Travel insurance with pre existing conditions including diabetes

[Molly56]

Just came across this posted on a friend of a friend's Facebook page and thought it would be worth sharing here....evidently this travel insurance company covers pre existing medical conditions such as cancer and diabetes (plus a whole range of others)..
....have no idea what cover is provided or exactly what is covered as have not looked into it any further other than to go to the website and take a look but may be worth checking out if you are looking for travel insurance.....http://www.insurancewith.com/

There is a specific section on diabetes http://www.insurancewith.com/diabetes-travel-insurance/ and a search facility for a whole range of other medical conditions.

For information / illustration the person mentioned above was looking for a single trip insurance for 10 days and having previously had cancer was getting quotes in the hundreds (or even thousands!) of pounds ....their quote from the above company was less than £50...could be worth a look or getting a quote if looking for travel insurance.

Would be interested in hearing if anyone gets a quote or thinks this is worthwhile as may be useful to me if thinking of going away later in the year, my partner is Type 2 on insulin (with some complications such as neuropathy, background retinopathy which I know he failed to mention last time) so would need to make sure we had adequate insurance cover for any eventuality.

 

[JDElliott]

Another insurance Co who covers many pre-existing conditions, is Staysure. They cover up to 85 years of age and were happy to cover my T2 diabetes for an extra small fee mid year (We usually have an annual policy). Always useful to have other companies to get a quote from. Certainly interested as my daughter has just recovered from breast cancer and was also quoted and exorbitant amount to travel abroad.

 

[Prem51]

I took out an Annual Worldwide Travel insurance policy with Insureandgo last February, before I was diagnosed as diabetic. It cost £121.49, including an additional premium of £49.50 for my pre-existing conditions at the time (depression, high cholesterol and hyperthyroidism).
I rang them a couple of weeks ago to notify them that I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in September. They have amended my policy to show that, but didn't charge me any additional premium.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Would be interested in hearing if anyone gets a quote or thinks this is worthwhile as may be useful to me if thinking of going away later in the year, my partner is Type 2 on insulin (with some complications such as neuropathy, background retinopathy which I know he failed to mention last time) so would need to make sure we had adequate insurance cover for any eventuality.

That's interesting because it's too easy to assume that things like the cover I have through my bank account and also through my wife's firm is adequate. I'm now checking that pre existing conditions (diabetes + high BP even though it's well controlled) has been noted.

In the meantime I looked at this site: http://medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/medical-conditions/diabetic-travel-insurance.aspx. I received loads of quotes from £27 to £140 for a single visit to ski in New Zealand. It might be a dream at the moment but I wanted to make it slightly different to 2 weeks in Spain. I thought £27 was quite good, where the other bunch got £140 from, I'll never know. Interesting exercise, especially as I'm presently claiming through my wife's firm's holiday insurance for a cancelled trip for her to St Lucia, because of my appendicitis.

 

[bobandpat]

In the meantime I looked at this site: http://medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/medical-conditions/diabetic-travel-insurance.aspx. I received loads of quotes from £27 to £140 for a single visit to ski in New Zealand.

Thanks for the link DavidGrahamJones, got a good quote from them for our long term holiday this year

It was lower than we've paid for the couple of years!

 

[Molly56]

I took out an Annual Worldwide Travel insurance policy with Insureandgo last February, before I was diagnosed as diabetic. It cost £121.49, including an additional premium of £49.50 for my pre-existing conditions at the time (depression, high cholesterol and hyperthyroidism).
I rang them a couple of weeks ago to notify them that I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in September. They have amended my policy to show that, but didn't charge me any additional premium.

@Prem51 ..we have used the company you mention before for previous holidays and they seemed ok in terms of cost but personally I was a little concerned that they did not seem to pay much attention when we informed them of potential changes and almost dismissed them as not relevant..

...to give an example my partner fell off a chair and damaged his knee about four weeks before our last holiday so we decided it was best to phone and inform them as soon as possible and definitely before we went away just in case something should happen whilst we were away and needed to claim on the insurance...basically because it had not been 'officially diagnosed' or he hadn't been referred to a consultant or for treatment (a GP had just diagnosed ligament damage and rest) they more or less said that they didn't need to know about it....sometimes wonder if it is the call centre staff or more likely their computerised system that is at fault as they seem to simply dismiss some medical conditions as irrelevant...(the year before a potential foot problem that could have developed to an ulcer was just 'noted')...guess it would have been a different story if we had to put a claim in (which thankfully we didn't) and it was found that we had not informed them....

...unfortunately this just doesn't give me much confidence that we are fully covered when we go away ....perhaps it was just the attitude or lack of medical knowledge that I found disturbing ....(and I am sure the same for many other similar companies so not singling this one out in particular)....for this reason I am tempted to look at the company in my original post for any further travel as the website certainly makes them appear to be more knowledgeable about medical issues....peace of mind on holiday or when travelling is I think paramount in making sure that I have as stress free time as possible.

@DavidGrahamJones ...thanks for your link...will check this out sometime.....skiing in New Zealand sounds exciting...hope you get there...is good to have something to aim for...

 

[Prem51]

@Molly56 Your experience was similar to mine. When I rang the person I spoke to didn't seem to know much about diabetes. I tried to explain that I was at the lower end of the diabetic scale and didn't have any symptoms or conditions, but was just told it would be added to my list of pre-existing conditions and would check with manager as to whether I would have to pay an additional premium - which apparently the manager decided I didn't.
I will shop around when I get my next Travel Insurance and will probably go with the one you have recommended (thanks for that!).
But I suspect that most of the staff in call centres who answer the telephone calls have minimal training about medical conditions and are just working to a script.
I don't expect to need any medical treatment on holiday as a result of my diabetes or any illness really. I only take it out in case I am hit by a car or have some other type of accident. I have heard too many horror stories of people having to pay tens of thousands of pounds for treatment or repatriation because they weren't covered.

 

[Scouser58]

Hello Molly56,and everybody,,,,,,may I just say that I don't look for holiday insurance,,,as I don't go anywhere,,,,,I cannot tolerate the heat and totally intolerant of the cold,,,,,,so I stay at home,,,,as I
cannot take the strain of all the looking,booking,paying, packing, flying, and the stresses of what I would find when i got there,,,,,and I would have to apply and pay for a passport,,,, as the last one I had was in 1982,,,and it never got used,,,,,,and I could not stand the stress of being on holiday when the drunks start acting daft, getting legless,and generally being a pest,,,,,so home I stay,,,I can trust the water,,,know the food quality,,,,,,and my living room is cool enough when it is hot outside,,,,,,,and totally a freezing point in the winter,!!!,,,so I cover all heat ranges,,,,and then there are all the problems with the airports,,,,,sadly I miss all the fun of 'going abroad',,,,so sad,,,but not bothered,,,,,it is cheaper to stay at home,,,,,,,ttfn from Karen.

 

[PD Oz]

It can be wise if in any doubt to phone the insurer and get an officer to clarify that you will be covered in the circumstances. I did this recently and the person I spoke to was very helpful. When I was given assurance I would be covered, and I asked for some form of verification, it was good to know that the Insurer ( here in Australia at least) audio recorded everything but they also gave me a reference number for good measure.

 

[MikePea]

Hello Molly56,and everybody,,,,,,may I just say that I don't look for holiday insurance,,,as I don't go anywhere,,,,,I cannot tolerate the heat and totally intolerant of the cold,,,,,,so I stay at home,,,,as I
cannot take the strain of all the looking,booking,paying, packing, flying, and the stresses of what I would find when i got there,,,,,and I would have to apply and pay for a passport,,,, as the last one I had was in 1982,,,and it never got used,,,,,,and I could not stand the stress of being on holiday when the drunks start acting daft, getting legless,and generally being a pest,,,,,so home I stay,,,I can trust the water,,,know the food quality,,,,,,and my living room is cool enough when it is hot outside,,,,,,,and totally a freezing point in the winter,!!!,,,so I cover all heat ranges,,,,and then there are all the problems with the airports,,,,,sadly I miss all the fun of 'going abroad',,,,so sad,,,but not bothered,,,,,it is cheaper to stay at home,,,,,,,ttfn from Karen.

If you are happy with your lot, great. Happy Days. Live long and prosper.

 

[Scouser58]

Hello MikePea,,,,,,may you also,,,,good days to come....

 

[Scimama]

Last year I found that the "specialist" insurers that advertise as being for people with pre-existing conditions were significantly more expensive than a "standard" insurer with all our conditions fully disclosed and covered.

I did a LOT of quotes and found Sainsburys Bank to be significantly cheaper - I have no affiliation with them, we have used them in past and claimed - easy and full payout.

I recommend shopping around and getting quotes from "standard" insurers as well.

 

[Diamattic]

I use a company for travel insurance in North America called 'PrimeLink' They have fantastic rates - mine was 85$ for the entire year, covers only medical on any vacation up to 4 days (so if i plan on being away for a week, i have to top up the extra days) - but i frequently will travel into the USA for a day or two so its worth it to me.

They cover all pre-existing conditions as long as your condition was stable when you left for vacation. They define stable as 'no change in medication from 6 months prior, no hospitalization from 6 months prior, and that your doctor can verify its stable at that time upon request'

Which is fine since 'insulin' as my medication wont be changing lol All i have to do is not end up in the hospital and its all good!

Also while on the topic - Travel insurance companies will decline any claim if your blood alcohol level is above 0. Just a heads up if no one knew that.

 

[AndBreathe]

I use a company for travel insurance in North America called 'PrimeLink' They have fantastic rates - mine was 85$ for the entire year, covers only medical on any vacation up to 4 days (so if i plan on being away for a week, i have to top up the extra days) - but i frequently will travel into the USA for a day or two so its worth it to me.

They cover all pre-existing conditions as long as your condition was stable when you left for vacation. They define stable as 'no change in medication from 6 months prior, no hospitalization from 6 months prior, and that your doctor can verify its stable at that time upon request'

Which is fine since 'insulin' as my medication wont be changing lol All i have to do is not end up in the hospital and its all good!

Also while on the topic - Travel insurance companies will decline any claim if your blood alcohol level is above 0. Just a heads up if no one knew that.

Surely there's a typo in that blood level? At 0, hasn't one expired?

 

[Jaylee]

Surely there's a typo in that blood level? At 0, hasn't one expired?

It's booze in the system.. Lol if you ain't sober? It's over. If your dry? Yer fine. & they won't decline. "Temperance."

 

[Diamattic]

Surely there's a typo in that blood level? At 0, hasn't one expired?

Blood alcohol level.. I am pretty sure its supposed to be 0 without drinking, perhaps you have you been drinking? lol