Travel Insurance

Hi Julie (Jaycee12 ),

It would be worth your while looking on this group  Travel insurance forum for cancer patients , I travelled to Italy 2 years after finishing my treatment & I got a lot of ideas on where to look from the lovely people there. My insurance didn’t come in much dearer than it would have had I not received my diagnosis. It would be worth going on the comparison websites also as you can put in your details & it will come up with lots of options, I think different cancers are viewed very differently where insurance is concerned. 

Nicola 

Thank you so much for that and the link Nicola as I couldn’t find it! I will have a look. Julie

Hello Julie

We have travel insurance included through our Nationwide FlexPlus account, however, I am not covered for cancer.  We took a calculated risk, well, in our eyes it wasn't a risk at all as I am not undergoing treatment and am not awaiting any cancer related investigations.  So we went abroad for the first time last year three months after my last treatment, and were away for nine glorious weeks!  We decided that if at any point I became unwell, we would either drive home or hop on a plane.  If I was really too ill to travel we would go to our local hospital using our EHIC card which still covers us for the same emergency treatment that is available to locals.  However, I should stress that this doesn't cover us should I need a medical flight home that is related to cancer treatment. 

This year we were away April/May and arrived here again in Spain yesterday.  I always have such a relaxing time here that I leave all cancer worries behind!  I am not advising you do the same, you are best placed to know what you are happy with but we have accepted that this is the only way we can do this at the moment.  The person I spoke to at Nationwide Insurance was so helpful and told me that at the next renewal I may well be covered as the date of last treatment always comes up.  We pay a surcharge of about £200 and that is for an annual policy, world-wide, trips up to 90 days and my husband on his motorbike when he is off exploring Morocco.  The last one is key for us as on his last trip he went head-over-heels when his bike wheel went into an open drain.  In the event the locals were so kind and took care of him but it worried him (and me) should it have been more serious.

I hope you can have a lovely holiday with insurance cover that doesn't make your eyes water!

Irene xx

Hi Jaycee12 

I’d recommend having a look through the companies in the “recommended” thread in the travel insurance group and then calling them up for a quote rather than doing it online.  I wouldn’t necessarily use comparison sites, as in general the companies use the same algorithms to calculate the premiums. With any medical condition past or present it’s best to call up and speak with someone and use one of the companies which specialise in people who have or have had health issues.

Most insurance companies will ask about any hospital stays or diagnosis/treatment in, for example, the last 2 years as part of their questions. If you don’t tell them about the cancer, even being NED, it could invalidate your policy and any claim wouldn’t be paid. Being NED will make a difference to the premium in that it will be lower than someone with a current cancer diagnosis, but you do need to be honest about having had it. 

I’m speaking from the position of someone who got a cancer diagnosis on the day I was due to travel longhaul and did get a payout, but I’m careful to phone and update them before every trip since then. Initially my cancer wasn’t covered at all as my first trip was within 6 months of being NED, but since that time I’ve obviously had a recurrence and surgery/stomas.  I just want the insurance company to be aware of all my circumstances before I travel to give them no excuse to deny a claim!

Good luck with getting that holiday booked to look forward to! 

Sarah xx

Thank you Irene have a great time in Spain and please, no motorbikes ha ha

Hi Sarah thank you for your advice. I agree it’s always best to be upfront with these insurance companies as they are always ready to catch you out. I would rather phone than answer these tick box questions online.

Julie

Julie, I don’t go near the bike, but I live with my husband’s passion (albeit reluctantly!). He just loves exploring and I can’t begin to tell you the exploits that I have found out about, but it would be selfish to deny him - he didn’t go anywhere for two years after my diagnosis and is only now preparing for another road trip. Cx

Hi again Julie, we travelled to Krakow earlier this year & I booked my travel insurance online this time & had full opportunity to disclose my cancer type & full details on the form so I don’t think they could have denied my claim should I have needed one, having said that my recovery from treatment has been fairly uncomplicated compared to some, I even declare my arthritis especially with me having cortisone injections to my feet so that if I were to suffer a fall etc., then there’d be no excuse for them to contest a claim. I also have family travel insurance with my bank account but knew that wouldn’t cover the ‘extra’ health issues that have arisen in the last 5 years. 

Nicola 

Hi Nicola I looked at the Staysure travel insurance online which seemed to be recommended on here and I find when they ask about any surgeries since two years which is a yes (9 weeks ago) and any further investigations, yes the CT scan next week and the day after that I have to have tests at the hospital of nuclear medicine (frightening name) the day after which I was told there is a small risk of these causing cancer! I want to give them the information they need but do not want to sound like a cancer risk as I feel great. We haven’t even booked anywhere yet and just looking at the costs but the forms ask for departure dates. With everything going on at the moment we are hoping to get away at the end of September and that’s over a month away and the online forms will not do month ahead predictions. Staysure predicted £84 for an annual EU travel but that seems pretty cheap to me and probably did not put all required on the form. I will give them a call. Thank you Nicola 

I agree Julie probably best to speak with someone with you having had such recent procedures & more planned in the near future then you can be sure that you’ve disclosed everything that’s relevant. If I remember correctly the online form that I filled in at the beginning of the year asked if there had been any hospital stays, procedures, treatments etc., connected with my cancer diagnosis within a certain timescale. 

Nicola