Travel Insurance

[June9961]

When are the insurance companies going to change their matrix for PBC? They still use Cirhossis and not Collingitis (sorry about the spelling). The best insurance I could get was £350 for a years European cover. If it was Collingitis it would have been cheaper. What a pain. 😠

[amt50]

I have no idea and I was going to post exactly the same question, I will be watching for replies.

So unfair when surely its not a risk when travelling

[Goldsworthyhelen]

Totally agree I had the same problem. They refuse to believe it is anything other than Cirrosis.

[June9961]

Up to now I used to be able to omit PBC and still be covered for everything else. Now it seems you either have medical cover or you dont. Its just so frustrating.

[Hidden]

Hello June9961.

Well I have felt puzzled regarding this new change of the PBC terminology. Apparently it is supposed to be termed Primary Biliary Cholangitis now, something that I don't actually agree with. MY first thoughts when this topic was originally mentioned was that the 'cholangitis' bit seems to sound like something temporary, that will go away. As we know this PBC can perhaps halt for some time or progress very little but we still have it regardless. I conjured up other things like tonsillitis, laryngitis, etc when I firt heard cholangitis, these are what are seemingly temporary states of health.

Last year I did contact Liver North and asked them about this new terminology as I thought I might see it in their newsletters at some point. I was informed that until it is widely known they won't seemingly be using this terminology.

I think regardless of the term I am no so sure insurers will downgrade it so premiums might be less due to the fact that things we can get with PBC still exist so the same questions will perhaps be asked.

It would be interesting to know from some insurance companies (expect the Underwriters) what their views are on this new name change and whether it will make any difference to the proposed who is thinking of taking insurance out.

Maybe the PBC Foundation could find out this on our behalf's and publish it in a forthcoming newsletter.

[dollydaydreams in reply to Hidden]

I agree with you about the name change peridot, whatever they call it it is still a liver disease and if i was going on holiday I would want the best cover i could get just in case.

[CathieG]

I have no other health issues apart from PBC and my annual travel Insurance was £85 which I bought in October 15. I bank with Nationwide and before PBC my insurance was £20!

[susanburgess]

Insure for all but pbc.

[June9961]

I am a Santander 123 Select customer and they wouldn't just let me be insured for everything else but PBC which I felt was a bit risky because if I had slipped and even broken my leg they would have not covered me.

[sheilaro]

I agree with you. I got an annual joint world wide policy (excluding North America) through the Post Office in May 2015 for £326.00. There were different levels of cover mine was mid-range. You have to ring the medical screening before you can get a quote and that cut out a lot of time I had already wasted on other sites filling in loads of questions before getting turned down completely or quoted very expensive rates.

I was also taken aback at my last Clinic appointment to find that the liver specialist nusre knew nothing of the name change.

[teddybear7]

I agree our insurance is a nightmare now. But I must disagree with you june9961. They have only changed what it's called not what we are actually suffering with. So why should it be cheaper. I'm sure that they don't just charge you more because of what it's called. Some one some where will actually check how it affects you. I say this because I also have a rare disease on my joints & they have it on records & you wouldn't think it was anything by what it's called.

[June9961 in reply to teddybear7]

You are possibly right teddybear7 but the agent confirmed that I would have been cheaper if it was Cholangitis.

[teddybear7 in reply to June9961]

Yes I agree because and exactly why I objected to the name change, cholongitis itself can be treated & although urso slows progression there is no effective treatment for PBC (my opinion don't shout me down I know if untreated it can be deadly but it can be treated with antibiotics & surgery once diagnosed which is what makes it totally different.) So that means I can also understand why insurances have the difference in costs. Doesn't mean I like it but I can understand it.

[June9961 in reply to teddybear7]

Yeh teddybear, I thought it was something like that. You never know miracles might happen over the next year and the matrix will be changed and we will all have cheaper insurance. Though I dont think they will. More money in PBC as it stands.😠

[Hidden in reply to teddybear7]

I agree with you there, teddybear7, changing the name will make no difference to either Travel Insurance, or Life Insurance, in my view, as the condition (I don't call PBC a disease) remains the same. Insurance companies are there to make money so I'm sure they check these things out. I know here in Australia at least three major Travel Insurance companies have Primary Biliary Cirrhosis listed as "PBC" - when I needed to travel back to the States a couple of years ago I rang those companies about travel insurance when asked about pre-existing medical conditions I said "yes, PBC" (I did not use the full name), I was then asked questions as to whether I had varicies, portal hypertension, or moved into cirrhosis stage.

[Megamum]

Try World First I cover PBC, hypertension and osteopenia £98 annual ☺️

[Sweet1pea]

Stay Sure cover me fairly cheaply for Insurance - they just note PBC as a pre-existing condition.

[June9961 in reply to Sweet1pea]

It was Staysure. Although I also have asthma and another rare illness. This was a better deal than Santander though.

[Philippastcarin]

I got 12months travel insurance for my wife and I, standard policy covers PBC a cost me around £150.

[June9961 in reply to Philippastcarin]

Gosh Phillip who was that with? My fingers and eyes were sore surfing the net. Lol

[Philippastcarin in reply to June9961]

Sorry I should have said, it's hard to believe but as long as you are under the supervision of a doctor for the condition a standard policy with Tesco Insurance. We have found the most obvious companies to be the best over recent years. This type of cover seems to move every now and then it used to be the post office but they didn't do it when we looked earlier this year, Tesco came up trumps and I double checked by ringing again and asking under a different name when we visited Jamaca.

[Tigger858]

Hi June I have free travel insurance with my bank account. I informed them about the PBC and they told me I would be covered for everything EXCEPT the PBC. I was going to challenge this after the name change but I think I'll leave it well alone. The chances of needing medical cover forPBC abroad are slim. It'll be interesting to see what experiences everyone else has. x

[Megamum in reply to Tigger858]

I would be careful as my bank said the same and also mentioned you can't always prove your illness isn't due to PBC. I have osteopenia which is because of the PBC and I was told if I broke a bone out couldn't prove it wouldn't have broken if you didn't have PBC hence why I have cover which includes everything xx it's just a thought better to be safe and covered xx

[Tigger858]

Thankfully I don't have any other conditions due to my PBC. I was extremely healthy before this so think they'd have a hard time trying to prove anything else was caused by PBC. Thanks for the advice.