Health Insurance for Congenital Heart Disease

[JCard]

Hello,

Has anyone had experience in taking out a private health insurance policy in the UK with congenital heart defects?

I was born with a hole in the heart, corrected by surgery back in 2002. It's not currently a risk to my health, but every insurer classifies this as a "pre-existing condition", which is of course not covered by their insurance policy.

I am getting increasingly frustrated with this search, and just wondering whether anyone here has gone through the same process?

Thanks!

[helixhelix]

Have you tried going via an insurance broker? They can often get more tailor made policies.

[Lina282]

Hi JCard, I can't help or advice about your question, but I was born with a hole in my heart as well, also have an aneurysm with a shunt.

I was referred to cardiology and they almost told me off why I am coming to check it as it is nothing.

How did you get them to close it? It causes me sinus tachycardia and breathlessness but they don't seem to care about it.

Hope you don't mind me asking. Lina

[JCard in reply to Lina282]

Hi Lina,

I had my surgery before moving to the UK, so the process was likely very different. Hope you can find a way to help ease your symptoms!

Can I ask you about the process of being referred to cardiology in the UK? In my home country, my cardiologist suggested I get a check up every year, but now I'm scared that they'll turn me away and say it's nothing.

[Lina282 in reply to JCard]

Hi JCard, I have found out that I have this in 2002 when I was pregnant with my second child. I had breathlessness and tachycardia. We lived in Hungary as this is my home country. I was told that I have to go for a check up every year and certain things to look out for.

Then we moved to the UK in 2008 and when my symptoms got worse I had to take all my paperwork to my GP as I said to her about my heart. I got all my previous results translated, took it to GP and then she thought that I should go for a check up here as well. It was in 2012.

Unfortunately the cardiologist didn't find it important to check it every now and then so they discharged me from their care even if my heart rate was very high during I was laying there for half and hour it was 128.

When I got ill with my joints and also had chest pain and breathlessness we didn't know if it's about my heart or something else so my GP sent me for an echo but the sonographer was very rude and said " I know you had some findings somewhere abroad"?

So it is quite uncomfortable to go there so I have decided to see a cardiologist when I go for a family visit then I don't need to be in this situation. It's a shame.

[JCard in reply to Lina282]

Hi Lina,

Thank you for sharing that. I have also been resorting to the same solution, combining family visits with cardiology check ups. It really seems that the UK has a different outlook on this from the rest of Europe

[helixhelix in reply to JCard]

Well I live in france and I've been waiting three years for a follow up appointment with a cardiologist! So on paper it might sound better as I'm supposed to be checked once a year, but in reality it's no different!