Travel insurance

[Wizard_of_Oz]

Hi Everyone, now 7 weeks post valve replacement and am planning a ferry & driving trip through France. Can anyone recommend an travel medical insurance company who will offer cover at a fair price?

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Dear wizard_of_Oz

Wow just 7 weeks after your operation and you are fit and well to drive so far, well done.

I don’t think your travel insurance maybe so happy.

Has your cardiologist given you the all clear to drive and travel? Your Dr? If yes which I find amazing, get it in writing from them to ease your insurance companies concerns.

Good luck with it all and I hope you have a great time when you get away

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Look to the right of your original post for links to previous posts about travel insurance.

[Bdhoagie]

Hi, You are very lucky to be so fit so soon! Well done! I searched this site for holiday insurance companies, and found staysure to be quite reasonable at the time. Do take a look at them all though, they are quite different.

[Wizard_of_Oz in reply to Bdhoagie]

Thank you all for your replies. My wife will be doing most of the driving, I’ll be relaxing 😎. My surgeon has said I can fly at 8 weeks, so ferry should be ok. I have booked a medical with my GP, which I need for insurance and ferry passage. What are you most cautious about? Arrhythmia?

Thanks for your responses.

[SecondOHS in reply to Wizard_of_Oz]

At 7 weeks after your surgery, your body is still in massive shock. I personally would prefer to be closer to my care team (cardiolgist, surgeon, etc.) where they have ready access to your medical records should something unfortunate occur in the recovery period.

Not to mention, I would prefer to be in an environment where language is not a barrier to getting rapid and accurate treatment. You may be traveling somewhere where you are fluent sufficiently to convey your medical needs in the local language

[gilreid1]

I assume you are not traveling until about three or four months time ? Even then I would be extremely careful. I use staysure insurance for overseas travel

[CRTD]

medicaltravelcompared.co.uk...

[jerry12953 in reply to CRTD]

I used this comparison site as well and got the same results as with comparethemarket. Puffin insurance gave the best quote.

Interestingly for me it was "buy one, get three free". Having declared angina and high blood pressure, and got a quote for that, three further conditions didn't add to the premium at all!

[Wizard_of_Oz in reply to CRTD]

Thank you CRTD!

[KingChanterel]

If you have a Nationwide Flex Plus account call their travel insurance provider, I found that I could pay an additional premium on top of the 'free' cover for my Coronary Heart Disease and it worked out considerably cheaper than other providers. Other than that Staysure gave the best quote excluding Nationwide.

[Wizard_of_Oz in reply to KingChanterel]

Thanks KingChanterel

[MelB51]

Don’t forget to sort out your global health card too which replaces the one we used to have when we were still members of the EU. It entitles you to the same treatment and care as before and so can be very useful.

[Thanksnhs]

I found insurancewith.com the best for me also moneysupermarket for pre existing conditions had some reasonable quotes

[Butcharts]

Think carefully what aspects of your trip you require insurance cover for, before diving into the vague “Travel insurance” cover. As you are driving and using ferry crossings, you won’t need flight and airport delays or lost baggage cover.

From personal experience with regard to emergency medical treatment in Austria for a failed quad CABG operation I had in Edinburgh, my treatment was superb with an angiogram being performed within an hour of arrival at the hospital. My treatment including 9 days as an in patient, and insertion of a total of 4 stents was covered with my EHIC card.

Language was not a problem. Again, in my experience, medical practitioners with expertise to perform these procedures speak perfect English.

Repatriation to the UK, in the event of having been treated abroad, I don’t regard as an issue. The hospital are unlikely to release patients unsuitable for returning home, when taking the method of travel into consideration. My wife drove me home after release from hospital.

As we are aware, our NHS has struggled to cope with increased demands whilst financial restraints are imposed. Without getting political, other European countries do provide superb medical care, and I’m not personally concerned about relying on the EHIC cover which does cover pre-existing conditions.

Enjoy your trip. 😊

[Roxiedog2022]

Hi I had mitral valve repair and then mitral valve replacement in 2020. I got diagnosed with LVSD/ heart failure recently. I thought insurance would cost a fortune. I used Compare the Market and got a year's insurance for myself and my husband for around €100, with no excess .

[Hoocher]

If you have a bank account package with travel insurance speak to them as because it is a rolling insurance package they may still cover you mine did after my HA in 2019