Incontinence

Hi PurpleDays 

I don't have any personal experience with incontinence so I don't know if you have to declare this as a pre-existing medical condition. 

Unfortunately, the only way to compare the various travel insurance companies, and to find out if incontinence is a pre-existing medical condition, is to sit down with a big cup of tea (other drinks are available) and start phoning around. Have you had chance to look through the 'recommended travel insurance' thread yet, as that's where the majority of recommendations are? If not, clicking on the link I've created will take you straight there.

As there are lots of recommendations, it's probably best to go through the thread, and make a list before you start phoning around.

Do come back and let us know how you get on and especially let us know about how they view incontinence so that anyone else coming to look for information about that will be able to read about your experience.

Thank you. I’m still lost in a maize with the website so big thanks for giving the link to recommended travel insurance. Sending my best wishes ️

I think I typed maze incorrectly. Sorry 

Hello Purpledays,

I don't know if this is any use, but whenever I've completed travel insurance applications the question for medical declarations is along the lines of have you any consultations with a doctor, been prescribed new medication, had existing medication changed or had inpatient / outpatient treatment in the past 1 or sometimes 2 years, so "declaration" takes the form of a direct answer to their questions which have to be answered truthfully. You say that your docs have been trying new meds for your condition so this will have to be declared in the answer to such a question.

It does not necessarily mean that your condition will mean you can't get cover or that it will cost more but it does need to be declared in answer to the questions. I had a chest infection in February and was given antibiotics which cleared it up - I had to declare that under the conditions on my existing travel policy but when I did this there was no additional premium or restriction. Hopefully incontinence won't be something that attracts a higher cost or exclusion.

When I updated our travel insurance after my husband had his prostate removed I told them about his post surgery bladder weakness and they only asked if he had been diagnosed with an infection. They just added this to the medical declaration with no additional charge.

It is a bind having to tell them about every pre existing medical condition, but it is always better to be totally honest or you are running the risk of them refusing to pay for any treatment needed when you're abroad. 

If you look at the money helper website there's a list of travel insurers and it tells you who they use to do their medical screening. There are a couple of different screener and some do their own in house screening. 

There's no point in asking for quotes from several insurers who use the same screeners as you will get the same results, do try different ones as it could make a difference.

Thank you. That’s very useful. 

Our insurance is with Travel insurance 4 medical and they're on the money helper list.

Thank you. That’s very useful. My other medical conditions leave me becoming overwhelmingly exhausted quite quickly. Everything that I can avoid doing is a big help.  I’m not lazy. But if I can write up notes in advance of searching for travel insurance it will help me enormously when I start phoning around. So I’m trying to do as much research as I can before I start phoning insurers. Of course I will declare all my pre-existing conditions. I got a list from my doctors. 

We've added quite a few conditions that we've not sufferer from for years because of the 'have you ever suffered from' questions.

This includes both of us suffering from depression over 10 years ago, my husband having high blood pressure over 20 years ago, raised cholesterol without being recommended to take statins. Last year my husband had cataract surgery and he had complications that are now resolved  but we still added them. I had varicose vein lazer treatment 7 years ago for venous insufficiency and I have diverticula disease, both declared.

I would go through their online screening first to see if they will insure you. They may ask you to ring them to answer more questions but they are lovely. 

Thank you. That’s good advice. Online screening takes much less out of me than phone calls. And it will prepare me to know what questions are coming up. 
Again, thank you