Good Afternoon Everyone. I am a new recruit here! A bit of a fraud really in that I had hysterectomy and oophorectomy last December for ovarian cancer. I was extremely lucky and the surgeon was able to remove all the cancer and although I have a post-op follow-up with him at the end of June, I have already been told that I need no further treatment (obviously because I no longer have any ovaries!) and I also do not need chemotherapy. I am very relieved and grateful obviously and am acutely aware how lucky I am and am not taking this good fortune for granted. I am 76 years old but otherwise pretty fit. I do though have Bowen's Disease (a non-invasive cancer) which I have had since 2007 at least.
My problem is with my travel insurers. After years with Saga and no claims, it has taken them a week to to finally inform me that they will no longer insure me after I rang them to update them regarding my health. They have subsequently cancelled my policy. I travel fairly frequently to Spain and the best Saga could offer was single trip cover at £190 a time. I am going to Spain next week, the first time since after my surgery. I have secured an annual cover with Staysure but this does not cover all illnesses which have been declared. I am wondering, is this the best I can do? I have tried applying online with lots of companies - All Clear, Insure and Go, Marks and spencer, Post Office - sometimes my age is against me as well.
I don't envisage a time when I would consider any form of treatment for any disease whilst on a holiday but I do understand the predicament insurers find themselves in but I cannot believe I am the only cancer victim who wants to travel. Advice please?
Thank you for listening..
Hi GinnyLyn and welcome to the community.
As you see getting affordable Travel Insurance can be a challenge and at times the price could be higher than the cost of the holiday.
Comparison sites tend to use the same algorithms so getting a clear affordable price can be difficult and it’s not that unusual to be turned down or told to call the insurers.
It’s actually far more effective to call a few insurers directly as this means that you have answered all the questions correctly and in doing this a suitable policy can be offered and price given.
Full disclosure is always advisable as in the event of you developing any issues this can reduce the risk of an insurance companies wriggling out from paying out.
I had to be 2 years in remission..... but it took a year to reach remission before I could get any price but this is often down to cancer type, treatment and the resulting risk factor put on you by the insurers risk assessment - I am very open to infections so this is a high risk factor for insurers.
Do have a look through the 'recommended travel insurance' thread and this New Thread in our Travel insurance group as it's where the majority of recommendations from other forum members are. You can also look through all the individual members posts in the group as well.
Clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there. You might also want to look at this thread as it includes a link to a Travel Insurance Directory.
If you have a current European Health Insurance Card, or you get a Global Health Insurance card (more information here) and you have opted to take an exclusion, you would still be able to get treatment in public hospitals when abroad. However, this treatment may still be chargeable at the time although it may be possible to reclaim some or all of the cost back once you are back in the UK.
I have been on my incurable blood cancer journey for over 23 years now so dealing with these problems are just part of our lives - I do hope you can navigate to good cover at a good price.
