Can MBC patients get travel insurance?

[rubyc1234]

This last week I had a friend ask me to go on a river cruise with her next March. It is to Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and ends in Budapest. Two weeks. I would love to go but I cannot find travel insurance. Does anyone know if there are companies which will ensure MBC people. I have been stable since diagnosed a year ago but that does not seem to matter to the companies I have talked to.

[nstonerocks]

Are you in the US? As far as I under it, if you buy travel insurance within 2 weeks of paying for your trip companies will insure for prexisisting conditions. I assume this is for travel related expenses and not medical insurance?

[rubyc1234 in reply to nstonerocks]

Hi

Yes, it is the medical insurance I am trying to get. I am Canadian. No problem getting cancellation insurance if I get sick before the trip and need to cancel but what if I get over there and need some type of medical help.

I am a retired teacher and have insurance with the pension plan, but the second the agent heard I was metastatic she quickly declared they would be unable to cover me.

When you went to Ireland did you have coverage?

[nstonerocks in reply to rubyc1234]

No. And didn’t have it this year in Scotland or England. My home insurance would cover it as out of network, but I took a chance. Don’t know that I would have gotten far with my home insurance. Wonder if they would cover everything but mbc related problems. It’s a problem. I travel anyway as right now I’m basically stable.

[rubyc1234 in reply to nstonerocks]

That is the way I feel. My scans are stable and I feel good. I would feel more comfortable in the UK as opposed to Romania or Croatia though. The travel agent is going to try to get some for me but I suspect it will be unsuccessful. I do not think she knows what metastatic cancer is but I explained to her.

[MacroMom]

I'm in the U.S. and have used Allianz Travel Insurance. They have good emergency medical coverage and, at least here, it covers pre-existing conditions, including emergency transportation home. Here's a link to their Canada site: travelinsurance.ca/en/start...

Sounds like an amazing trip!

[Gwennie123]

I just bought travel insurance for a cruise. It is with Allianz. If you buy within the first two weeks of booking you are covered for preexisting

conditions. This is in the USA but my cruise is in Europe.

[Josh308]

We had travel insurance covering pre-existing conditions for medical coverage, transportation back home if local medical care was insufficient, as well as cancellation insurance for medical reasons. We are in the US. We used TinLeg, underwritten by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company. It needs to be purchased within 2 weeks of purchasing travel to be covered for pre-existing conditions. Not sure if they insure residents living outside of the US, but try calling them at 844-240-1233. Good luck.

[Barbteeth]

Hi

I use ‘Insurancewith’

Got a years insurance for Europe for about £80...bargain !... they ask you lots of questions but are excellent

The company was set up by a lady with breast cancer who had trouble getting insurance that wasn’t horrendously expensive

Barb xx

[Mindysooty in reply to Barbteeth]

So glad I searched on here. We're trying to get a week away and Ive been quoted £371!!! Thats just for the 1 trip. Im off to check out Insurancewith now 😆. Thanks x

[Barbteeth in reply to Mindysooty]

They’ll fix you up...if you’re planning a few holidays it’s worth getting a year insurance as it’s not much more in price...I made that mistake myself but this year bought a year one in case we want to pop over to france or Italy then there’s no faffing

Barb xx

[Mindysooty in reply to Barbteeth]

Yeah Im meant to be going to my friend's holiday home at some point so defo will get multi -v- single. Thanks.

[PJBinMI]

One of my friends, now retired, was a travel agent and we booked an Alaskan cruise with her and she was able to include travel insurance for us. That cruise was one of the best travel expereinces I have ever had! Being on Glacier Bay was like being present in the moments after creation! Other than the ship, no signs of human life! Sounds of nature, and such beauty! That and traveling thru the Alps on Eurail, from Venice to Munich were the two best travel days I have ever had! The natural beauty......beyond words! We want to cruise thru the Panama Canal but I'm not sure we will be able to as my husband is currently refusing to fly! lol He's a retired police officer and cannot stand the TSA, neither the (to him) invasive inspection nor the ineffectiveness of it. So we are at an impasse!

[Mimigram]

I have used Metjet which is like travel insurance. They will come pick you up from wherever you are and fly you to your home destination.

[Valisa]

I am Canadian as well and have contacted many insurance companies. I have been told that if you are stage four that they will not cover you for medical insurance or insurance needed to transport you back to Canada if you become ill while travelling. We have resigned ourselves to travelling within Canada for now. There is many parts of Canada I have yet to discover.

There was recently a story of a women with MBC in our community that travelled with her children to,the islands and planned a cruise. She became ill and was hospitalized in Bahamas. It cost the family over $50,000.00 to have her brought back to Canada.

It is unfortunate if we are stable and feel well enough to travel. Let me know if you are successful in finding coverage.

[Thatflowerlady in reply to Valisa]

I am also from Canada and have not found any company that will insure Pre existing stage 4 cancer .

[rubyc1234]

So, my insurance that we purchase with our pension plan will cover me providing I am stable for 3 months prior to going next March. I expect to have another scan probably in January and here is hoping there is no change or they will not cover me. I will hope for the best! I also paid $175. to the river cruise people so if I need to cancel I can use the money towards another trip within 2 years. My pension plan only covered cancellation up to 6000 dollars and this trip is almost double that price which is why I paid the extra amount. It is irritating to go as a single because the cost is so much more that with 2 people, but my husband has poor mobility for walking and refuses to travel.

I see that in the UK there is an insurance company that specializes in covering people like us. I wish we had something like that in Canada.

[Barbteeth in reply to rubyc1234]

It maybe does cover you

Check out Insurancewith.com

Even if is doesn’t they may suggest another company?

Barb xx

[rubyc1234]

Thanks. It will be awesome I think and I hope and pray that my scans in January show stability.