European travel insurance - pre existing conditions

Have you tried Saga? We've just done annual cover with someone else. I'll have a look and post later.

Are you happy to try online.
I've booked with Staysure as mentioned on the Martin Lewis page.
Staysure cover pre existing conditions up to the age of at least 80.

I have used Staysure when travelling in the Antipodes. It does give peace of mind.

I am wondering if I need anything other than the EHIC if I travel to France?

Ps bearing in mind we have travel insurance through the bank for everything other than pre-existing conditions?

Far be it from me to be cynical Jalima, but my feeling is that insurance companies will search for any reason not to pay out, and would try to argue that any claim you made would be partly at least due to an existing condition

Jalima You do need travel insurance if travelling in France. Your EHIC only pays part of your costs.

The French health system is a combined private/public system. French people, unless very poor are expected to have compulsory private health insurance. The state covers part of the cost, the insurance the balance. The EHIC covers the state contribution . You need an insurance policy to cover you for the balance of the costs.

When DH was taken ill and needed to be seen in A&E, we got a bill for about 32 euros, plus the cost of the drugs he was prescribed. Another 40 euros.

We use the free travel insurance provided by our bank and DH pays a £90 supplement for his pre-existing conditions (diabetes and high blood pressure). That is £90 a year as we have an annual travel policy.

We`ve just insured with Saga for a 6 day cruise of the Norwegian fjords, hubby has a few pre-existing conditions, it was £245.91 for the 2 of us. A few others we looked at wanted to charge far more.

Dh and I got 18 days cover in the USA (expensive band 4) for £239 including pre-existing conditions with Staysure. Saga came up too expensive.

Quotes so far for a week in UK followed by a week in Brittany vary from £118 to £253.

Just looked ours up OP and it's an annual for two people worldwide £420. It's underwritten by Zurich. We have a collection of pills we take and we are both over 70.

I'm trying our home insurers (NFU) now - watch this space!

Purchased from holidayrisk £109 for an annual multi trip insurance to Europe for 4 medical conditions. Here's hoping they live up to their promise should they be needed.

Thank you M0nica and Badenkate.

I was weighing up the potential costs versus the cost of insurance (which I would take out definitely if travelling beyond Europe). Lost luggage or property, an accident etc would be covered by existing insurance through the bank's insurance, but anything related to a pre-existing condition would not.
It was over £500 for travel to Australia and South Pacific.

I will shop around!! and look at holidayrisk

For us, Staysure were more expensive than Saga, we tried them first.

£198.06 from holiday risk. £118 is still our best quote.

I booked on line. I have a number of existing conditions, I take fairly heavy end medication and have some investigations ongoing. We are going to the US (first time for me) this year so I was anxious. I'm paying just over £300 which seemed fair, if a lot of money.

That sounds very reasonable for a trip to the US.

What annoys me is that they ask if you have had an out-patient appointment for a previous health risk; even if the hospital says 'all fine, see you in 12 months' time' the insurer counts that as an ongoing condition and charge more.

That's reassuring Jalima - I felt I was stepping into dangerous waters. We do visit various European countries and I've always felt absolutely safe with my travel insurance and EU health card. The travel insurance was provided by the bank as part of our account but when I contacted them after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, they told me they wouldn't provide any cover for me in future. I've just printed off the documents from the insurance company and plan to read them very carefully.

I was sent after an annual health check to the hospital from the gp surgery to get a heart monitor reading. I was then sent home from hospital advising me to make an appointment with my GP. When asked by the holiday insurance company if I've had an unplanned hospital admission I was unsure of how to answer this. What do you think answer would be?

Weren't admitted were you?

The Post Office were very good when I recently had to sort out insurance for someone else travelling to the US.

No Galen just unsure how the insurance companies interprete this

No, they are asking about admission rather than out patient appts.