I was diagnosed with DCIS 2 years ago. I had a mastectomy as it was the best option. I required no treatment. Do I need to declare this for holiday insurance. They ask if you have cancer but not sure if DCIS is classed as cancer. Is it essential to declare it.
Hello Gill,
Thanks for getting in touch.
It’s important to fully disclose any pre-existing health conditions to the insurance company when getting cover. If this isn’t done, they may decline any claims that arise due to non-disclosure.
Some insurance companies will class DCIS as cancer so its important to disclose the treatment you’ve previously had.
If you are finding it difficult to obtain cover our online community and travel insurance blogs have information posted by other people affected by cancer, including names of companies they have used to get cover. You can find that here.
MoneyHelper (a separate organisation to Macmillan) have also created a Travel Insurance Directory which you can use to search for FCA approved insurers who may be able to offer cover to people with pre-existing medical conditions including cancer. You can see that here.
You may also find it worthwhile to have a look through any cover you might already have available through any bank accounts or credit cards, they won’t usually automatically include cover for pre-existing conditions but may agree to offer full cover if a top-up fee is paid. Trade unions may also be able to help.
Some insurance companies use medical screening systems to provide you with your quotes, but many use the same or similar systems which can lead to you being asked a lot of the questions which are very similar or the same. Please don’t let this put you off shopping around as even though you’re being asked similar or the same questions, each company may be able to offer you a different price if they agree to provide cover. If you find yourself struggling to explain your situation to insurance companies, then you can ask if they’d be willing to manually underwrite the policy. This means a person rather than a computer would look at your health and decide whether cover can be offered and how much it’d cost.
Some companies may also be willing to offer an exclusion for any pre-existing conditions. This means you wouldn’t be insured for any claims related to pre-existing conditions, but other claims should be honoured. This does leave a risk, but it is still something to consider.
I hope this helps you but if you need any more help please do let me know or call the Macmillan Support Line (freephone) on 0808 808 0000.
You can respond by replying via this email or alternatively you can also talk to us via our webchat service.
Kind regards.
Will
