Travel Insurance - Exclude Conditions

[237SJ]

Before I trawl through a load of phone numbers, does anyone have any personal experience of travel insurance companies that will exclude conditions? I`m not sure if it`s now an industry standard to have to include cover for everything.

[Brinjal]

Either read the small print or ask. The last time I took one I had to take the options that included previous conditions like high blood pressure.

[237SJ]

Thanks for the answer. I wanted to know if you can pick and choose which conditions are covered but the official answer (just for the record) is a resounding "No" and I think that is an industry standard.

[yizzy]

I use staysure insurance. com . I have high blood pressure and an underactive thyroid and I am 65. There is a list of free conditions you tick . They only charge me an extra £10 for covering these conditions

[237SJ]

Thanks yizzi. It`s for my Mum and most of the mainstream companies won`t touch her. Staysure is one of them. I`ve been trying all the specialist companies but as I want to take her to the Caribbean, they won`t touch her either. Some countries (which insurance companies like to keep quiet) have reciprocal agreements with the UK which are like the EHIC but the risk of repatriation if anything serious happens is a huge gamble.

[BlueToffee]

We are fans of Liverpool Victoria.

My OH has a thyroid condition which is under control with medication, she also had breast cancer surgery in 2010, also thankfully under control.

Both conditions were mentioned to LV! And we were quoted prices for travel insurance with and without the prevailing conditions.

As both are controllable we opted for the without, premium for multi travel, worldwide, excluding USA and Canada, £139. We are both in our 60's, me sadly, only just!

Hope this helps.

[237SJ]

Thanks BlueToffee. Mum is 83, high blood pressure (under control) and breast cancer in the bones. Before the bone spread, she was fine (200+) to cover everything with Avanti. After bone spread, £2800! and only with goodtogo insurance and All Clear insurance. No cover at all to Barbados because if she is repatriated, it would probably be to the US which has extortionate medical fees. It`s very difficult with cancer patients when it comes to travel. She could be excluded for all conditions but there is always the risk of heart attack or stroke in someone older so it would be risky. Barbados has a reciprocal emergency health agreement with the UK whereby UK passport holders get the same treatment as the locals. Some other countries do this - Australia is one. Now I know why you get so many frail little old ladies traipsing off to Australia to stay with the relatives - they don`t have any insurance!

[EDDIE51]

Even if you did manage to find such a company you would be taking a huge gamble that nothing would happen that needed her to be repatriated to the UK in an emergency . Have you considered a cruise? the bigger ships have their own medical facilities on board and will take older people who have a higher than average risk of medical problems.