Travel Insurance for existing conditions

rufford155

I studied the MSE advice on this topic but of the recommended companies I recognised only 2 - Saga and Admiral - but had never heard of the others.
So I wondered how dependable the others actually are.
I then discovered good independent advice on MoneyHelper.org.uk - a UK government service.
They listed 30 companies who might deal with problem conditions but only one was mentioned by the MSE advice (Saga).
The moral here is to always do your own extra research.

Brie

Staysure is well known for covering those who are older and sometimes have multiple health concerns.  The problem with it (as with any company) is keeping everything up to date.  So every time medication changes etc.  Which is a right pain. Not particularly cheap either.  Fortunately I've not had to claim on it yet.  

TELLIT01

I informed Staysure that my wife had been for tests and the results had all come back clear.  They thanked me for letting them know, and that there would be on increase in premium.  However, they charged £20 for updating her medical record.  I haven't used them since.

First place to check is any insurance cover you may have through a packaged bank account.  I had to inform my bank travel insurers after having a hip replacement.  I was charged £60 but when I renewed and was told there was no additional charge I queried the previous charge.  The person I spoke to asked me to hold while they checked.  They came back and confirmed there was no charge, and that my previous payment would be returned.

rufford155

Brie said:

Staysure is well known for covering those who are older and sometimes have multiple health concerns.  The problem with it (as with any company) is keeping everything up to date.  So every time medication changes etc.  Which is a right pain. Not particularly cheap either.  Fortunately I've not had to claim on it yet.  

We are  currently with Staysure but it has become super-expensive since we moved from Europe to worldwide (ex USA, etc) just to go to Malta !
Then it more expensive again because we are going on a cruise.  And it rocketed up when I turned 80.
They were ridiculously concerned about my carpel tunnel operations - a minor complaint and simple procedure to cure.
My wife had a successful heart operation 2 years ago (completely cleared by the surgeon and hospital) but they say the original problem has  has to stay on as a live condition and they still charge extra for it !!!!
Hence we are shopping around for a better alternative.

Beeblebr0x

Insure And Go is easy to deal with in my experience 

TELLIT01

Friends of ours who both have medical conditions use Insure and Go.  They are in their 60s.  Cruise cover has always tended to be expensive due to the potential costs of hospitalisation if taken ill away from port.

KxMx

I tried one of the MSE links, a comparison site and the results were they couldn't offer anything - I do have medical conditions but nothing major.

I then did some Google searching, TrustPilot reviews etc and took out a very reasonable priced one trip policy with Travel Insurance 4 Medical.

After which the original MSE link started emailing me daily with offers of cover, which somehow didn't appear when I originally did the screening. They pestered me up until my travel date with no unsubscribe link in the emails. 

marcia_

 I use the post office or stay sure for 2 adults and a child all with multiple medical conditions. post office was a little cheaper than stay sure this time. 

sheramber

People look at the premiums, but the real test is how they handle claims. 

 A cheaper policy is not such a good buy if you don’t get support , if you need it, when abroad and they dispute claims.

Beeblebr0x

sheramber said:

People look at the premiums, but the real test is how they handle claims. 

 A cheaper policy is not such a good buy if you don’t get support , if you need it, when abroad and they dispute claims.

I check Defaqto and Trustpilot before I buy

KxMx

Before buying I read through TrustPilot, discarding reviews based solely about the purchasing process, paying attention to those focusing on how easy it was to contact company in emergency, claims process, experience and outcome. Looking at the numbers etc. 

I found another insurer between the failed comparison and eventually purchased policy, didn't like their contact details and very few reviews on TP.