Travel Insurance

[Bellacheshire]

Travel insurance label!

Im 61, always active, fit and eat healthy, dont smoke or drink. After a 5km park run in April 24 I had a funny turn, fatigue and heavy legs - dizziness was present for several weeks and I just couldn't get going. Fast forward to today - I am under cardiology with bradycardia (ave 50 hr and 40s when sleeping), I have had a MRI scan, implantable loop recorder fitted and have a stress test this week. Symptoms of dizziness, then palpitations, headache, severe fatigue hit mainly after exercise, or at a time least expected. I have a left branch bock (saw it written on my notes). I am due to go on holiday and rang travel insurance company who need a specific condition to allow me to be insured. As I am still "under investigation" I have written to the medical secretaries to ask consultant for a condition. Any ideas what to say to my insurance company if I can't get hold of consultant before I go? TIA

[Hidden]

because the insurer does not know what they are insuring, they find it impossible to put a price on it. This is better explained on the websites of Moneysavingexpert or Moneyhelper UK.

[10gingercats]

Whatever you do do not take the risk of going on holiday without travel insurance

[Bellacheshire in reply to 10gingercats]

Thanks I certainly won’t which is why I rang them. Hopefully I will get a diagnosis that I can use for the insurers

[Lowerfield_no_more]

It is not clear from your post whether you already have travel insurance and are trying to arrange cover due to a change in circumstances or whether you have no cover at present and are trying to arrange some. However if you are under investigation you will find your premium is higher than would otherwise be the case and some companies will decline cover, that's just how it is. So in your case, as a back up, in case the insurer you are talking to ultimately declines, I suggests you find a website concerning travel insurance with pre existing conditions, fill in all the questions honestly, and take it from there. Or talk to a local insurance broker. As others have said do not go on holiday without cover. I hope you get fixed up.

[Bellacheshire in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

I already have travel insurance that I get with my bank (had it for years) and spoke to them to update on my recent issue but they wont unless I have a specific condition. Thank you for your advice and if they refuse I will google who will take me with pre existing condition once I know what that is and will pay the premium. Hopefully the consultant updates me in the next couple of weeks, if not I do have a letter that says sinus bradycardia and can discuss with the insurance company

[Redfloyd in reply to Bellacheshire]

Presumably if you've booked your holiday before you became unwell your insurance will cover the cost if you are unable to go. Unfortunately I lost £1000 because I was not able to go on holiday because I was only a few weeks post OHS. As it was a UK holiday I didn't bother with Insurance.

[Sodapop13]

Echo the reply from Redfloyd. We pay a monthly premium through our bank account and had two holidays booked when my husband suffered a massive heart attack. Both pre booked holidays were covered providing he had a fit to fly note from Drs. The advisor at the bank said to contact them after these holidays were taken but before booking anything else and to do the upgrade then to cover the heart issues. By then we had full diagnosis so they were able to cover him with an additional premium. Happy travels!

[Caserio in reply to Sodapop13]

can I ask what bank?

[Sodapop13 in reply to Caserio]

We have a Halifax reward current account. As soon as full diagnosis from the heart attack came through from cardiologist they offered cover for about £250 extra per year, on top of the usual monthly fee, but this gives us worldwide cover.

[Caserio in reply to Sodapop13]

Thanks. We have First Direct , who said they would carry on insuring us, but exclude anything heart related.

What good is that!

[Sodapop13 in reply to Caserio]

I agree - it just adds extra stress. Good luck!

[bagsypartime]

angina

[BTC1997]

There's a lot of information on this site if you search holiday and/or travel insurance. Coincidentally this morning I discovered that for Europe/Shengen, there's an insurer that doesn't carry out any screening. The only constraint is that they don't appear to insure over-65s. bls.schengen.europ-assistan...

[T666]

sound advice in all the replies. Only thing I would add is make the doctors aware. They will / may move things along more quickly as they will understand the importance of getting you some sort of written diagnosis that you can present

[jab177]

I have had LBBB for over 60 years and the only time I think about it is when I have an ECG because it shows as a comment. Regarding insurance, you will just have to explain the situation as best you can and they will make a decision. The last time I travelled I was waiting for a procedure, so anything relating to my heart was not covered.

[pablojack]

Re insurance for preexisting condition. Like others I have insurance from my bank. I am 75 years of age and in good health. However I have bradycardia following cardio version 4 years ago. My resting heart rate is c45bpm. I have no clinical symptoms and my heart rate rises to c150 at the gym. I tend to regard this as a non issue but since it has been diagnosed as level 1 heart block I am concerned that this would be regarded as a preexisting condition for insurance purposes, especialy as I seem to be getting older every year.

Does anyone else have the same or similar issues. How does it impact the ability to obtain insurance cover and how does it affect the cost of said insurance?

[Lowerfield_no_more in reply to pablojack]

You won't know how any health conditions affects the cost of travel insurance until you offer up all the medical condition you have and then answer all the questions that follow fully and honestly. If you aren't sure about your situation (bearing in mind we are all different), why not find a comparison website which covers travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions and take it from there. You will then get a tabulation of those companies who are willing to cover you with a cost just like you get for house or motor insurance.

[Bellacheshire in reply to Lowerfield_no_more]

From speaking with the insurance company they dont want symptoms but require a medical condition which I haven't been diagnosed with fully yet. I could potentially use sinus bradycardia as that is on my letter from consultant to GP as to what they are looking for - but until I have a "label" as such, insurance companies wont insure. Hopefully I get a diagnosis soon

[Fudgelover]

I hope get a diagnosis soon. You don’t want to get travel insurance that does not cover you for any conditions. There are so many heart conditions that until you have a diagnosis you are in limbo. Speak to your consultants secretary as they may advise you being under investigation. But yes they would need to advise what they would be investigating,

I am looking for travel insurance for both myself and my husband. Sadly we both have health issues. Filling the forms out can be a minefield. You want to make sure you are doung it right, and because of incorrect information supplied if you were ill (hopefully not) your insurance is void. Some of the quotes are for the two of us as much as an all inclusive to Tenerife or similar.

I have atrial fibrillation amongst other things and are being referred to St Thomas to possibly have an ablation. Now do you put that down under investigation as there is no guarantee that it will definitely be done.

I did get a few quotes and All Clear was a good price.

Hoping your consultant secretary can get the advise you need 😊

[Spanielrunner]

definitely keep chasing the Secretary for a diagnosis otherwise they won’t cover you for any pre existing conditions. I had almost exactly the same problem and needed a diagnosis or an outcome from the investigations eg discharged no further treatment, or requires more investigation or on follow up etc before they would upgrade my cover and insure me (cost me £137 for annual cover premium)

[Bellacheshire in reply to Spanielrunner]

Thank you and yes I will keep chasing

[Misscrisps]

Hi, I know this is an old thread but I wondered if you got sorted? I have been referred to Cardiology for investigation this week but go on holiday in 10 days. I'm unlikely to have seen the consultant/had results before I go. The travel insurance I had already taken out won't insure me as I have no diagnosis.