Freedom to Travel - travelling advice and information for people with medical conditions

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If I have a medical condition, will an ordinary travel insurance cover me?

Standard or ordinary travel insurance is generally not designed to cover you if you have a pre-existing medical condition. This is likely to be the case even if you have a Gold or Platinum travel insurance free, from your bank. Always read your policy wording, especially sections marked 'Exclusions'. These will list situations where you are not covered by the insurance.

It's important that anyone travelling with you should take out specialist insurance, also. This is because in the same way that an ordinary travel insurance policy is not designed to cover you, as someone who has a medical condition, it's also not designed to cover anyone travelling with someone who has a medical condition (the risk is considered to be similar). If the person travelling with you has to cancel, cut short or extend their trip because of anything linked to your medical condition, it is likely an ordinary travel insurance would not meet their claim. This leaves them open to financial risk.

What is a specialist travel protection scheme and what does it offer?

A specialist travel protection scheme will take into account your particular needs, especially if you have medical conditions. The exclusions that exist in ordinary insurance will be modified or excluded. However, it is important to read the policy wording to ensure that it meets your needs.

Even though a policy may be specialist, it will probably still have restrictions. For example it might not be able to cover all medical conditions, it may have an an upper age limit and annual multi-trip policies will probably have a maximum number of days per trip.

What might happen if I'm not covered by a specialist travel protection scheme?

If something happens to you that is excluded by an ordinary travel insurance, you will not be able to make a claim for it.

If you have ordinary travel insurance, it is possible that the insurers will consider that even though it might not be 100% certain that the reason for you seeking medical attention is directly linked to your pre-existing condition, there might be a possibility that it is. This might mean that you would not be covered by the policy. This is where you fall into a 'grey area'.

If you have a medical condition that is not specifically covered by a policy, you will not be able to claim for any costs associated with advice or treatment that you have received because of it. These costs may, of course, be minor. However, if you need hospitalisation, then costs start to mount.

Insurers often include in the policy wording that if you have not disclosed a material fact that might increase the risk of you making a claim, they have the right to void the entire policy.

If you need to extend your trip because you are in hospital and a travelling companion wishes to remain with you, they may have additional costs in terms of accommodation and return flights.

If you need to be repatriated to the UK, you will need to pay for your air tickets if you are able to fly by standard aircraft. Sometimes it is necessary to be accompanied by a doctor and/or a nurse and you will have to pay for this.

If you are not able to fly by standard aircraft it may be necessary to repatriate you by air ambulance. This is highly expensive - easily in the region of £15,000-£25,000.

How can I find a specialist travel protection scheme?

It can be difficult to find travel protection schemes that include pre-existing medical conditions. In fact, the number seems to be decreasing. You can search on the internet using search engines such as Google. When you find one, it's important to ask certain questions to ensure it meets your needs. We often hear that the major compaint people have is one of the cost.

This is why we have close links with It's So Easy Travel Insurance who support us financially.

The policy can include cover for a very wide range of medical conditions. Single trip policies are available up to the age of 84yrs, or annual multi-trip policies (up to the age of 75 if travelling only within Europe or 65 for worldwide cover).

We have produced a list of insurers who can potentially cover medical conditions - please see the link on the floating menu box to the left.

What should I look for and what can differ between schemes?

It's important to have a list of things that are important to you when comparing different travel protection schemes. These might include:

Will the scheme cover all or only some of your medical conditions? If only some, are you happy about that?
Is the medical screening process undertaken by people reading questions from a computer program or by qualified nurses?
What is the premium? Some policies can be extremely expensive if they include pre existing medical conditions.
What is the excess on the policy? This is the amount that you have to pay before the insurance starts to pay. Sometimes this can be very high, depending on your medical condition. Sometimes you can choose to take out an excess waiver, which means if you make a claim, the insurance would pay out in full.
Is the cover sufficient? For example, is the cost of your trip within the limit of the cancellation cover? If not, can the cover be increased?

We have close links with It's So Easy Travel Insurance who support us financially.

How much is a specialist travel protection scheme likely to cost?

Prices for specialist travel insurance vary a great deal.

Factors that influence the price include:

if you want a single trip policy, the number of days you're away
if you want an annual, multi-trip policy
where you're travelling to
the medical conditions to be insured
your age

Some schemes will cover more serious conditions and their prices will reflect the higher risk they are insuring.