Recommended Travel Insurance

I found this thread very helpful - thank you all - and would like to add my experiences in case someone else finds it useful.

My main medical condition (see below for more) is CMML 2 - chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia type 2 - diagnosed in July 2019 with a score that predicted a median life expectancy of 11 months. So far (Nov 2021) I am still on "watch and wait" with blood tests every 3 months and not started treatment (which will be chemo - Azacitidine).

In September 2019 I went with my wife (she's probably the main reason I'm still here) by train through Belgium, Germany, Denmark and up to the North of Sweden, Insurancewith covered both of us for £98.

In February 2020 we flew to Porto, Portugal for a long w/e again covered by Insurance with, for £78.

This week (in Nov 2021) I tried to use Insurancewith again to get cover for a week in the Canary Isles in Dec, but they told me they do not at the moment offer travel insurance as their German underwriter has found the Brexit situation too difficult.

I have a quote, using the website, from Goodtogo for £251. The website form was easy to fill in. I also tried to get a quote from Staysure but their website kept telling me that CMML was Myelofibrosis, which I don't think it is and the medical questions that it asked were not the same ones as I used to answer with Insurancewith. I was concerned by this and tied to clarify it on the phone but so far have spent hours being bounced back and forth between their service and their sales dep'ts, although they have now promised to talk with their medical experts and get back to me again. Their quote is similar in price to Goodtogo.

My other conditions that appear in the medical questions bit of Travel Insurance are

1) Type 2 Diabetes - not overweight BMI score 23, being managed by Metformin, diet and exercise, no blood pressure conditions, etc.

2) Prostate Cancer - PSA around 17, Gleason grade 3+4, on watch and wait.

3) Enlarged prostate - no urinary tract infections, managed by Tamsolusin, totally easing up on the booze, and long walks (thank you to our dog).

I've just experienced a great deal of frustration having received a quote of £124.79 or a single trip, 10-day holiday in Europe.

I obtained a list of suggested Travel Insurance Firms off the government web site. Several rejected my online application outright, and many more gave exorbitant quotes upwards of £2,000. Two companies gave quotes in the order of just £125 which was very exciting. The companies were insurefortravelhealth.co.uk and justtravelcover.com.

Well worth investigating – or so I thought! However, I've now spoken to an agent on the telephone, it's all a bit of a con! Having answered all the questions correctly in the online questionaire, I'm now told I don't qualify for that level of cover because "I'm stlll undergoing treatment".

Most people reading this, like me, will know the questions off by heart. For the question “How long ago was your last cancer treatment” I ticked the box “I am still undergoing treatment”, so all fairly straightforward.

I'm not quite sure what in the statement “I am still undergoing treatment” they didn't understand.

Apparently, for the question “Are your currently on any waiting lists for investigation or treatment “ I should have answered “Yes” despite the fact that I'm not. My condition is diagnosed and I have a schedule of appointments for the next 5 months. I'm not currently awaiting anything.

So anyone else getting excited about positive quotes from these two organisations don't rush to get the suitcases down from the attic!. I guess I could easily have completed the online application and gone for it, but no doubt any subsequent claim would be rejected. 

Regrettably the standard advice does seem to be, talk to them on the phone if you are involved in cancer treatment, or anything else which can be complex. Or they could do exactly as you say, accept your premium and then abandon you if you have a claim. It seems that any scheduled treatment counts as "waiting" to insurers, even though you are not actually on a waiting list for dates. Or they can argue it that way. (We could always argue it the other way too, but who wants a fight with an insurance company?)

Best of luck. I didn't know (or had forgotten) that there was a "Government list" - if there was, before, I think I found it not very helpful. But any list is better than no list! The hospital department that used to have a fairly up to date list of cancer-friendly companies, closed down long ago alas.

I agree...we look online but always check by speaking on the phone. If I can trust what I was told today, one of the copmpanies I just struggled with is about to launch a new product that allows you to exclude conditions. So, for example, if you are condifent that your cancer won't flair up while your away, you can exclude it and just get cover for anything else. I'm keeping my eye open for that t appear and will post details here if indeed it happens. 

I have just done an annual insurance like this. Have excluded pre existing conditions. I'm currently cancer free but as my surgery was only 7 months ago my quotes were through the roof. Should anything change I can change the cover at anytime. 

Hi Olli...can I asked what company you used for the policy where you were able to exclude conditions? Cheers

We are still really struggling with this, it's very frustrating. We are very reluctant to go with excluding conditions because my husband has spread to his bones, so any sort of accident where he breaks a bone they will blame the cancer. 

The best deal we have found so far is with All Clear, and they have 20% off before the end of the month so are considering it. Has anybody used these before? Waiting for Insurance With to come back sems a lost cause sadly  

Hi Ollie, I would also really like to know which insurance company will exclude pre existing conditions please

I did it with J D Travel. They placed me with Voyager travel insurance. 

I did mine through J D Travel. They placed me with Voyager travel insurance