The news coverage of the cruise ship, Diamond Princess, which was forced to quarantine following an outbreak of COVID-19, seems like a distant memory however the incident has understandably left some people feeling cautious about setting sail.
Read moreWhether you’re a keen traveller, rarely travel or prefer to holiday once a year, travelling helps you have a sense of freedom from the usual humdrum of everyday life. It immerses you into a different culture with new sights, surroundings and great food.
Read moreAccording to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office’s (FCDO) recent report British Behaviour Abroad based on data from April 2009 to March 2010, a total of 19,839 Britons needed consular assistance, of that, 6,439 were arrested or detained abroad and 3,689 were hospitalised. Of the 3,689 hospitalisations, the highest number occurred in Spain with 831, followed by Greece with 471 and in Egypt 235. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister, Jeremy Browne, who unveiled the report in Thailand, said: “This report shines a light on the number of Britons who get into difficulty abroad each year. “The worrying fact is that so many of these situations are preventable. Helping out Britons in trouble abroad is part of our job, but we can’t get you out of jail or pay your hospital bills.
Many Britons who do fall ill while abroad are facing costly treatment and repatriation bills, because they have either not taken out travel insurance, omitted to declare a pre-existing medical condition or have wrongly presumed that if they are travelling in the European Union their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) would fully cover them for all medical costs. The costs of medical treatment abroad can be exceptionally high and
from 1st January 2021 rules around travel to Europe have changed, visit the Government website for up to date information on passports, EHIC, healthcare and more. We’ll update this page with more information as and when the Government release it.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition you must fully declare your condition. You may think that something has no bearing on your travel insurance but it is always best to declare everything and let your travel insurance provider decide what is and is not relevant. That way you will have no nasty surprises should you need to make a claim.
An example given by the FCDO in their report tells of a case involving a retired man who suffered a major heart attack while travelling in the US. His wife called the consular team to seek advice after their insurance policy was deemed invalid as the couple had failed to declare the husband’s double bypass operation some 20 year previously. The couple had already paid $10,000 (£6,500) to the hospital and the wife was concerned about costs. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office staff helped her arrange a payment plan via the hospital’s finance department. When you submit a medical travel insurance claim, your insurance providers will always check your medical history with your medical practitioner, therefore it is very easy for them to find out if you have any pre-existing medical condition you have not declared and either declare your policy void or simply decline your claim.
Many people wrongly assume that by declaring their medical conditions their travel insurance will become unaffordable. This however is not the case, there are now many travel insurance providers who offer to cover the more common medical conditions at premiums what are not much higher than those without a medical condition. At the forefront of this is travel insurance provider Insurancewith, who have worked with many medical charities to understand a vast number of medical conditions from common ones like cancer, diabetes and heart conditions to the rare genetic conditions, this enable them to look at the actual risk of the condition rather than the perceived risk, which enables them to offer lower premiums.
Jeremy Browne, Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office Minister says: “A bit of preparation before you go, such as arranging travel insurance and checking our website, will ensure you get the most out of your trip without bad memories and big bills.”
To see all the medical conditions that we cover, please click here. Or, if you’re looking to get a pre-existing medical condition travel insurance quote, click here, or give our customer service centre a call on 0333 999 2679.
Travel insurance is probably not the most glamorous topic to talk about, travel insurance is however a vital part of the holiday process. Buying travel insurance is not as easy as asking “what is the best hotel to say in”, particularly if you are looking for travel Insurance for pre existing medical conditions, it can be very frustrating and confusing. Therefore don’t leave buying your travel insurance to the last minute. Travel insurance can sometimes be a grudge buy, but it is important to buy your travel insurance as soon as possible after you have booked your holiday, the cancellation aspect of your policy starts straight away and gives you valuable cover.
If you have bought pre existing medical conditions travel insurance, you must ensure you have fully declared all your medical conditions and those of anyone whose health your trip relies on. For example would you want to cancel your holiday if a close relative is taken ill or dies? If so you must ensure that you have declared any medical condition they have that may cause you to cancel your holiday. Another point to remember is that from 1st January 2021 rules around travel to Europe have changed, visit the Government website for up to date information on passports, EHIC, healthcare and more. We’ll update this page with more information as and when the Government release it.
It is also vital that you tell the truth about any medical conditions you have, even if they seem irrelevant. An excessive amount of information is the best when buying travel insurance with medical conditions, as not providing full details of your medical conditions could later invalidate any claims you need to make.
It is important to always make sure you have right policy for your holiday. If you’re going backpacking, skiing or rock climbing, you’re going to have to have an insurance policy specifically for these activities to ensure you’re covered in case of an accident. Buy for the family and save, if you are travelling as a family then it does stand to reason that a family policy will be the best value for you, there are also policies for couples which offers a saving on buying two individual policies.
Check what excesses are on the policy you buy, there could be different excess amounts on different sections of the policy, for example if you have a travel insurance with pre existing medical conditions, the medical excess could be higher than say the lost baggage excess. The best piece of advice is always read you travel insurance policy after you buy it, make sure that it covers all your needs. You have a 14 day cooling off period after you buy an insurance policy, if you are not completely satisfied that the policy will cover your needs you can cancel the policy (provided you haven’t already started your journey) and receive a full refund.
