Travel Insurance - exclude diabetes or include

My annual worldwide travel insurance also cost me £39 extra, as I included diabetes and a couple of other pre-existing conditions, even though I am now in the 'non-diabetic' bs range.
The problem is if you don't declare pre-existing conditions the insurers can invalidate your insurance if you need to make a claim even if it is unrelated. So if you were to have an accident, and they then discover you are diabetic and didn't declare it they can refuse to pay out for treatment or repatriation.
Insurance companies usually try to get out of shelling out if they can. It's not worth the risk to save £39.

When I took out a private health plan, I declared that I was Diabetic on the form. I then had to have extra medicals before they approved it. I was not charged any excess, but when I made a claim for hospital treatment following a stroke, the company refused payment on the grounds of 'pre-existing condition'.

My solicitor told me that their decision was legal given that at the time I applied, I had a condition which is possibly responsible for my stroke, so I had no grounds to challenge them.

My mother-in-law made a trip to Framce and had normal non diabetic travel insurance. While there she had a massive stroke, and had to be repatriated by air ambulance. Her insurers refused to make payment on the grounds of pre existing condition, namely an enlarged heart that was not on the tick list of declarable conditions, but again the insurers won the argument.

Apparently, if the insurers charge a surcharge, then this establishes that they accept your condition as being an acceptable risk that they agree to cover, so you may not have the same difficulty.

Oh you do not want to be without travel insurance! I remember years ago when I was in hospital with an MG crisis, the lady in the next bed to me, went on holiday after her discharge from hospital. Didn't believe in travel insurance so what happened, cerebral haemorrhage and she died whilst on holiday. The family then had to put a plea for funds in the Manchester Evening News in order to get her home to bury. Not worth quibbling over the extra money I'd say! Just my opinion.

jackvdbuk said:

Hi Prem51, they are offering the cover for diabetes as an additional extra so are aware i have the condition, i just wouldn't be covered for it.

im just curious if your diabetes is pretty well controlled on hols, is it even worth the extra 40? what possible situations would diabetes result in you needing cover for that specifically?

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Yes, I'd say it's definitely worth it! My diabetes is very well controlled but I've never travelled abroad without insurance. Even if you only have a slim chance of anhthing going wrong it's just not worth the risk. It's like insuring your house against fire. Yes, most houses don't burn down, but that doesn't mean you shoukd skimp on insurance.

There have been scary stories about people on holiday who aren't properly covered and have become ill. I'd personally never risk it. It's worth the extra money for peace of mind alone.

jackvdbuk said:

Hi Prem51, they are offering the cover for diabetes as an additional extra so are aware i have the condition, i just wouldn't be covered for it.

im just curious if your diabetes is pretty well controlled on hols, is it even worth the extra 40? what possible situations would diabetes result in you needing cover for that specifically?

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As you are on Insulin, I would get yourself covered.
https://www.diabetes.org.uk/travel

jackvdbuk said:

im just curious if your diabetes is pretty well controlled on hols, is it even worth the extra 40? what possible situations would diabetes result in you needing cover for that specifically?

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I would have to pay the £39 extra anyway because of my two other pre-existing conditions so it made sense to include the diabetes too as it didn't add any more to the cost.

I went on holiday to Canada for 2 weeks my insurance was 82 pounds I had declared my type2 diabetes I went to Germany the year before for 5 days and paid £54 when I asked why it was less than I thought it would be I was told as I did not take any medication I was classed as none diabetic but it would be on my policy that I had declared it.

The time to find out you're not covered for something is not when you're in an ambulance or hospital. The States, Canada or a few other countries are very expensive for non-insured medical costs. It's your call, but I would tend to go for it, especially if you're going out of the EU. If you're going to an EU country, ensure you have a current EHIC card, as most insurers expect you only to claim for things you can't have covered by anything else, like emergency cover in EU.

It's surprising what is in the Policy wording, and most companies publish those on their websites.

I would pay the additional £39.00. We went on a 1 week cruise in June this year and it cost £82.00 to ensure my husband who is on Warfarin and beta blockers. Mind was £24.00. What dies annoy me is that I had to tick the 'have you been advised to take statins' box although I've not taken them for about 2 years which probably pushes up the cost.

I took ill once on holiday in Tenerife, as I had travel insurance not only did it cover hospital but also paid out on lost holiday. So when I was fit again I had another holiday to make up for being ill, (had punctured my lung abseiling and didn't know it)

jackvdbuk said:

Hi all,

to include diabetes on my annual policy is an extra £39 on a £35 policy, what am i actually being covered for? a hypo in a foreign country in which they take me to hospital? what else is being covered for an extra £39!?

excerpt below: policy for a year incl canada/us is £34.72, but to include diabetes type one is an extra £38.89!

any ideas?

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Having just seen the $US16,000 bill for a 26 hr stay in a US hospital for a heart attack that I didn't have, pay the extra.

My insurers are disputing the invoice but at least that is there problem and not mine, so far anyway.