Can you get Travel Insurance with medical conditions?
You can get Travel Insurance with medical conditions if you buy cover from a specialist Travel Insurance provider like AllClear. Some providers will only cover you for medical emergencies that are unrelated to any pre-existing conditions. So if you’ve had a hospital appointment, visited a GP or taken any medication for a medical condition in the last two years, you’ll need specialist Travel Insurance for your medical conditions.
Why do you need Medical Travel Insurance?
Emergency medical treatment abroad can cost more than you think. That’s why medical cover should be your number one priority when looking for Travel Insurance.
It covers emergency medical costs including hospital charges and ambulance fees. It also covers repatriation (medical transport back home) if needed.
Medical Travel Insurance gives you four key benefits in addition to those provided by standard Travel Insurance:
- Cover for your pre-existing conditions while abroad. AllClear cover up to unlimited costs for emergency treatment, including treatment for ongoing medical issues.
- Cover for cancellation due to a pre-existing medical condition. You can also be covered for up to £25K if you need to cancel your holiday because of your medical condition, or a complication related to it.
- Repatriation costs. According to FCDO figures, if you were to fall over in Spain and need treatment for a broken leg, you would be looking at costs of around £15,000. Even minor ailments such as an infection or stomach bug in the USA could cost you £100, 000 if you need flights home.
- Peace of mind. While you’re away, you’ll have access to 24-hour medical emergency assistance, so you can travel with confidence, knowing we’ll be there just in case.
What happens if you don’t have Medical Travel Insurance?
With a standard policy, you would need to pay for costs incurred due to your pre-existing conditions, which can easily reach thousands of pounds very quickly.
According to FCDO figures, if you were to fall over in Spain and require treatment for a broken leg, you would be looking at costs of around £15,000. Even minor ailments such as an infection or stomach bug in the USA could cost you £100, 000 if you require flights home. Real customer claims we’ve paid out include; £21,587 for a fractured femur in Italy and £179,391 for pneumonia in Spain.
Clinical Nurse Specialist, Kay Greveson explains more: “People often do not realise the cost of medical emergencies abroad. It’s natural that people believe it won’t happen to them, but even the most well-managed conditions need to be covered, in case the unexpected happens.”
What our Customers Say
Case Study – Sheila Lowrie
Sheila has been with AllClear since 2015. When the couple visited their holiday home in Portugal, her husband was taken ill, she found out the true importance of having Specialist Medical Travel Insurance.
“When my husband fell seriously ill, he was suddenly taken to hospital in Portugal so you can imagine how traumatised I was. I rang AllClear and they were absolutely fantastic. They arranged for the air ambulance to come and collect him, the doctor and nurse came to the hospital to meet us and they actually escorted him all the way home to Newcastle, even taking him into the hospital to make sure everything was OK. It was amazing and meant so much to me.”
So what’s a pre-existing medical condition for Travel Insurance?
A pre-existing medical condition is any illness or injury you have before you buy your Travel Insurance. It could be an ongoing condition, or one you have been treated for in the past. As part of the quote process, we’ll guide you through any relevant questions that may apply. We can then make sure you’re covered if you have a medical emergency abroad.
Some of the most common conditions we cover include:
- Diabetes: More than 4 million people in the UK are living with diabetes. This can mean some extra consideration is needed when planning your trip.
- Heart conditions: Such as heart disease, heart attack and atrial fibrillation are common and vary in severity, which can impact on how you travel with the condition.
- Circulatory conditions: Issues with blood flow such as stroke, high blood pressure which are still important to declare when quoting for your Travel Insurance. Even a well-managed condition at home can affect you differently when abroad.
- Respiratory conditions: Conditions which impact breathing such as asthma, or COPD can mean travelling with specific medication.
- Chronic conditions: There are conditions which can have long-term health impacts on health. These include issues like cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, disability, Crohn’s disease
- Bone and joint conditions: Issues affecting your bones or joints like arthritis, back problems or osteoporosis can affect how you plan your holiday.
- Other conditions: AllClear covers a wide range of other conditions. These include mental health issues, after-surgery, undiagnosed conditions and gallstones.
Our experts say…
“People often underestimate just how important it is to let us know about their medical conditions. Even if something is minor and controlled at home, changes in climate can affect it. Declaring all your pre-existing conditions helps make sure you have the right cover. With comprehensive cover you can travel with peace of mind, even if the unexpected happens while you’re away.”
Letitia Smith MSc, Travel Insurance expert
What conditions don’t need to be declared?
As part of the quote process, we ask you to declare any conditions that fall within the medical warranty. This is an important part of our medical screening for Travel Insurance. But you may wonder if there are any conditions you don’t need to declare.
If you’ve had a cold or flu, but didn’t need to see a doctor or take any prescribed medication, then you don’t need to tell us about it. We also don’t need to know about a complication-free pregnancy or any contraception prescriptions.
How does Medical Travel Insurance work?
Travel Insurance offers financial protection for specific problems you might face on holiday. The medical section of your policy covers the cost of medical care if you become ill or have an accident.
Without Medical Travel Insurance, you’d be liable for any expenses resulting from an unexpected medical emergency when travelling. This means the cost of the ambulance, any doctor’s appointments and any surgeries you might need. Also, the cost of any medication that’s needed to treat you. These expenses can quickly build up and be in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pounds.
Here we explain how you would make a claim.
If you need emergency medical care while abroad:
-
- Notify us as soon as possible. We’re here to help, so just let us know what’s happened. Ideally, you’ll notify us while you’re still away. In some emergency cases our assistance team may arrange payment directly to the treating hospital or clinic.
- Keep all documentation: Make sure to keep any medical reports, booking forms, receipts, hospital certificates or invoices. These will be needed for your claim.
- Fill out a claims form when back in the UK. If you’ve paid any medical costs yourself, you’ll have up to 30 days from the end of your holiday to make a claim. Please be as accurate as possible in your information. This is where you’ll need to provide your receipts, certificates and booking forms.
- Send it to us. Remember to keep a copy of all the documents you’ve sent us, just in case.
- We’ll do the rest. Our team will get to work and keep you posted with any updates.
For full instructions on how to claim, please read our How To Claim page.
What does AllClear Medical Travel Insurance cover?
SWIPE TO COMPARE POLICIES
Gold |
Gold Plus |
Platinum |
|
Emergency medical expenses and Repatriation costs | Up to £10m | Up to £15m | Unlimited |
Cancellation* and Curtailment | Up to £2k | Up to £15k | Up to £25k |
Travel Delay | Up to £300 | Up to £1,500 | Up to £1,500 |
Personal Belongings | Up to £2k | Up to £2.5k | Up to £5k |
Personal liability | Up to £2m | Up to £2m | Up to £2m |
Legal protection cover | Up to £50k | Up to £50k | Up to £100k |
* If you buy a policy which includes cancellation cover. / All these figures are per person and per trip.
What’s not covered?
Travel insurance covers you when abroad (and before you go) and provides assistance in case of unforeseen emergencies. However, certain types of claims may not be covered. You should review your policy document carefully before you travel. This will help you to know what benefits you have, and what exclusions apply.
Examples of situations where you may not be covered:
- Travelling against the advice of a medical professional
- If you choose not to travel
- If you have not declared a pre-existing medical condition
- If you are travelling specifically to receive medical treatment abroad
Limitations of GHIC: what they don’t cover
The GHIC has replaced the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This card means you’ll receive emergency and necessary state healthcare in EU countries as though you were a local citizen.
However, the GHIC isn’t a substitute for Travel Insurance. It doesn’t cover you for:
the costs of rescue and repatriation (an air ambulance from Spain back to the UK costs the costs of rescue and repatriation (an air ambulance from Spain back to the UK costs £10,000 or more)
- lost or stolen property such as passports, baggage or precious items
- losses from trip cancellation, curtailment and interruption
- extra travel and accommodation costs due to illness
- any medical treatment needed outside of the EU
How to get Travel Insurance for pre-existing medical conditions
Insurance for medical conditions doesn’t have to be hard to buy. If you have serious health conditions you can get specialist insurance from AllClear.
Our 3-step quote process is quick and simple and designed to provide you with comprehensive worldwide cover.
Here’s how it works.
1 . Get a quote online or by phone
Once you’re ready to start the quote process, the first step is to provide your personal details and information about your holiday and travel plans. This can be completed over the phone with one of our team members or online.
2. Tell us about your conditions
As part of the quote process, we’ll run through a medical screening, and ask you some questions about your conditions. This way, we can provide the cover that best suits your needs. As a specialist, AllClear can cover all pre-existing conditions.
3. Select your level of cover
Once you’ve completed the medical screening process, you’ll be able to choose the level of cover which best suits your needs.
How much does Medical Travel Insurance cost?
The cost of Medical Travel Insurance will differ based on a number of factors
- Your medical history: For example, the severity of your condition, whether it is medicated. The medical screening process will answer these questions and determine the level of risk.
- Your destination: Some places carry a greater risk as they have a more expensive health care system. For example, Travel Insurance for the US will have a higher premium than Travel Insurance in Europe.
- Your age: Travel Insurance has a higher premium as we get older. However, our policies have no upper age limit, and we specialise in Travel Insurance for those in their 60s, 70s and 80s.
- Activities: While we cover some activities as standard, you’ll need to pay an additional premium to take part in others.
- Valuables: If you’re taking a lot of expensive items abroad, such as laptops, tablets, phones or cameras, you might want to add gadget cover to your policy.
- Additional cover: You may want to include extra cover for a special type of holiday, such as a cruise or golfing holiday.
How can you reduce the cost of Travel Insurance with a pre-existing medical condition?
If you’re concerned about the cost, there are some steps you can take to get cheaper Travel Insurance.
- Consider arranging a shorter trip. Shorter trips mean you’re less likely to claim, as you’ll be travelling for less time. This means a cheaper policy.
- Consider choosing a destination with lower medical costs. Cover tends to be pricier when travelling to countries with high private healthcare expenses. The US famously has an expensive healthcare system, so Travel Insurance for the US will be more expensive than Travel Insurance for Europe.
- Consider one policy for the whole year. If you plan to travel two or more times within a year, an Annual Multi-Trip Travel Insurance policy is typically more cost-effective than securing cover for every single trip.
The length of your trip and the cost of medical treatment in the country you plan to visit can affect the costs of medical cover. For example, a week’s trip to Milan will be cheaper to cover than a two-week holiday in New York City.
You should never knowingly declare your medical conditions inaccurately.. Doing so may reduce the policy premium, but you would invalidate your cover and leave yourself responsible for all the costs incurred in the event of a claim.
Our expert advice on Medical Travel Insurance…
“Everyone has the right to travel and living with medical conditions shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your holiday. It does help to be prepared and make sure you have comprehensive Medical Travel Insurance. That way, you can travel with peace of mind, knowing you’re covered if the unexpected happens and you need emergency medical assistance while you’re away. It means there will be a 24 hour helpline to help you through a difficult situation.”
Letitia Smith MSc, Travel Insurance expert
Travel Insurance and medical insurance serve different purposes.
Travel Insurance policies are designed to cover accidents, property loss, cancellations and emergencies while overseas. Our Travel Insurance policies can cover emergency medical treatment related to pre-existing medical conditions, but not all do.
Medical insurance focuses on medical cover, usually in your home country, for issues like therapies, treatments, medications and sometimes preventative care. UK residents are entitled to free healthcare from the NHS, so this isn’t needed. However. many people also take out private medical insurance to cover the costs of private healthcare providers.
The GHIC is not enough to cover your emergency medical expenses when abroad. The UK Government recommends that all travellers from the UK get the recommended Travel Insurance policy for their destination.
It’s important to note that while the GHIC covers you for emergency medical costs, it will not cover you for anything that is not a direct medical cost, such as transport to and from hospital. It also won’t cover you for other holiday mishaps, like lost luggage, delays or cancellations.
At AllClear, we offer Senior Travel Insurance, so that you can have comprehensive cover at any age, no matter your conditions. So, if you’re looking for Travel Insurance for over 70s or over 60s we can help you!
Medical care abroad can be very expensive. For example, a stomach bug treated in a hospital in the USA with return flights home could cost around £100k.
How much cover you need will depend on where you’re going, what you’re doing, your medical history and how long you’ll be travelling for. We’ll use these to work out a policy that will keep you fully protected so you can travel with confidence.
No, there is no upper age limit on our Travel Insurance policies, and we can cover all pre-existing medical conditions.
When choosing your policy, you must declare your medical conditions via our medical screening process. This can be done online or over the phone.
During the medical screening process, we’ll ask you a few questions about your medical conditions. Some example questions we might ask include:
- What age were you when you were diagnosed?
- Are you currently undergoing treatment or is any planned?
- Have you had any surgery, inpatient, or outpatient treatment or any referrals or investigations?
- Have you had any unplanned hospital admissions?
It’s important to declare all pre-existing medical conditions. If you don’t, you may find that your policy is invalidated and you’re left to cover any unexpected medical costs. You’ll need to answer a series of questions relating to your condition(s) when completing your quote.
As part of the quote process, we ask you to declare all of your conditions as part of our medical screening for Travel Insurance. If you’ve had a cold or flu, but didn’t need to see a doctor or take any prescribed medication, then you don’t need to tell us about it. We also don’t need to know about a complication-free pregnancy or any contraception prescriptions.
If you need to make a claim, you may need a letter from your doctor confirming that you were fit to travel at the time you bought your policy, and the date when you were declared unfit to travel.
Yes. However, It’s important that you understand that you will have no cover relating specifically to your undiagnosed condition(s) for Cancellation, Curtailment (cutting your trip short), Medical Emergency Expenses and costs relating to Home help or a nanny (where offered).
Yes, Medical Travel Insurance covers any prescription medication you might need when abroad, so won’t be left without medication that you might need.
We suggest you carry extra supplies in case you’re delayed abroad. Subject to airline restrictions, carry your medication in your hand luggage and not in checked-in bags.
It’s useful to travel with a copy of your prescriptions, and a copy of your medication’s medical name, as the brand name may differ in your destination country. Always check that your medications are not prohibited in the destination you’re travelling to.
No, pregnancy is not considered a pre-existing medical condition for Travel Insurance. However, any pre-existing pregnancy-related conditions are classed as pre-existing conditions, such as gestational diabetes.
We will cover claims for emergency medical expenses, or cancellations until the beginning of the 32nd week of your pregnancy (24th week for multiple pregnancies).
Get the most out of your trip with our helpful guides
Where are you visiting?
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Whether you’re planning a skiing holiday or setting sail on a cruise, remember to add extra cover to your policy for a worry-free trip.
2 Based on over 100,000 Trustpilot responses, correct as of March 2024