Travel Insurance

[Severest]

I am currently taking Ibrutinib as part of the Flair trial for CLL. I am hoping to go to Canada on holiday to celebrate my retirement but am struggling to find travel insurance for less than £3000. Does anybody know of anyone that provides cheaper cover?

[Jooby59]

When you find some then let me know!! I spent yesterday afternoon trying to get insured but for a 7 night trip to Portugal & Spain it ranged from £320 to £650 😱 So it's British Isles for us this year. I am on Ibrutinib too. Wishing you best of luck. x

[olyocl in reply to Jooby59]

I have not started Ibrutinib yet, but expect to start in the spring. I have had 2 different treatments and was able to get cruise Travel insurance for under £200 from World First and also Boots. These were both for Europe when Spain is included the price increases. I was £247 for hotel holiday in Tenerife. Hope this helps.

[Jooby59 in reply to olyocl]

Boots threw me out before I had even completed the online form 😂

[Severest in reply to Jooby59]

Thank you both for the info!

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Severest]

I don’t know if this will help but here’s a list of insurance companies who specialise in pre-existing conditions. Worth checking them out. Let us know if you have any success as this affects so many of us. Good luck!

healthunlocked.com/cllsuppo...

Newdawn

[Severest in reply to Newdawn]

Thanks! I've checked them all and it looks like Insure With and World First would insure me for a 3 week trip from between £164 - £215 - much better!

[zaax]

Try world-first.co.uk/ about £26 for Croatia / europe

[Severest in reply to zaax]

Thanks!

[Bluejays]

Always tend to be that question 'are you receiving treatment' or some such words.

Whilst Ibrutinib technically is treatment and even on the labels my pharm puts on they refer to it as chemo these insurance companies should look at the blood results to verify whether someone is in effect at a 'remission' level.

After all and speaking in general terms our immune systems are most likely to take a hit whilst travelling resulting in a claim so current bloods you would think would satisfy an insurer.

Anybody non CLL could have a secondary , or heart attack or break a leg all unknown/unexpected that is what insurance is for the unexpected whereas as CLLers we are all being upfront with the risk odds..

Sometimes think this is a 'penalty' for being on Ibrutinib versus 6 months of chemo followed by remission which seems to be less of an issue with insurers and yet arguably Ibrutinib among other treatments provides a more positive long term result.

Anyway only real tip here which expect you already worked out is to find an insurer can actually speak to as online quotes for CLLers tend in my opinion to be a waste of effort.

I am sure there must be some insurers who will take away any medical results and assess the odds in a realistic fashion, those may be the smaller brokers versus the big companies.

PS. I used JD Travel on a trip to Canada but that was after my first round followed by 2 plus years of remission. Since the second treatment / remission and now on Inbrutinib plus of course that much older costs have crept up.

[Severest in reply to Bluejays]

Totally agree with your views re Ibrutinib versus 6 months of chemo! I will check out JD Travel - many thanks!

[Justmoi]

Are there reciprocal health care arrangements between UK and Canada? There are between Australia and UK, for example. Holidaying in a country with reciprocal health care may remove the need for health insurance.

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to Justmoi]

It would appear that there are no reciprocal health care arrangements between the U.K. and Canada;

gov.uk/foreign-travel-advic...

Newdawn

[HopeME in reply to Newdawn]

I haven’t paid much attention to travel insurance as I primarily have only traveled in Canada and the eastern and southern US since I’ve been sick the past 21/2 years. I live in Boston so this relatively local travel hasn’t been a problem. My wife just suggested we go to London in a few months and that has started me thinking about what happens if I get sick when I’m away. Travel insurance seems to be prevalent among folks from the UK who travel across the world. What about Americans who are in the U.K. and get sick? I assume my health insurance would kick in and take care of things? Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Mark

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to HopeME]

Hi Mark,

Yes I understand you would require private travel insurance to visit the U.K. The USA doesn’t have the same reciprocal health care agreement with the U.K. as Australia. This is advice from Trip Advisor on the subject;

‘The NHS provides free at the point of contact healthcare for all visiting patients. This includes ambulance and emergency medical care. All European Union citizens visiting the UK are eligible to free healthcare as long as you can provide proof of your nationality or your EHIC card. However, non-EU countries are required to pay for other non-emergency medical services such as in-patient treatments. This means that you will be treated in an emergency regardless of whether you are able to pay, but for those that are not entitled to free care, the NHS will pursue any outstanding bills.

There are some non-EU countries that the UK has a reciprocal agreement with. This means that residents in these countries are entitled to free healthcare from a GP in the UK and UK residents are entitled to the same in that country. Some examples include Australia, Barbados and Gibraltar. Australian visitors that are covered by Medicare in Australia can be treated by an NHS GP the same way a UK resident would be.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible to free healthcare when visiting the UK or would like further information then visit either the Department of Health or the NHS website for more information.

Private Self Pay Healthcare

As only emergency healthcare is free for most of the visitors to the UK, many patients may choose to visit a private doctor. Finding a doctor quickly in a different country can be a bit daunting. Doctify.co.uk is a UK website that allows you to search, compare and book the best private doctors in your area, quickly and easily.

Medical Insurance

When traveling to the UK it is very important to take out sufficient travel medical insurance before you arrive. The EHIC cards for EU residents are not an alternative to medical insurance. If you end up needing healthcare during your visit to the UK then you will be charged 150% of the standard NHS rate.’

Newdawn

[HopeME in reply to Newdawn]

Hi Newdawn:

So I take from your response that travel insurance is available to be purchased by US citizens visiting the U.K. and with a policy in hand the NHS becomes available to them? I guess existing US insurance doesn’t cover anything. This seems quite confusing.

Much appreciated,

Thank you

[Newdawn Administrator in reply to HopeME]

When we purchase private health insurance to use abroad, it’s to purchase health care in private hospitals not the public ones. We have reciprocal arrangements at the moment where EU citizens can access public hospitals across Europe. The private insurance is important should we need private care and the massive cost of medical repatriation. Some public hospitals are not great across Europe to be honest.

I’m honestly not sure whether the NHS could be used and the cost clawed back from a private policy in your situation. The above advice suggests it could. The emergency element if provided to all but it’s the in-patient element that non EU visitors must pay for.

The important thing is having private travel insurance where all medical conditions are declared. It’s the cost of needing to be brought home or heaven forbid, needing an aeroplane to detour that could cost an absolute fortune!

However, consult an insurance provider who is more expert on this than me. Your present insurance may even cover this, I don’t know. What have our other members from the USA etc. done about this issue when visiting the U.K.?

Newdawn

[HopeME in reply to Newdawn]

I think I will start with my existing healthcare provider and get their input. I never thought about this issue but now it is top of mind. I’ll let you know what I find out.

Thanks again,

Mark

[gerty18]

Insurance With is who we got my husbands with , travelling to USA..it was under £200

[Severest]

Many thanks - will check that out.

[120940]

We plan to go to Alaska from USA. Do we need insurance , my husband has cll.

[Sandywhatsit]

As a general rule I've found that insurers that ask a lot of questions about your condition offer a better deal. I've just insured with Insurancewith for a skiing trip. The cost is broken down so that you can see how much you are paying for the CLL element - not that much in terms of the overall cost.