Buying Diabetic Travel Insurance

Finding good value diabetic travel insurance policy can be a bit of a nightmare but knowing what to look for can make a significant difference to your chance of finding the right cover for a lower premium.

Finding insurance companies that offer cover for pre-existing conditions, shopping around and reading through what each policy covers you for will help to put you on the right track.

How does travel insurance work?

The cost of insurance premiums are based on documented statistics. Which statistics are used and how they are interpreted vary across companies which helps to explain how premiums can vary so much between providers.

To give a very basic idea, insurers will investigate how many claims were made by people with diabetes, how much those claims cost them on average and take into account what other conditions were also involved.

Should I declare my diabetes?

If you have diabetes then you will need to declare this to the insurance provider as a pre-existing medical condition. Should you be admitted to hospital on holiday, your diabetes would be easy to spot and without declaring it, your insurance would be invalid.

Do I have to declare every other medical condition?

If you have a medical condition that you know about, you should declare it. However, sometimes confusion occurs particularly when feeling under pressure and not knowing what constitutes whether you actually have a condition. Some people can get worried and declare conditions that haven’t even been confirmed by their doctor.

Insurers will ask you questions about whether you have medical conditions and will generally be looking for a straight yes or no.

If you once felt a tightness in your chest, this doesn’t necessarily mean you need to declare this as having heart disease. As a general rule, if your doctor has confirmed something as a condition you should state it, if they haven’t been able to confirm it then it doesn’t make sense to declare this as an existing condition.

How much does travel insurance cost for diabetics?

In some ways this is a how long is a piece of string question as many factors are involved, these include:

• How long are you travelling for?
• Where are you going to?
• What does the trip involve?
• What existing medical conditions do you have?

However, anecdotal evidence suggests that if your diabetes is the only condition to declare, you can expect insurance to be somewhere in the order of £50 to £100 for a single trip.

With an additional condition such as heart disease, you may see the premium more than double.

Shop around for the right cover

We have seen policies reach into thousands of pounds. Don’t feel pressurised into taking the first quote. Shop around to find the best value of policy that covers your specific needs.

Insurance comparison sites are great for shopping around for insurance but when pre-existing conditions are involved, the quotes you get will generally need to be obtained individually.

This can be a pain but the more time you put in, the better choice of insurer you will have. Insurers who specialise in policies for pre-existing conditions are often a good place to start your policy search.

What else should I look for in a travel policy for diabetes?

It can be tempting to simply take the cheapest quote, but the cost is only one part of the policy so take the time to read the terms of the policy and exactly what you’re covered for.

• Check how much excess you need to pay. The excess is the amount of money you must yourself pay when you make a claim.
• Is the policy single trip or an annual policy? Annual policies may well be a good option if you will be travelling on holiday twice a year or more.
• How much medical treatment is covered? Medical costs abroad can be astronomical and can be over £100,000 for surgery. Some policies cover for over £1 million so it’s best to check your cover.
• Personal liability cover helps should you be sued by someone on your holiday, say for injury or property damage
• Repatriation cover allows you to cover the costs of getting you back home should you be injured, taken ill or, fate forbid, you die.
• Do any exclusions apply which could devalue the policy for you?

Other policy considerations include: cancelation or curtailment cover, lost luggage cover, cash and valuables cover and extreme sports cover.

Plan to enjoy your holiday

Once you have got your policy sorted, keep any useful contact details, the company and the policy number available for when you go on holiday and then make the best of your trip.