Travel insurance with medical conditions

Travellers with a pre-existing medical condition can often find it hard to find affordable holiday insurance and, in some cases, can find it hard to get cover at all.

If you are struggling to find suitable or affordable cover, the Moneyhelper directory may be able to help you. You can call them on 0370 950 1790 or visit their website here.

If your GP advises you not to travel due to an existing medical condition, you will not be covered if you contract Covid-19. Likewise, if you choose not to travel through fear of contracting Covid-19, your policy will not cover any losses you incur regarding the cost of your holiday.

More broadly, the level of Covid-19 cover can vary quite a lot between insurers. Examples of what may be covered include:

• Emergency medical expenses: Including repatriation (getting you home), and additional expenses (for example, a quarantine hotel stay) if you fall ill with Covid-19.
• Cancellation: If you test positive (or a close relative passes away due to Covid-19) prior to your holiday and are unable to travel.
• Curtailment: If you test positive for Covid-19 pre-departure, upon arrival at your destination, or while on holiday. Additionally, look for a policy that offers curtailment cover in the event a close relative passes away from Covid-19 during your holiday.

It is vital that anyone with an existing medical condition or record considers this when buying their travel insurance policy.

Generally speaking, it tends to be older people who suffer from medical conditions, but this is exactly the group who already struggle the most to get decent holiday insurance at a reasonable price, as many policies carry an upper age limit. The issue here is that insurers view older travellers as those most likely to claim for costly medical treatment received while on holiday - and the most likely to make the biggest claims.

As a result, insurers often refuse to offer cover to holidaymakers over a certain age limit - such as over-75 - although the age limits for some firms may be as low as over-50. While this may tempt some older travellers - as well as holidaymakers of any age with a pre-existing medical condition - to go without cover, this is false economy, as costs could run into thousands of pounds should anything go wrong on your trip.

The good news is there are certain insurers who are far more flexible in their approach, and who are willing to offer policies to those with a medical condition and may not impose age restrictions. A dedicated travel insurance policy aimed at holidaymakers with medical conditions is designed to provide appropriate cover for that customer's needs - and to suit their individual requirements - giving you the peace of mind to head overseas to enjoy your holiday.

When applying for travel insurance it's imperative that you declare any pre-existing medical conditions that you have.

And that applies to either past or current conditions, regardless of how long ago they occurred. The same applies to all individuals that are being covered by the travel policy you are applying for; the key is to be completely honest about any conditions they suffer from. In addition, if asked for details about dependants, even if they're not travelling with you, you must provide all the information requested about their health. Fail to do so and this could result in your policy being rendered invalid and any claim you attempt to make being turned down. By ensuring the information in the medical declaration is accurate, you and your travelling companions will be fully protected during your time away.

The fact that you have disclosed details of a pre-existing medical condition doesn't automatically mean you won't be able to get travel insurance - especially if you shop around.

But you are likely to face higher costs than someone without that condition. In some cases, insurers will increase the premium so that a particular condition can be covered. Prices will vary considerably from one insurer to the next, and it's hard to pinpoint how much extra it would cost you to add cover for any one particular condition to your travel insurance policy - as this would depend on the individual in question, the severity of the condition, and where they were travelling.

Equally, in other cases, insurers may be willing to offer you a travel insurance policy, but may exclude a particular condition - or conditions - without affecting the rest of your cover.

If you suffer from an illness such as a heart condition or cancer, you may find it hard to get cover at a reasonable price, or even cover at all. For cancer we would advise that you consult a specialist quote in addition to completing our online quote service. You can find companies who specialise in travel insurance for cancer sufferers on the Cancer Research UK website.

Individuals who have diabetes can also often face challenges getting affordable cover. That said, certain conditions, such as asthma are likely to be covered by a travel insurance policy - provided you are honest about the condition when you apply for cover.

In addition, some insurers - likely to be specialist firms - may be willing to cover a wider range of conditions on the proviso that the individual is fit to travel. This means that in theory, even someone terminally ill, but coping with their condition at the time of departure, could potentially get cover if a doctor declared he or she was satisfied that it was safe for that person to make the trip. The key is to do your research to find a firm willing to provide the cover you need for your particular condition and circumstances.

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