peace of mind but not at a cost of £300 upover.  If anyone has any sites that cover heart issues at a decent price I would appreciate it if you could let me know.

koru

Simon7685 said:

I am currently trying to get a reasonably priced policy for travelling to USA in May this year with pre existing health conditions. 

Perhaps try www.americanvisitorinsurance.com. This gives you a list of policies and some seem to have reasonable cover for PMCs in the US.