Travel help - secondary breast cancer

Hi Pollyanna100 and welcome to the online community

I'm sorry to hear that your sister has secondary breast cancer but it's great to see that you're planning holidays. Unfortunately, it can be more difficult to find travel insurance when you have cancer.

I don't know if you'd had chance to look through the 'recommended travel insurance' thread yet, as it's where the majority of recommendations from other forum members are. If not, clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there.

It is best to phone the insurance companies rather than try and do online quotes as often at the end of the online quote it will tell you to phone the company and you'll then have to go through all the information again. Also sometimes the broker can refer to the underwriters to see if they would provide cover when an online quote might just give you a straight refusal. 

Make sure your sister has all the information to hand about her diagnosis and treatment before contacting the insurers. This is a list of things an insurance provider might want to know when she's applying for insurance. Some providers might ask for a letter from her doctor saying that she is well enough to travel. This could come from her cancer team or from her GP and it might save time if she gets the letter before contacting insurance providers.

Let me know how she gets on

x

Thanks for your help latchbrook. Do you know whether they will ask the prognosis? She is focused on battling through for as long as possible and we haven't approached that with her medical team. They're saying "years/many years".

I think it would depend on how she's answered the other questions Pollyanna100. For example, I had malignant melanoma and the questions after I declared that usually go - how long ago was I diagnosed, what treatment have I had, am I still having treatment. Now as I'm not having treatment apart from check-ups they don't ask anything further. It then depends on the insurance company whether they are happy to insure me for no extra premium or whether they say they will insure me but it will cost £x more.

If she's being told "years/many years" by her consultant then that is what she should tell them if asked. As you'll be aware secondary cancers are classed as incurable, but lots of people are 'incurable but treatable', meaning that while they'll never be cured treatment will give them many years. 

x

Hi Pollyanna 100

Latchbrook has given good advice (as usual - missing the thumbs up to like under the new format!).

May I just chip in and say the past couple of times I've got my insurance the question I've been asked, after I've declared I've had a recurrence of my original cancer is 'Have you been given a terminal diagnosis?' I haven't and we continue with the questions. In your sisters case the answer is clearly no if they are talking years. I've got an annual policy for Europe, excluding Spain and Cyprus, but including cruising. I asked if I could add Spain/Cyprus at a later date if I wanted to do a cruise that visited there and was told that when it comes to annual policies you can add to them but not reduce the cover. That makes sense to me and it makes it cheaper as the addition will be pro-rota for the remaining term of the policy. So, if you were able to get cover for Europe initially you maybe able to add US later as they sometimes want a longer time to establish stability from confirmation of diagnosis. I've not made a claim, which in reality is when you really find out how good your policy is. I'm with Staysure and have found the questions are tailored and no more intrusive than I expected. I've also had annual cover with Insurancewith.com. Their underwriter has a less good reputation but they did provide cover. In neither case did I even try online. I made a cuppa, settled in with my info and made a phone call.

Wishing you and your sister luck. 

Tracy

TracyP

Thanks very much for chipping in Tracy! 

x

Hi TracyP

Just spotted your post.  Could you just elaborate on the bit that says InsuranceWith has a less good reputation.  I had been recommended to try Insurance With so curious to know what you mean. 

I am just starting to look for cover for hubby for an annual insurance policy.  He has just had a radical neck dissection for recurrent cancer (looks like it didnt respond to radio/chemo last year) and is due to go to Christie's soon to discuss immunotherapy treatment.  Surgeon has said that it is incurable but also said he  believes with treatment between 2-3 years.  

We too want to make more happy memories together and as it is a major milestone birthday for me next year we want to go away and celebrate but need the insurance.

We havent tried contacting anyone yet as we wanted to know what was involved etc.

Cheers

Margaret

Hi BrandyGirl

Insurencewith policies are underwritten by TIF (Travel Insurance Facilities) There is loads of info online of difficulties in getting claims paid by this underwriter.

Since I've not made a claim with them then I cannot comment on that aspect but in my case I did the right thing and rang them when I told, during  a routine check up, that my dizzy spells were diagnosed as vertigo, being caused by migraines, which were already disclosed and accepted for cover. During the call I said that I was planning on booking a river cruise and queried whether I needed 'cruise cover'. I was told no as river cruises were not deemed as needing additional cover by them. I asked her to confirm that from the insurance point of view there was no reason that I could not book that cruise and that the policy still covered what we wanted to do. She confirmed the cover. We booked the cruise which was due to depart  about 3 weeks later. A few days later I then received a phone call  (from the same person I spoke to originally) to say that my policy had been cancelled 'as it was no longer suitable'. They told be that the balance of the premium would be refunded but I refused and I said that I had acted as required by the policy and that they had confirmed cover and as such I believed I had a valid contract. 

The Financial Conduct Authority were happy to take my case on but as it was only a few days before we were due to leave they suggested that I contacted them again and requested a review and that the policy be reinstated. I did and the cover was indeed reinstated.

I chose not to renew with them (though in fairness to them they did offer a renewal quote). 

I take the view that a policy is worthless if it will not pay out if you are unfortunate enough to need i, and have complied with the terms and conditions. Cost is not the only factor that is relevant. Unfortunately, we only really get to find out how good an insurer is when you actually need to make a claim - they are all good at taking the money from you - what is important is how they react when you need them.Is my current insurer any better? I hope I never need to find out. 

I hope you can find a suitable policy and can continue to make lots more happy memories. 

Regards

T