My husband was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago wit... - Vasculitis UK

Vasculitis UK

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My husband was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago with vasculitis which damaged the kidney and lungs. We are going to the USA in May for our

jules59 profile image
17 Replies

daughters graduation and answering the travel insurance questions is confusing. Do we tell them he has vasculitis and chronic kidney faillure or is this all covered under "Vasculitis"? We want to make sure he is fully covered just in case he has a relapse whilst we are away.

Thank you.

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jules59
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17 Replies
PatriciaAnn profile image
PatriciaAnn

I would err on the side of caution otherwise you might run the risk of them not paying up if you have need to claim. That would be the last thing you would want in America. Could you say he has vasculitis which has caused chronic kidney failure? They will want to know which vasculitis, if his prblems are under control, if he has recently been an inpatient, if he has changed his medication recently.

I assume this is a form you are filling in. Don't be surprised if they don't want to speak to you by phone.

Hope you get it sorted, but don't miss anything out.

PatriciaAnn

Nadine99 profile image
Nadine99

Very wise to ensure full cover for the US. When I looked at insurance, one company wouldn't cover Wegener's Granulomatosis but they did cover Vasculitis. Weird but do contact them by telephone if you have any concerns. Better to be safe than sorry. Happy trip

janiculum profile image
janiculum

When you take out the insurance there will be a lot of different boxes to go through. Most insueres will do this on the phone. the last time I went abroad i put down kidney damage etc within the Vasculitis responses and also under the section on Chronic Renal failure. In law contract of insurance is known as a contract of good faith and you need to disclose everything as if you do not tell them sbout a minor ailment they can avoid liability on everything.

I would be interested to find out what you have to pay. I had given up on the idea of visiting the US and Carribean assuming that the cost would be over £1000? if you feel comfortable can u let us know who offers you cover and at what cost.

cedric profile image
cedric in reply to janiculum

I would also like to know as well plz and cost and company

jules59 profile image
jules59 in reply to janiculum

We will. Most insurance companies are quoting £300 plus but we have to ring one back tomorrow that has quoted £183 but with a £1000 excess..

jules59 profile image
jules59

Many thanks for your help. If we do get insurance I will certainly let this site know.

Chris-Bromsgrove profile image
Chris-Bromsgrove

Hi Jules,

I have recently returned from three weeks visiting New Zealand and Singapore. I used Freedom Insurance which is one of the ones mentioned on the Vasculitis UK website. The premium for myself and my wife (who has no significant medical conditions) was £258, which I didn't think was bad. I have MPA with kidney involvement and I was diagnosed two years ago. I used the on-line tool to complete all medical particulars. It asked the question whether I have kidney damage which I indicated as yes. It did not mention or ask whether I have renal failure and I believe the majority of us who are in remission do not have renal failure. Renal failure means your kidneys are not filtering properly. My kidneys are damaged but apart from occasional traces of blood and/or protein in my urine they are filtering OK. Hence when asked whether I have any on going impairment of kidney function I stated no. I have high blood pressure as well and it asked about this.

I hope this helps. It might be worth giving them a try, although it could be a different kettle of fish for the USA.

Chris

SandieB profile image
SandieB

Hi Jules,

You MUST take out insurance because it can cost thousands if something happens just to get you home let alone your treament. I always insure with STAY SURE and i have several things wrong with me including WG and take a lot of medication and they have always been willing to insure me and i always declare everything, but shop around.

Hope you have a lovely holiday in the US

Sandie

EOS7D profile image
EOS7D

I think SandieB is 100% correct,best be wise than sorry.

AndrewT profile image
AndrewT

Dear Jules,

My advice declare absolutely everything- then the b----rs cant say you omitted information and refuse to pay up. I don't trust insurers one bit, I'm afraid- take your money no questions asked; make a claim and......Oh dear you forgot to say that your great, great, great auntie had hiccups once! Or am I being a bit 'reactionary'?

Either way do be careful.

Good luck

AndrewT

antony9500 profile image
antony9500 in reply to AndrewT

Sorry just had to say brilliant:)

patsy profile image
patsy

You must take out full insurance,I know this is not cheap but Virgin do some great deals ten to one just when you think you dont need medical help you will.

gibson100 profile image
gibson100

I have had MP for three years.I travel to the States (and other places) quite a bit.I have annual travel insurance which is part of my credit card package.You might want to look at this route as it is very economic and offers excellent coverage with blue chip companies.As long as I pay for the travel with the card I am covered.

I phoned the underwriters to check my coverage for pre-existing conditions.I simply told them that I had Vasculitis

and they said that was fine.I suspect it was not on their list of costly diseases!They were more interested in the blood pressure tablets I am prescribed to lower the pressure in my kidneys.

Don't travel to the USA without insurance.If you are arranging cover by phone make sure you make a note of the exact time and date that any verbal agreement is made.The calls should be recorded so a clear record will save any argument later.

SwgS profile image
SwgS

You definitely need insurance. Falling ill abroad is expensive. You do not need a bill for £70,000.00 which will have to be paid before you are let out. Fingers crossed you won't need it, but always be prepared. And also carry all your up to date med list,diagnosis (if you are like me the list is huge) and copies of latest consultant letters too. Hope you are successful and it is not to pricey

Simmonds797 profile image
Simmonds797

Hi, I have recently sorted this. My husband has cerebral vas. which happened in Sept 2013. We are going away in a couple of weeks. I contacted Nat West as we have advantage gold which has always covered our travel insurance for the whole family. They have altered their records which covers everything my husband has had since September, also I have a knee op recently and they have put that down. The extra for all of this was only £80 and we are both covered for up to 10million per travel. I can't remember what we pay monthly for advantage gold but it isn't huge amounts, worth looking into. Hope this helps.

jules59 profile image
jules59

Thanks everyone. We have gone with Insurancewith.com and it's costing us just under £200 with £1000 excess. Now we are looking forward to our first trip to the States since my husband fell ill, with hopefully no complications.

cruznlcsw profile image
cruznlcsw

Hi, is he End Stage Renal Disease and on dialysis? If he is then the social worker at dialysis can help you with you travel arrangements. Otherwise, if was me I would call the nearest dialysis clinic and find out what others have done. Hope this helps.

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