\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI<\/span> nearly fell over when I saw the travel insurance quote,\u201d says the retiree Bernie Lawrence. The 77-year-old from Fleet, Hampshire, says that after he developed heart problems, the cost of buying cover became \u201castronomical\u201d.<\/p>\n Lawrence, who usually travels with his wife, Barbara, 79, says he had always been active and fit before suffering chest pains while out running in 2018. Nine days later, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery.<\/p>\n Before the surgery, the couple bought annual travel insurance policies for Europe for under \u00a3100. However, after the operation, and as they got older, prices began rising sharply.<\/p>\n In 2022 they paid \u00a3302 for the same level of cover. After he suffered briefly from atrial fibrillation \u2013 a common heart rhythm disorder \u2013 and was placed on an NHS waiting list for an echocardiogram, they were quoted \u00a31,200.<\/p>\n \u201cI just couldn\u2019t believe it,\u201d he says. \u201cAll I was waiting for was for them to tell me something I already knew: that it had gone and probably wasn\u2019t going to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span>Before the surgery, the couple bought annual travel insurance policies for Europe for under \u00a3100.<\/span> Photograph: MallorcaImages\/Alamy<\/p>\n Unable to wait months for NHS confirmation, he paid privately for the scan.<\/p>\n Once he had the all-clear, his travel insurance quote went to \u00a3584. The couple paid \u00a3805 in 2024 and then \u00a31,009 this year for annual cover before a Mediterranean cruise.<\/p>\n While he says he thinks insurance companies look on older people as \u201ca bit of a cash cow\u201d, he adds: \u201cYou can\u2019t really argue with them because they say: \u2018Well, you\u2019re 77 years old and you\u2019ve had all these things in the past.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Despite never making a claim on his policy, Lawrence believes it is important to have cover. However, millions of holidaymakers with pre-existing medical conditions are planning to travel abroad this summer without insurance, according to a survey by specialist insurer AllClear that suggested 18% of Britons will risk not buying cover.<\/p>\n That will leave them at risk of big bills if anything goes wrong. Two years ago, insurers paid out \u00a3262bn for medical expenses for UK travellers who needed emergency care or treatment while on holiday.<\/p>\n Some countries such as the US and Canada charge hundreds of thousands of pounds for treatment if you fall ill, so it is important to find the right cover, says James Daley, the founder of Fairer Finance, a research and rating agency.<\/p>\n <\/span>Travelling without insurance will leave you at risk of a big bill if something goes wrong.<\/span> Photograph: Gonzalo Fuentes\/Reuters<\/p>\n \u201cTravel insurance can get very expensive if you\u2019ve got a pre-existing medical condition,\u201d he says. \u201cBut it\u2019s incredibly important that you take out insurance that covers you for your condition \u2013 particularly if you\u2019re travelling to countries like the US where there\u2019s no reciprocal health agreement with the UK.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you end up having a medical emergency in the US without insurance, the costs can run into the tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds.\u201d<\/p>\n The cost of a policy will be based on your age, the condition, where you are travelling and for how long.<\/p>\n Price comparison websites allow you to search for policies even if you have pre-existing medical conditions, but it is important to check the small print with the insurer before you pay. It is also worth checking anything you declare to the comparison website is included in your policy details once you go through to buy the cover with the insurer.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t find cover via a mainstream comparison site or through a traditional insurer, specialists such as Medical Travel Compared and PayingTooMuch, or AllClear, could help. You could also find a broker via the British Insurance Brokers\u2019 Association (at biba.org.uk) to help you.<\/p>\n When you are applying for cover, an insurer will ask you to tell it about any medical issues that you have had during a certain period \u2013 usually the last five years.<\/p>\n However, the questions can go back different lengths of time depending on the provider and condition \u2013 sometimes covering the previous two years or five years, or even longer for serious illnesses such as cancer or heart disease.<\/p>\n If you had a condition and have recovered and not received any more treatment since this time, then you do not need to disclose it.<\/p>\n <\/span>When applying for cover, an insurer will ask you to tell it about any medical issues you have had during a certain period.<\/span> Photograph: Rawpixel Ltd\/Alamy<\/p>\n You may consider buying a separate policy for the person with pre-existing conditions rather than a couple\u2019s policy or group insurance, but Tommy Lloyd, the managing director of Medical Travel Compared, says his company would generally recommend that the entire travelling party is insured under the same policy wherever possible.<\/p>\n \u201cThis helps ensure that cancellation and curtailment cover applies consistently across the group,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, if a traveller\u2019s medical condition unexpectedly worsens before departure and the holiday has to be cancelled, a joint policy is more likely to provide protection for all insured travellers who are unable to travel as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n He adds: \u201cWhile cost is understandably an important consideration, travellers should be careful not to focus solely on the cheapest premium. The scope of cover and how it responds when travelling companions are affected by a medical condition can be just as important as the price paid.\u201d<\/p>\n Some common conditions, such as anxiety, high blood pressure, arthritis and asthma, only add a few pounds to a typical policy.<\/p>\n You may, however, face high costs if you are still under investigation for a condition or waiting for treatment.<\/p>\n Disclosing any medical conditions is essential, as you could invalidate your policy if you don\u2019t.<\/p>\n We sought quotes for a traveller with no pre-existing medical conditions and compared them with the costs for the same traveller with one of several different conditions.<\/p>\n <\/span>The insurer AllClear suggests that 18% of Britons will risk not buying insurance cover before travelling abroad.<\/span> Photograph: Hemis\/Alamy<\/p>\n Declaring anxiety did not increase the premium in this example, but the other conditions did bump up the price. Being diagnosed with angina and having had a heart attack had the biggest impact of all of those we checked. This added about 50% or so to the price.<\/p>\n It may not always be possible to easily find cover, depending on your condition and how recent your diagnosis is.<\/p>\n In 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority introduced rules for insurers to help customers with pre-existing conditions. If an insurer is unable to provide cover or if the premium is more than \u00a3200, it should signpost you to a specialist company that can offer insurance.<\/p>\n An Association of British Insurers spokesperson says that when people are looking for travel insurance, \u201cwe recommend shopping around for a policy that meets your needs, and comparing factors such as trip length, destination and policy excess\u201d.<\/p>\n The spokesperson adds: \u201cImproving access to insurance is a key priority for our industry, and we continue to engage with members and stakeholders on this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n We checked prices for a 57-year-old traveller taking a seven-night trip to Spain using the Medical Travel Compared website.<\/p>\n We found that the impact of pre-existing medical conditions on travel insurance premiums can vary depending on the condition declared.<\/p>\n No condition declared: \u00a312.43.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Diagnosed anxiety disorder, not referred to psychiatrist: \u00a312.43.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Diagnosed asthma, taking up to two medicines for it: \u00a314.65.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Angina, one previous heart attack, no new symptoms, currently fit: \u00a318.76.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Breast cancer, last treatment three to five years ago, given all-clear: \u00a313.94.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n The part-time parish clerk Ian Wardle, 68, from Hatfield Peverel in Essex, says he was quoted up to \u00a36,000 for travel insurance after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma \u2013 leaving him questioning whether he could afford to visit his brother in the US.<\/p>\n Wardle was diagnosed with the cancer in July 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, after discovering a golf ball-sized lump in his neck. Scans and biopsies revealed he had 26 cancerous lymph nodes, with some \u201cthe size of an orange\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/span>Ian Wardle from Hatfield Peverel, Essex, was quoted up to \u00a36,000 for travel insurance.<\/span><\/p>\n Wardle underwent chemotherapy from September 2020 until January 2021, followed by maintenance treatment until the end of 2022. He has since been given the all-clear.<\/p>\n Once he recovered, he and his wife returned to travelling, including trips to the Maldives, for which he was able to find affordable cover.<\/p>\n However, when he tried to arrange insurance for a solo motorbike road trip to visit his brother in South Carolina in 2024, he was shocked by the quotes given on comparison websites.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of them, even just for a week\u2019s cover, were like \u00a35,000 or \u00a36,000,\u201d he says. \u201cI was just thinking: \u2018No, I\u2019m not paying that. It\u2019s just ridiculous.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Wardle says the high premiums almost stopped him travelling.<\/p>\n \u201cIt just put everything in perspective,\u201d he says. \u201cI just couldn\u2019t justify spending that sort of money for a week\u2019s trip.\u201d<\/p>\n He found more affordable cover through AllClear Travel Insurance and he says he was happy to call rather than buying online. \u201cBeing able to talk to someone was quite important,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s always a worry that if you don\u2019t tick the right box or miss a detail, then they won\u2019t pay.\u201d<\/p>\n He now pays about \u00a31,000 for an annual policy that covers travel to the US.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cI nearly fell over when I saw the travel insurance quote,\u201d says the retiree Bernie Lawrence. The 77-year-old from Fleet, Hampshire, says that after he developed heart problems, the cost of buying cover became \u201castronomical\u201d. Lawrence, who usually travels with his wife, Barbara, 79, says he had always been active and fit before suffering chest<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[3149,6748,1326,37,1993,4278,480,2460],"class_list":{"0":"post-50313","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-condition","9":"tag-derail","10":"tag-dont","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-holiday","13":"tag-insurance","14":"tag-plans","15":"tag-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=50313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/50314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=50313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=50313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=50313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Medical bills<\/h2>\n
Buying cover<\/h2>\n
Common conditions<\/h2>\n
Our price check<\/h2>\n
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Case study: \u2018It\u2019s just ridiculous\u2019<\/h2>\n