Holiday insurance

I am now in the crazy situation where I cannot get cover for ANYTHING (theft of luggage, accident etc.) because I have one medical condition as yet undiagnosed. I fully expected to have that condition not allowed, but for them to refuse to insure me at all seems utterly bonkers!

I am in my seventies with some health problems. I paid over £300 insurance for a holiday in Cuba this year. A friend told me about NFOP. It covers people who have pensions such as civil service pensions. I have a bank pension and it covers me. There are two rules: your doctor must be happy for you to go on holiday and you must not have a terminal diagnosis. No other questions seem to be asked but as I know I am due another CT scan next February, I did phone for a chat. I went through the formality of checking with the doctor at the hospital that he was happy for me to go on holiday. The annual cost is about £216. I am very happy with it but hesitate to recommend it because I don't know anyone who has made a claim! A barrister friend who has also gone with them read the small print so I didn't bother. You have to be under 80 when you start with them.

World First and Stay Sure have been recommended to me. I use Stay sure this year and they were very reasonable for arthritis, high blood pressure on medication and high cholesterol not on meds.

We have travel insurance with our bank. My DH phoned asking for a copy of the policy as we need it to send before we go on our cruise at the end of August. What did they send? A brochure!!! Why can't anyone get anything right the first time of asking. We'll have to phone again and this time make sure they really understand what we want.

I looked at the NFOP and it seems you can join even if only on state pension. Insurance is £195 single or £275 couple worldwide.

chelseababy, the extra money I mentioned is the membership of NFOP. It goes from April annually. I am an HSBC pensioner and they kicked me out of my travel insurance when I was 70!!

I have just had a quote for full insurance including health - but excluding anything that might be related to my epigastric pain followed by collapse episodes. It is a 10 day holiday in Switzerland and the insurance cost is £74. Seems a lot, but it was the only company that would take me on at all, and the broker rang around all yesterday afternoon.