Hi all,
I'm stuck at a pretty dead end, I'm due to fly out to the Canary Islands on 2nd June for 8 days and am desperately searching for travel insurance, but because I'm still awaiting further investigations and treatment as I've been referred to Southampton NO ONE will cover me for anything less than £200, can anyone help? PLEASE x
Sorry Sophie this seems to be the thing. Once you have proper diagnosis they will cover you quite cheaply but if you are still under investigation they just do not know what they are covering.
Sophie, the only advice I could offer is that if you travel more than a couple of times a year you might be better looking at an annual policy. It may still cost a lot but may be the same or less than you have already been quoted for an 8-day trip. Failing that, you are eligible for treatment at a state hospital if you are carrying your EHIC card and apparently their state hospitals are very good - my husband and I were both treated in Spain (for viruses) using our EHIC cards and couldn't fault our care. When we go to Spain I take my yellow warfarin booklet with a translation on the front and a copy of my ECG showing me in an AFib episode which my doctor was happy to give me.
Thanks Irene ☺️ I hardly ever go abroad so was a bit of a shock to see how much I was being charged. Thankfully I have finally found one for £95 from Sainsburys, so think I will stick with them from now on! 😋 X
That sounds a good deal - enjoy your holiday!
Thank you! 😋 X
That's an amazingly good deal. I will look at them for when I need travel insurance
As usual you need to shop around, insurance companys manage risk,
if youre unfortunate and find that you need medical treatment and possibly need to be repatriated the final cost will run into thousands,
that £200 will soon look like small cheese,
do declare all pre-existing conditions etc, be honest you dont want to find yourself ill in hospital and being told your insurance doesnt cover you for certain conditions
This thread made me wonder why UK residents need medical insurance to travel within the EU (and that includes the Canary's). I thought the EU was all about being able to travel from country to country without problems!!
This article is quite interesting theguardian.com/money/2010/...
Have a nice holiday Sophie ☀️
Koll
That's the annoying thing, because some insurances will only cover certain parts of the EU and some of them put the price up if you include, Spain, turkey etc...
Thanks Koll! ☺️
Hi Sophie I hope all goes well for you whilst on holidays. Just a question what sets off your AF is Alcohol a trigger for you. ??? If it is try wine from Sana Cruz Tenerife it never set my AF off & that is my trigger there's no preservatives in it like there is in Australia so now all I drink is Spanish or Italian Wine check it out whilst there I have two brothers who live there it's a great place look forward to hearing from you
Rob xx
Hi Rob, I have been diagnosed with SVT and IST but after 2 failed ablations and meds, they're not convinced, hence I'm awaiting further investigations! But my triggers are alcohol, lack of sleep, certain foods etc... But that wine sounds great! I've gone all inclusive so will have a look see at their wine selection! 😋Xx
Hi Sophie yes wine & good old sugar are mine. Sorted one out the wine. Not that worried about the sugar.
Both preservative free in Italy this is & the Spanish wine the names are !!!!
The Italian Wine is
Pinot Grigio
Portone
Italia.
Spanish Wine
Elefante
Vino de la 2012
Terra de Castilla
Blanco
Espana
Try these Im sure they could work for you my friend good luck with it & lets know how you go.
Regards Rob xxx
The EHIC card only covers the standard treatment for that country whilst in the country. It won't cover costs of repatriation, excess hotel costs whilst waiting to return or anything like that, and in many countries (e.g. Switzerland) you have to pay the list price for drugs which can be eye-opening.
And of course in Spain they often won't take the EHIC card anyway.
Yes Mike, alot of people don't realise the limitations of the EHIC card and think that it will suffice.
The suggestion of an annual policy is good but even with those, if you are waiting for investigations/ treatment during that year or your medication is changed you must advise your insurer otherwise your annual policy is invalid.
I have PAF and use goodtogoinsurance.com/ no problems £150 for a week in Mediera. Had angiogram pending at the time. They specialise in this kind of thing.
My AF was diagnosed in Tenerife! It was secondary to Septicemia, the treatment I had was fantastic (reading on this site what newly diagnosed people have to go through)
We had had travel insurance as I had Rheumatoid Disease.
My treatment was very expensive as I was in hospital 9days as the sorted me out,all tests and x-rays ,ECG`s and Echo Cardiographs were done in the first week! Also Cardioversion,that only worked for 48hrs!
My treatment was over £ 8 ,000! So get the best insurance you can,Tenerife does not accept our E111 !!!
I know the Septicemia complicated matters but talking to other people in the hospital(English) who had experience of being ill on the Canary islands before,it is all private!
That's amazing! I managed to get covered by Sainsburys for £85 declaring all my medical history and got 25% discount using my nectar card! ☺️
We travelled Tenerife in June last year, I had the ear infection from hell. We went to the local doctors with my EHIC card and received really good treatnent. I was also seen within 48 hours at the local hospital by an ENT consultant, there was no charge other than for medication.
Update.
I recently suggested that I felt it unnecessary to inform my Travel Insurance company of my previous ablations since technically I am fixed now. I considered my risk during a 7 day holiday abroad to be no different from anybody else.
Well, I got cold feet and decided to contact them.
I was asked whether my operation resulted in 1 night or more recovery in hospital. I mentioned that since my procedure was carried out in the afternoon, that I had to stay over night. Apparently, this does not count as a full blown operation and therefore was not a concern to them. I was asked whether I was being treated for my condition and I replied no, but, I will be seeing a Cardiologist for what may be Eptopic runs.
I was sent what can best be described as a 'teachers note' listing the content of my telephone conversation with the Insurance companies nurse.
My short break included Insurance and Breakdown Cover for £30. I am happy. 
I am going to Canada and got Insurance from Staysure. I have lots of other problems as well as AF but I found them the cheapest and I have used them before. My premium is £340 but then again I am not awaiting further investigations. They might be worth a try though.
Sophie thanks for replying. I don't know anything about insurance in the UK.
But I do know I had to pay $385.00 when I went to Tenerife last October. I told them I had AF. I did not have a problem. Hope you get Insurance & it all works out for you.
Cheers. Rob xxx
I was having a similar problem, finding insurance for a UK holiday! I thought a policy at over £6k was a bit excessive.... The lowest I found was over £240, but I have now found LV quoting a better rate online. It might be worth looking at them, just in case!
One way round the dilemma is to get an insurance that covers you for all matters bar your problem. Insurance companies would require you to print off the disclaimer, provided by them, and attach it to your policy when you go abroad.
However this is only if you are prepared to take the risk. Perhaps a chat with your specialist/Dr about your personal risk might put your mind to rest before you agree to an exclusion clause type insurance.
Insurance companies take a very conservative view and discourage clients who have a known risk with hefty premiums.
Exclusion policies can be very difficult / problematic because there are so many things that can affect something else and if the insurance company decides it did then you really on an uphill struggle. Also you will be dependant on medical reports from the hospital in the country that you visit and as English is not their first language in most cases then that will present another barrier and problems.
I agree that there is a risk re interpretation when you have chosen to attach a disclaimer to your policy . My personal experience detailed below shows how an insurance company covers itself even when a condition has been declared and relieves itself of any responsibility regarding associated conditions by not covering them even though I do not have the associated conditions .
This is my declaration I made re my medical condition/s to an insurance company.
My wife and I will be going to USA with my declared condition (and all others the insurance company say are related to AF) excluded.
DECLARED CONDITIONS
Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation
How has your condition been treated? - More than one type of treatment or combined device
How many unplanned hospital visits for your irregular heartbeat have you had in the last 12 months? - 0
Do you have any further investigation or treatment planned? - No
Are you on medication to thin the blood (not including aspirin) which requires regular blood tests? - No
Has your heart rhythm ever caused collapses, faints or blackouts? - No
Have you ever been told that the arteries in your heart are blocked or narrowed? - No
Have you ever had angina and/or a heart attack? - No
Do you have (or are you on medication for) heart-related breathlessness or ankle swelling? - No treatment for either of these
Have you ever had a stroke or a mini-stroke (TIA)? - No -
THIS IS WHAT THE INSURANCE COMPANY SAY THEY WILL ALSO NOT COVER ME FOR
EG SEE BELOW THEY WILL NOT COVER ME FOR TIA EVEN THOUGH I HAVE STATED ABOVE THAT I HAVE NOT SUFFERED FROM ONE.
Directly and Indirectly Related Conditions
In addition to the declared condition/s we have identified that there are the following condition/s that are directly and indirectly related:
Condition
Cardiac valve disease
Cardiomyopathy
Cerebrovascular accident
Impaired contractility
Ischaemic heart disease
Transient ischaemic attack
In reply I sent the following ( without any success mind)
I declared my Medical Condition (above) but as the premium to obtain cover for this was in excess of £300 I have declined it.
On speaking to a representative whilst discussing the premium it was made clear to me that other conditions are also not covered including aeschaemic heart disease, valve problems, cardiomyopathy ostensibly because they are deemed to be related to my declared condition. I can see, therefore, why the premium is so large as presumably it covers all the conditions that are nominally related to my PAF and excluded from the Standard Cover I wish to take out.
IE. If I had all the conditions and declared them the premium of +£300 would have remained the same.
It follows that if one has no Medical Condition that one is aware of but is unknowingly suffering from one of the above related conditions and has a problem whilst on holiday they would be covered at the Standard Rate of Insurance.
Over the years I have had extensive tests to determine the cause of my condition (some 15 years) and at no time has there been any evidence to show that I have any heart condition other than PAF. This is called LONE AF. ie No known cause.
I take a prescription drug, as and when, that can only be prescribed for those that have no other known heart condition.
My condition is well documented and been treated by ablation. My last test showed an incidence of around 1.7 % irregular beats/day.
I agree that arrhythmias can be related to heart conditions in general but is not in my case and is not for all LONE AF sufferers.
I consider that I am being penalised as though as I have all heart conditions and being more harshly judged for declaring my condition ( as though as I have declared every heart condition that you will not cover me for ) than someone who has had no tests/checks but has an underlying condition that only comes to light when they have a problem on holiday.
Statistically I would suggest that I am a better bet to be covered for all heart conditions, other than my declared PAF, than others of my age with underlying conditions not known about. These would include hypertension, cholesterol and the named conditions you have declared to be related to my condition none of which I have.
I would reiterate LONE AF is not related to other heart conditions.
I would be grateful of some explanation why Lone AF sufferers are so heavily and unjustly penalised .
INTERESTING EH? The insurance company stood by it's statement . I would take it higher but lone voice and all that.
Interesting thread - I had AF and then developed another condition so travel insurance became a nightmare as I can suddenly become quite ill preventing me from traveling at all. What I found out was that if you don't take out your travel insurance until 7-10 days before you travel you can cancel within the 10 day period without penalty. You may also have had your further investigations so then that clause would not apply. This works very well for us as I have had to do this several times.
It may not work if you are paying out thousands for a cruise or expensive hotels as you forgo the travel cancellation but I never took that anyway.
If you only want cover for medical costs and are paying for just flights you can always change your flights, for a small fee, which is often much less than the cost of the travel insurance.
I use Travel4Medical - because they are the only company who would cover me when I wanted to travel 7 days after ablation. They are the people who told me not to take out the insurance until 10 days before I travelled.
Hope you have a lovely holiday xxx
Try Asda found them good
x
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