Can't find travel insurance

We always insured with Staysure whenever we went to France. On one trip I had very bad food poisoning and had to call a doctor in the night who came out and treated me. We then rang Staysure to put in a claim but they refused to pay out. Our mistake, but you don't think to ring the insurance company before the doctor when you're feel ill! We claimed on our EHIC card and even though it was both straightforward and a fairly nominal amount, it took them 12 months to reimburse us.

Tamayra

Do you not have a European Travel card
Covered me in France

The 2 issues here are:
1. your cover is the same as a French national - and whilst details vary, this normally means paying 20% of costs - not a huge amount for a simple consultation, but could escalate. And in other countries it can be significant - some don't include nursing costs for instance.
2. repatriation - which in the case of a catastrophic accident can be huge. Imagine paying for a medical flight!
Whether you're happy to risk this is individual.

I know that some people can find insurance that excludes certain known conditions. If, for example, you are being treated for cancer, you can ask for that to be excluded. But you do need to be wary as insurance companies will do anything to get themselves off the hook.

Don’t know if anyone has mentioned them but I use All Clear for travel insurance and have friends with pre existing conditions that also use them.

Have you tried Staysure or Virgin Money?

Try Staysure. I am 77 and they are fine though I don't have any long term health issaues

I take statins so I no longer have high cholesterol. Should I declare that if I apply for holiday insurance. I also take blood pressure medication. So my blood pressure is now normal. It seems odd to me that I would declare that if it is controlled?

Wiser

I take statins so I no longer have high cholesterol. Should I declare that if I apply for holiday insurance. I also take blood pressure medication. So my blood pressure is now normal. It seems odd to me that I would declare that if it is controlled?

I think you do have to but say it is controlled.

Wiser.
I declare highBP and what meds I take to lower it. My insurer also asks how long I’ve been on this med and if the dosage has been changed.
Should you be hospitalized and not in a position to tell them/take your BP meds, you’d be at an increased risk of stroke or heart attack.

I think it’s best to declare all.

Check out British Heart Foundation website for recommended insurance, or medicalert

I've just bought insurance with holiday risk.com as it's the cheapest we've found for over 70 with pre existing conditions. Give it a try.

Wiser

I take statins so I no longer have high cholesterol. Should I declare that if I apply for holiday insurance. I also take blood pressure medication. So my blood pressure is now normal. It seems odd to me that I would declare that if it is controlled?

Normally you are asked if you have 'ever been diagnosed with....'. So you say 'yes', then they ask if you are on medication, if it is controlled etc.
For common conditions they have a simple algorithm that works out risk.

Try MIA travel insurance. It stands for Making Insurance Accessible. My late brother-in-law used them for a month long trip to Japan when he had a glioblastoma. He, my sister and their son wanted to do a last family holiday together before he died. The insurance premium wasn't extortionate either.

Here's the link to their website:
www.miatravelinsurance.co.uk/

I hope it helps.

In my TV guide today was a leaflet for an insurance firm called goodtogoinsurance.com

They say they are experts in cover for medical conditions and no age limits! They are rated Excellent on Trust Pilot.

We are going to get all our medical stuff to hand then contact them. Fingers crossed.

Refusals could be due to you waiting on results and still under management of Drs. If your health service is anything like where I live I know my friend had to wait 14 weeks, yes, you read it right, for the result of her 24 hour monitor recording. They aren't treated as urgent. I have no health issues and use Staysure.

We have a Nationwide Flex account which gives us worldwide travel insurance. You pay a bit extra at 70 but when I had a heart attack last year we rang them and they were so helpful. They honoured a holiday already booked at no extra cost and they gave us travel for a year at an extra premium of just under £150 which was very reasonable against other travel insurance quotes. You also get car breakdown cover too. Highly recommend.

I used Admiral - a number of pre-existing conditions (one being high cholesterol). I even got winter sports cover and cruise cover with them - they go up to 80 for winter sports!
www.admiral.com/travel-insurance/medical-conditions

Hope this helps :-)

Or you could try this comparison site which specifically compares for people with pre-existing conditions and older travellers.

www.medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/travel-insurance/over-70/

We ended up opening a Nationwide Flex account and paying £440 for a years worldwide travel 🙁. Better safe than sorry.

I hsve existing health conditions and am 71 , I managed to get a policy with staysure

I had a 24 hour health monitor and am having to wait 10 weeks for my results

Tilly8

We ended up opening a Nationwide Flex account and paying £440 for a years worldwide travel 🙁. Better safe than sorry.

And did you have to answer loads of questions like …. Any hospital appointments in last 6 months, any booked in for next 6 months? How many meds do you take for a particular problem?

Primrose53

Tilly8

We ended up opening a Nationwide Flex account and paying £440 for a years worldwide travel 🙁. Better safe than sorry.

And did you have to answer loads of questions like …. Any hospital appointments in last 6 months, any booked in for next 6 months? How many meds do you take for a particular problem?

Primrose, that is standard procedure for any companies I have used. It used to take me hours to fill in the forms, only then to be told I had to speak to a manager.

welshgirl2017

Or you could try this comparison site which specifically compares for people with pre-existing conditions and older travellers.

www.medicaltravelcompared.co.uk/travel-insurance/over-70/

I’ve just tried that with my husband’s existing conditions. I got all excited as they offer up to 90 days cover for each trip , which is twice as long as we have now.

They said no, damn them 😂

Marydoll

Primrose53

Tilly8

We ended up opening a Nationwide Flex account and paying £440 for a years worldwide travel 🙁. Better safe than sorry.

And did you have to answer loads of questions like …. Any hospital appointments in last 6 months, any booked in for next 6 months? How many meds do you take for a particular problem?

Primrose, that is standard procedure for any companies I have used. It used to take me hours to fill in the forms, only then to be told I had to speak to a manager.

Yes I know thanks Marydoll but I have heard from some people that these “add ons” with building society accounts expect you to provide answers rather than them asking questions and often people don’t.

Staysure.excellent