Travel Insurance for an abroad hip replacement - URGENT

purplewardie

Dear Martin,

I desperately need your help / advice

My mum has been on the NHS waiting list for a new hip and knee.
Their solution is fill her with pain killers and I want to bring her to Australia for a hip replacement.  
As I can get it done before christmas and its not cold and slippy for her recovery ie all the swimming pools here are walk in - all the gyms are old people friendly 

However as she is 73 - I cannot get anyone to provide her with travel insurance - but the only insurance I want is if her luggage is missing/her flights are cancelled etc.
Now I DO NOT want to lie on any paperwork - I only want her covered for the travel part and nothing to do with the pre existing condition or the operation & post operation. 
I cannot find any company globally that will cover her as she needs 6 weeks recovery before she can fly back to the UK.
One company would provide it but for only 31 days @ 808 pounds for the travel out.  
Now I know lots of people fly abroad for a multitude of operations so how is it possible.  

I am paying out of pocket for everything - so can anyone help please?
 As I need my mum off the insane amount of painkillers she is on as she has no quality of life and she only needs a hip and a knee - so its not like heart or brain surgery its cartilage replacement and she can't wait another 18 months on the NHS.

Someone please please help.

Thanks in advance

flaneurs_lobster

I take your point about warm weather and OAP-friendly gyms & pools but surely the way to expedite this treatment would be by private medical treatment in the UK?

Flugelhorn

Is the operation really that much cheaper in Australia? probably better having it done in the UK and then don't have the DVT risk when flying back 

TBH only way to do it would be travelling without insurance - that is probably what people do 

Ayr_Rage

I cannot see anyone insuring someone of that age on heavy medication for such a trip.

flaneurs_lobster

Ayr_Rage said:

I cannot see anyone insuring someone of that age on heavy medication for such a trip.

Quite. Assume that you would be paying for your Mother (and her travelling companion/helper) to travel Business class?

MyRealNameToo

purplewardie said:

Dear Martin,

I desperately need your help / advice

My mum has been on the NHS waiting list for a new hip and knee.
Their solution is fill her with pain killers and I want to bring her to Australia for a hip replacement.  
As I can get it done before christmas and its not cold and slippy for her recovery ie all the swimming pools here are walk in - all the gyms are old people friendly 

However as she is 73 - I cannot get anyone to provide her with travel insurance - but the only insurance I want is if her luggage is missing/her flights are cancelled etc.
Now I DO NOT want to lie on any paperwork - I only want her covered for the travel part and nothing to do with the pre existing condition or the operation & post operation. 
I cannot find any company globally that will cover her as she needs 6 weeks recovery before she can fly back to the UK.
One company would provide it but for only 31 days @ 808 pounds for the travel out.  
Now I know lots of people fly abroad for a multitude of operations so how is it possible.  

I am paying out of pocket for everything - so can anyone help please?
 As I need my mum off the insane amount of painkillers she is on as she has no quality of life and she only needs a hip and a knee - so its not like heart or brain surgery its cartilage replacement and she can't wait another 18 months on the NHS.

Someone please please help.

Thanks in advance

Martin virtually never frequented these pages even when they were the owner of the site, never seen here since he sold it. 

Many travel without insurance, or without reading the terms properly 

What risks do you actually need to cover? Lost luggage can be covered under Home insurance. If an airline cancels the flight then they have to rebook you. Are you concerned she may get another illness that stops her flying?  You could book flexible flights so you can just change the date if she's not fit to travel. 

p00hsticks

flaneurs_lobster said:

I take your point about warm weather and OAP-friendly gyms & pools but surely the way to expedite this treatment would be by private medical treatment in the UK?

I'd agree. 
and I'm no doctor, but I'm surprised that they would consider doing both the hip and the knee at the same time - is it the same leg ?

I've never come across anyone travelling half way across the world for an operation - a couple of hours flight to Europe for dental work, hair transplants etc, yes,  but not for things like this..... 

TELLIT01

Travelling half way round the world 6 weeks after hip or knee replacement, never mind both, sounds incredibly risky to me.  I was on medication to prevent blood clotting for 6 weeks after my hip replacement.  The thought of 24 hours or more on aircraft, with little or no opportunity to exercise seems crazy.  Rethink the plan.

user1977

purplewardie said:

the only insurance I want is if her luggage is missing/her flights are cancelled etc.

Why is she so concerned about those risks being insured against? Is she taking particularly valuable luggage? Is it likely that a cancelled flight wouldn't result in a refund or rebooking?

sheramber

For a long haul flight it is recommended to wait at least three months.

The surgeon should be consulted to confirm it is suitable to take a long haul flight.

A previous neighbour  needed hip and knee replacement.

Surgeon would only do one at a time and knee was done first as it would need to support new hip  until  it recovered.

A knee replacement is much more painful operation than the hip replacement. 

Two years later she was still in constant pain and unable to bend her knee to 90 degrees. 

The last I heard she was in hospital to try and get her pain under control. 

Hip operation could not be done. 

purplewardie

ah ok - i didnt explain properly - its an either or on the hip/knee - not both - but the recovery here is much better - its warm, its all flat - where in the UK she has steps and upstairs to deal with - what I care about is what insurances I need - to ensure she is comfortable coming here.  Flugelhorn said:

Is the operation really that much cheaper in Australia? probably better having it done in the UK and then don't have the DVT risk when flying back 

TBH only way to do it would be travelling without insurance - that is probably what people do