Any advice on travel insurance - just getting over 1st reoccurrence

[trix70]

Hi - anyone found an insurer that is good for cancer. Just had an reoccurrence after two years. Scan now clear and bloods back to normal. My husband also has loads of issues but I was told it was myself that is the biggest problem as my cancer had spread when first discovered, in the abdomen, although all gone after surgery, and clear again now. Was quoted £2,213 from Allclear for a 3 week trip to Oz. My son and grandchildren live there. Thanks

[cathysal]

MIA are very good, I've used them a few times but have only been to Europe which is around £60 for 2 weeks. I don't know if they'd insure for Oz but worth a try.

Good luck.

Cathy xx

[Whippit]

Wow, £2,213 is a crazy price for insurance. I hope you find a better deal than that. That or find a mutual meeting place where the insurance is affordable and the travel back to the UK in an emergency easier to organise.

I do hope you get your holiday to meet up with your son and grandchildren. Let us know how the plans go.

Love Annie xxx

[Lily-Anne]

My insurance has cancer declared but that I do not wish to be covered for that, there is a list of things that I can't be treated for, which I would think for a week away would not suddenly become a problem, I pay Barclays £75 for the year for a family policy.

LA

[vipervictoria]

Eurotunned???

[ladygooner-uk]

I have used insurewith previously, they have been cheaper than Mia on some trips. Might be worth a try?

Good luck, and have a good holiday

Sue

[Hidden]

Hi there .. I contacted all of the MacMillan and support group (when I was part of that) recommended insurers. I spent ages with a number of them and got thanked but no thanks. A few, like Insurewith and Allclear referred me to senior underwriters but I was turned down. It's so unfair because, as my oncologist told me, this disease usually shows signs before a person needs treatment. Having said that, I was taken into our local hospital 4 weeks ago as an acute case so I'm glad I wasn't away. In the end, like Lily-Anne, I got a policy which excluded any condition relating to this illness. I went to Spain because of the short flight, the help available at Malaga and the fact that Malaga has a large public hospital. America and Canada are expensive for holiday insurance as is Spain because of the large number of private hospitals. Given your recent recurrence, your quote is probably par for the course but I thought the UK has a reciprocal health arrangement with Oz. I could be wrong.. Love Tina x x

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi Tiina

I know exactly what you mean I had the Macmillan brochure which gave companys that will give insurance they didnt want to touch me they used the same 3 questions and then it was No. Most of the company were under Axa. funny enough I did get insure through my husbands insurance. Guess what AXA!!!!

I had to have a note from the ONC saying I was able to travel and that did it. But I dont think the brochures should make you think they could help, they should leave them out!

I am sure some of the ladies can help there have been a few posts on health insurance. Good luck.

Regards Barbara.

[Hidden]

The issue here could be that if you had to be flown back under your insurance policy for a cancer-related reason, the costs could be significant. Recently, a friend of mine was in Greece and had some cancer-related problems. The airline would not let him fly back unless he had a letter from a Greek hospital saying he was fit to travel, which they would not provide. The next step would have been that a medically-qualified person would have had to travel back with him on the plane. In the end, he managed to travel back 'incognito' but coming from Oz that would probably be a lot more difficult.

[harley]

We recently went to the states - I was concerned about how much the insurance would be but thankfully, or surprisingly when we booked - through Royal Bank of Scotland Royalties account - travel and insurance included in the package, (many people dont realise that they have something like this with their bank accounts) we phoned them to check and were told that as long as I was not undergoing treatment currently, they didn't need to know. The insurance is underwritten by UK Insurance Limited (UK).

As I said this came as a pleasant shock to me. I did contact my oncologist to get a letter stating that I was fit to travel - I received it the day after we flew back - great. I have recently finished treatment for 2nd recurrence of PPC in 3 years. as TinaB said, things don't happen to us suddenly and we don't need treatment immediately so why penalise us. I travelled to see my youngest daughter getting married and I am so glad I did it was lovely.

Good luck

xxx

[Hilsuk in reply to harley]

Hi Harley, heartened to hear you are ensured despite PPC. , I'd assumed this would be impossible. Our nat West Bank insurance wouldn't cover me for 5 yrs from diagnosis. Do you know who underwrites royal bank of Scotland insurance? Biggest worry if going to Australia USA or Canada is that emergency hospitalisation can cost huge amounts- I've know people losing their homes to cover medical costs in USA ( obviously they became very sick and one needed intensive care and the other needed emergency heart surgery so don't mean to be alarmist )

With ovca unlikely to get totally unexpected emergency that was cause hospitalisation if feeling well just before travelling. Cant wait to travel once first line chemo over in 8 w, but plan to venture to Europe at furthest ,booking late and picking country with cheap daily flight if needed to cone back if unwell. With a bigger trip that has to be booked ages before travel, might consider private ct just before paying ( unless oncologist able to reassure you all will be fine for next few months ) just for my own peace of mind and to save loosing a lot of money if had to cancel. Sure you gp would support you with this .

Happy travelling !

Hilary

[harley in reply to Hilsuk]

It is underwritten by UK Insurance Limited and cover is provided free on the understanding that you book the trip through the Royal Bank of Scotland Travel Agency, Affinion International Travel Limited, and remain a Royalties Account holder and I think there is similar for Black Account holders. UK Insurance Limited, registered no. 1179980, registered address The Wharf, Neville St, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Travel Services is just one of the many benefits for these account holders, of course there is a monthly charge for having such an account. We called them to let them know of my medical history and they said that as long as I was not undergoing treatment at that time, they didn't need to know - exact words. The same happened three years ago when we went to Lanzarote but of course I had just got the all clear after my first round of PPC so wasn't such an issue then.

Hope this is helpful.

Joanna

[trix70]

Hi everyone and thanks so much for all your posts. We used MIA back in 2011 after my first diagonise, and my husbands triple heart bypass and it was £375 but that was for 6 wks and full cover for us both to Oz. But as my husband has had a host of other problems, plus me they said no this time. Yes Oz does have reciprocal agreements on health with the UK ( and I know of a terminal cancer person who obviously went out without insurance who had fantastic treatment free out there) but we need cover in flight and for repatriation. I think we may have been pushing it to get insurance after the year we both have had. Maybe in 6 months it will be different. Wish he had gone to Spain to live !! Thanks again.

[Hidden]

I've used InsureandGo for a couple of years now - they came out the most reasonable of the ones I checked. Before them, I used Citybond Suretravel for a couple of years. I think I got on to them via the the Insurance Surgery originally. You have to declare your existing condition(s) but you can exclude them from the cover and that's what I've done. I've never had to claim for anything ( touch wood) so I don't know whether there'd be any messing about if I did. I was quite impressed when they rang me up in the summer to check whether I'd realised our policy was expiring that very day when we were going away ( gulp!!) . They took my OC recurrence in their stride, didn't increase the premium and they reduced my partner's one given he's now 5 years clear. My only word of wisdom would be to not try and travel too soon after the end of treatment. My mother raced away as soon as her chemo was finished and ended up in hospital in France. I did the same and, if I'd checked my temperature, would probably have had to go in too and was actually quite unwell for 10 days or so. I'd say allow getting on for a whole chemo cycle of days before escaping. Hope this is helpful. x

[trix70 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks very much, have used insureandgo years ago. My age 70 and hubby 69, plus he has had a host of illnesses over the last two years doors not help. We have now given the ideal up and our son may come home ( he is divorced) but if we had gone out we would have seen the grandkids and had 3 wks in the sun. Thanks again