Travel insurance help (Europe only)

[HeartyJames]

Anybody know where I can get annual travel insurance from? I tried a couple but due to heart failure they refuse to cover. Also some if you have undiagnosed condition , for example waiting for results or in process, which I am in Endocrine... ?

[Anon2023]

hi. I managed to get cover through Staysure although I’ve got lots of health conditions including heart failure. It was very expensive though (I needed worldwide cover) Im not sure about undiagnosed conditions but hopefully someone will be along shortly to answer that. Navigator insurance possibly? Good luck.

[Tos92]

Hi   HeartyJames

Just a thought. Do you have the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC)? It covers any medical or emergency treatment that you may need whilst abroad in Europe for British citizens. It also covers pre-existing health conditions. Please see the resource below.

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I am personally, with Staysure and they cover a range of complex heart conditions. As you are under investigation for one condition, that will be excluded by almost all providers because it is not an official diagnosis.

Also, if you type in “travel insurance” in the search bar above, you’ll see a lot of previous threads based on this topic as it’s very popular.

All the best.

Tos

[HeartyJames in reply to Tos92]

Yes just applied for that. Probably suitable enough ...

[Lezzers in reply to HeartyJames]

Be aware that with the ghic card you will be liable for some costs, emergency ambulance, diagnostic tests, blood tests etc though you may be able to reclaim these costs when you get home.Also be aware that the ghic does not cover repatriation which is expensive. Nor would it cover the cost of a plane being diverted due to a medical issue. I know of someone who took poorly on a plane & had to pay thousands of euros for the plane diversion, fortunately his travel insurance picked up the cost. As someone who's husband has been taken poorly twice on a plane, thankfully he's not had to have the planes diverted but the pilots radio'd ahead to have an ambulance waiting on the tarmac to take him off the plane straight to hospital, I seriously wouldn't encourage you to go without adequate travel insurance in place.

We found All Clear covered my husbands heart failure due to a previous heart attack and cardiac arrest, ICD etc. However they did once restrict medical cover to just £10000 as he'd had a recent medical issue. £10000 sounds a lot but in reality wouldn't go very far if you're in hospital in intensive care for a length of time.

[HeartyJames in reply to Lezzers]

thanks for info

[Hylda2 in reply to Tos92]

I was turned down by Staysure and Just Travel because I still have something outstanding

[Hanibil]

Try Avanti I found them the best, they covered me when others wouldn’t and the cost was very reasonable.

[Captain_Birdseye]

You'll struggle to find insurance if you're still going through investigation for an undiagnosed condition... at a decent price at least.

There is a pinned post regarding travel insurance on this forum (look.under pinned posts) - you may need to find a broker.

[Hidden]

I'm with my Bank, who use Aviva as there underwriter. Covered for a number of heart related issues including Heart Failure. I've found discussing matters with Aviva and the bank very straightforward with everything documented. I have made claims for cancellations without any problems.

As an aside, a good mate of mine passed away on holiday last week, thankfully they had suitable travel insurance, with the insurers dealing with everything including his upcoming repatriation. GHIC wouldn't have been much use in those circumstances.

[HeartyJames]

Thanks folks. So I am beuing quoted £365 for basic annual cover. Is that a good price?

[Lezzers in reply to HeartyJames]

Difficult question to answer really. Does it give you all the cover you need having declared all your medical conditions. Other than that it's probably a case of, is it worth it to you to pay that price for peace of mind? At the end of the day any insurance company is only as good as it's claims service, look at all independent reviews on the company and see if there's any particular issues with their claim service, do they make claiming difficult etc

[IgottaStent in reply to HeartyJames]

As Lezzers says there's a lot of variants on each premium but if thats a worldwide annual I would think thats good. That's about what I pay as a 65yo male with Stent and high cholesterol and on BP meds. I use Staysure.

Also whats a hospital visit going to cost wherever you go even if you have a minor injury like a twisted ankle from over doing it on a 70s punk revival night

[Douglas91]

if you are still undergoing investigations. Insurance companies are reluctant to give cover. You will need to wait until you have a diagnosis so that the insurance companies can assess the risks. Hope you get sorted soon. Good luck x