I am awaiting a hospital appt which won't be till March at earliest.
If I buy my holiday flights just now for summer, I would want my insurance to cover for any cancellation.
But when I look at websites, they say that I wont be covered in relation to anything that I am currently awaiting investigations / referrals for?
Anyone experienced this sort of thing, is it one for professional underwriters as opposed to quote websites?
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I think you're screwed.
There is no point trying to do it through a website. You won't find out if you're covered for sure until you claim, and then I would expect you to find out that you're not.
If you go to an underwriter, then the premium will almost certainly make it uneconomic - they don't want to make claiming an easy or desirable option, its for when you have no choice.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Thu 7 Feb 13 at 21:27
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I think you will find you are not covered if you knew about something that stops you travelling. Included in this will be other family members who are not travelling. But then the trip is in the summer... if the appointment came up is there an option to delay for a few weeks?
Not knowing details, contacting a few insurers direct might be worthwhile. I still think they will say you wouldn't be covered.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Thu 7 Feb 13 at 21:56
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It sounds to me as if your best option is to book the holiday in the knowledge that you might be offered an appointment you can't keep, and expect to be able to rearrange it, given it clearly isn't an emergency. It must happen all the time.
Or go private.
Incidentally, our experience of the local hospital is that they are quite likely to cancel appointments themselves. You could find yourself cancelling your holiday and then having your appointment put back anyway.
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Just write to them and tell them you are not available xxy - yyx
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Its not that I am worried that the appointment will clash with the holiday, its the fact that whatever shows up (if anything) won't be covered and if this, worse case scenario, stops me from travelling then the 3 grand of air fares is money down the plug hole!
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I may have misunderstood;
Do you mean that the referral appointment will be BEFORE your holiday, but that it might uncover something which will prevent you travelling?
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NoFM2R
Yip, thats what I am saying.
If I book airfares for the biggest holiday the family will have ever been on just now, they are obviously currently available and pretty sure they will only go up in price between now and then.
So dont really want to wait and miss these flights or risk higher costs. And would prefer not to worry the kids about something that they dont need to worry about!
However, although everyone says the tests are nothing to fear, I am not so sure.
So I am probably looking for a company who I can tell them what the tests are, and they would then offer me terms of some sort. But not sure if any company would give terms on the unknown!
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Difficult Bobby.
I assume that pulling forward your referral meeting or tests is not possible?
Try going to this website, and completing it as if you actually have the condition you are concerned about.
www.columbusdirect.com/travel-insurance/pre-existing-medical-insurance/
(or 0800 083 9503 and they'll do the whole thing on the phone with you)
That should at least give you an idea how insurable you are. You can also speak to them and they have both an open minded underwriter and several medical experts available to them.
If they would insure you with the condition, then you can assume that the rates and conditions will be more favourable since you only *might* have it. If you see what I mean.
I can't promise that you'll like what you hear, but its a starting point.
I haven't used them so this isn't a very strong recommendation, but somebody did speak to me about them a little while ago and was complimentary.
However, if you can't get insurance, then for goodness sakes don't travel without it.
The only other suggestion I have would be to ensure that your ticket can be transferred to either a different name or to a different date with a minimal penalty.
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Cheers, will give them a try.
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Tried that and surprisingly the premium didn't increase - although it was very high to start with!
But I was answering questions on overnight stays, referrals etc so any one of them answered differently could affect the premium I guess.
I might also have a look to see if anyone will offer insurance which will exclude cancellation for this "unknown" but will include cancellation for anything unrelated. And then I would assume long before time of travel I should have had tests, results, and then be able to either get travel cover included for the condition or not have to worry about it.
Or worse case scenario, try and flog the flights to someone!
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>> Or worse case scenario, try and flog the flights to someone!
wont work, - non transferable.
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>>wont work, - non transferable.
Once the ticket is issued. However, until the moment its issued then it usually can be transferred.
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>> >>wont work, - non transferable.
>>
>> Once the ticket is issued. However, until the moment its issued then it usually can
>> be transferred.
depends, normal full fare tickets, yes. If a special super budget saver deal, possibly not.
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True, and thus potentially more expensive than just throwing a cheapy fare away.
But worth a look.
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A ticket with Ryanair cannot even be cancelled. Not sure if a name can be changed - I bet they allow it as they can make money!
Once had to forego a trip to Italy and contacted Ryanir to cancel. We were not expecting any money back but we thought someone else could use the three seats. They kept saying we might change our mind and want to travel. We couldn't and didn't. So that was stupid of them.
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There was method to their madness.
You didn't fly, so you forfeit your fare and have to pay an administration fee to reclaim any travel tax. Your unused seat get sold regardless to any standby passenger they have for the flight. Ryanair's "system" has a procedure in place for both of these eventualities.
There is no procedure for your returning seats without a refund. Potentially its just a headache for badly paid, badly treated, employees, so why would they make trouble for themselves?
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I wasn't asking for a refund. I was happy for them to resell the seats. I wanted someone else to travel to Italy instead of me and wanted someone weeks in advance to be able to plan such a break in early 2006.
Last edited by: rtj70 on Fri 8 Feb 13 at 18:51
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>> Its not that I am worried that the appointment will clash with the holiday, its
>> the fact that whatever shows up (if anything) won't be covered and if this, worse
>> case scenario, stops me from travelling then the 3 grand of air fares is money
>> down the plug hole!
So is the question not about losing the appointment, but more about the pre existing condition that may make insurance invalid?
I thin you answered your question. If its a material fact you have to disclose it. And travel to the states without good medical insurance is extremely unwise.
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Definitely wouldnt entertain the non disclosure route!
I want to disclose!
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>> Just write to them and tell them you are not available xxy - yyx
We tried that. They gave the boss an appointment in the unavailable period.
I thought they might have done it on purpose - maybe that way they can treat you outside the time limit without losing ticks.
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Worth Googling for travel insurance+medical condition
No exactly same scenario but we went to France in the car approx 8 weeks after my bike accident when I broke my hip . The Lad has a condition that means he has blood in urine from time to time
All companies asked a similar set of questions about his and my condition, medication etc.
Ended up covered when an off the shelf package would not have. Cost maybe twice as much a standard policy but worth it
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I doubt any Insurer will grant cover for a condition for which you are undergoing tests until the results of those tests are known. Since you are awaiting tests you will have to disclose that fact. Deferring the tests would make no difference, you would still have to declare the fact.
Once you have had the tests and the outcome is known you may well be able to get cover to include the condition if any. Some Insurers will quote for many conditions by means of a simple online questionnaire.
In your circumstances I think I would simply wait until after the tests until I booked the airline tickets.
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Was in this position a couple of months back, or, rather, SWMBO was.
We managed to get cover with Insure and Go. I explained the situation that we wanted cover as we were booking our holiday but partner was undergoing tests which may or may not reveal a problem. They simply asked what the tests were for, ascertained that they would still offer cover if it was a current pre-existing condition and then worked out quotes for both scenarios. They then were happy to offer cover, which I accepted, excluding the condition as if it didn't exist on the condition that if the tests discovered anything then we would notify them and pay the additional premium. They noted this on our file and said that if the tests revealed something and we didn't inform them and pay the additional premium then they wouldn't honour cover in the event of something arising from that condition; which I regarded as fair enough.
Fortunately, results of tests came back all clear and I haven't had to make the call.
Would probably be a different ball game if the tests were for something that they wouldn't accept cover on if it was an existing condition though, but worth the call.
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Cheers for that Cockle - sounds a very similar scenario. Will give them a try
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Worth the call, Bobby, good luck.
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A little update....
I remembered that through my Nationwide account, I had the option of free Europe travel insurance so made enquiries and can upgrade to USA and family cover. I explained about the tests that I am waiting on and they said that was fine, once the tests were done any anything diagnosed then to notify them of this. But in the meantime I would be covered.
However, I then advised them of my son's peanut allergy - anaphylaxsis. Now I don't know if anyone here has experience of this but basically any contact with peanuts can kill him. So we carry an epipen and in 15 years have never needed to use it.
They advised this would be no problem and would not incur any loading (previously with another insurer I had to pay something like £10 admin fee just to put details on policy). They asked if he had any other medication for it and I advised that he also has piriton, the standard anti histamine that millions use for hay fever. If he has a very mild allergic reaction, then he can take piriton. This has happened no more than half a dozen times and is the type of reaction that many of us may suffer with things like cat hair, hayfever etc.
He then said that because this consituted 2 different medications for a condition, the surcharge would be £80. I tried expplaining further about it being a standard histamine that millions use for hay fever and that if they are prepared to cover a "life or death" epipen for no extra, then the Piriton should be the least of their worries!
But apparently not!
I will phone them back tomorrow and see if I get a different answer......
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A little update....
I remembered that through my Nationwide account, I had the option of free Europe travel insurance so made enquiries and can upgrade to USA and family cover. I explained about the tests that I am waiting on and they said that was fine, once the tests were done any anything diagnosed then to notify them of this. But in the meantime I would be covered.
However, I then advised them of my son's peanut allergy - anaphylaxsis. Now I don't know if anyone here has experience of this but basically any contact with peanuts can kill him. So we carry an epipen and in 15 years have never needed to use it.
They advised this would be no problem and would not incur any loading (previously with another insurer I had to pay something like £10 admin fee just to put details on policy). They asked if he had any other medication for it and I advised that he also has piriton, the standard anti histamine that millions use for hay fever. If he has a very mild allergic reaction, then he can take piriton. This has happened no more than half a dozen times and is the type of reaction that many of us may suffer with things like cat hair, hayfever etc.
He then said that because this consituted 2 different medications for a condition, the surcharge would be £80. I tried expplaining further about it being a standard histamine that millions use for hay fever and that if they are prepared to cover a "life or death" epipen for no extra, then the Piriton should be the least of their worries!
But apparently not!
I will phone them back tomorrow and see if I get a different answer......
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We had a similar issue last year where we dint fit the online quotation systems.
My youngest daughter had been diagnosed with a heart condition and was awaiting open heart surgery. The surgeon had no issues with her travel, and her surgery was not classed as an emergency.
We found virgin travel insurance to be helpful - took them a few days to discuss with the underwriters and revise the premium. We used them on the advice of another family who have a similar situation to us.
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Travel insurance query - No FM2R
