Any other Diabetics out there ? Travel insurance woes...

[Beejayjay]

I am diabetic and have very recently been placed on insulin, so far without problem.

Prior to this I have not been concerned about having problems while abroad related to the diabetes and so have only taken out a normal insurance policy.

My health is generally good, though I have some eye problems that are due to be treated by laser urgery 2 days after we get back from this trip. However, I'm thinking that, just in case, in the extremely unlikely event that I do have a problem that is even remotely linked to the diabetes, it might not be a bad idea to get a policy covering existing conditions.

The thing is, the policies I've found so far are hellishly expensive, way over £110 at best, whereas I have been quoted as little as £38 for policies excluding existing conditions.

So I'm wondering if anybody else who is a diabetic pays out for the diabetic cover or just goes with a normal policy and assumes that they wont have any problems.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks !

 

[Bovril]

I'm not suffering from diabetes, but have ongoing health problems which mean that I have to declare medical conditions, and can sympathise with you about the cost

The best travel insurance I could get and at a reasonable price was with Age Concern, No I'm not over 60 they will cover anybody, also put the children on the policy for free.

Had to go through the usual pre-screening on the phone, but that was painless- they only semed to be putting an excess on the policy if you were terminally ill, had heart problems or awaiting surgery.

The person who I spoke to said that they will cover anyone, whatever the health problem, it just meant you had to pay an excess on the policy if you needed to claim

Might be worth you giving them a call, phone no ;0845 601 2234

Good luck and enjoy your holiday

 

[Bovril]

Just noticed that you are due to have eye surgery- sorry must read posts more closely.

You may be ok as it's laser surgery, still worth giving Age Concern a call

 

[ClareH]

Hi, I'm an insulin dependent diabetic and have never had any problems in getting good cover (a must!), I go with Barclays (as in the bank) Travel Insurance. I'm going to Orlando next December for 12 nights and they've quoted me £48. You obviously have to tell them of your pre-existing conditions and they will confirm cover, the only thing they stipulate is that you must take enough medication to cover your trip and they won't cover you for lost/damaged medication - everything else is covered and it's a very good level of cover with repatriation as well. If you're interested their number is 0845 600 8090. Clare

 

[Miffy2003]

Hi Beejayjay

I'm an IDD too (25 years!) and while it does make me cross to have to shell out more for things like travel insurance because of it, I still do nevertheless as I always think, better safe than sorry. Imagine the bill if you were ill in the US without the right insurance!

A note of caution - I think that if you take out a "normal" insurance and then you are ill for any reason at all (including non diabetic illness), you might not be covered if they later discover you have diabetes (and it's always the first thing you have to tell the Dr isn't it?!) and then may refuse to pay as you did not disclose it. I may be wrong but this is what I have been told by a lender in the past.

Gosh I do sound like a prophet of doom but for me, it's about tempting fate (or not, as the case may be!)

ClaireH's Barclay's suggestion sounds good though!

Karen

 

[ear_poppin]

Hi you will find insurance! I went last year with my pensioner parents who have shopping lists of conditions and they both
managed to get cover for aroung £50...dad is 69 mum 66

Try Primary Direct who cater for pre existing conditions and covered my Mum or Nationwide who covered my dad and covered pre existing conditions.

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Beejayjay - I've just checked my Nationwide policy and Diabetes is listed as one of their "List of Automatically Covered Pre-Existing Conditions". Worth giving them a ring (0500 302012) as I've found them to be excellent with my family's pre-existing medical conditions, not a problem at all and no rating either (ie no extra premium for these conditions).

I also found them quite a reasonable price - our annual family worldwide policy, including winter sports, was £108. Without winter sports it would have been £78.

I've just had to claim on this policy due to DD receiving hospital treatment with a nasty ear infection whilst over in Florida back in October, all done with the minimum of fuss, paperwork and received the cheque back in a very short period of time.

I don't want to sound like a nag or a bore, but you simply MUST ensure you get the right amount of cover and declare your medical conditions. As a public relations manager who has worked in the financial services industry for many years, non-disclosure (ie not telling the insurance company about any existing medical conditions) can lead to huge problems when you try and claim. At best your policy will be cancelled and you will not be covered (if lucky you might get your premiums refunded) and medical treatment, particularly in the States, is very very costly.

It's all about peace of mind and there are loads of insurance companies out there who offer very good products (no, I don't work for Nationwide ).

You insure your car - why should your body be any different

One good site to look up insurance productions is www.thisismoney.com - check out the travel insurance section and you can get a great comparison for quotes there.

Hope you find one which suits. Don't worry, you will, but you might have to pay slightly over the odds to those really cheap policies advertised.

 

[PoohBears#1fan]

Not diabetes, but my son has a kidney condition so we took out extra travel insurance for him this year as our annual policy didn't cover pre-existing conditions.

We used insure and go (www.insureandgo.co.uk) and they were excellent, I'd thoroughly recommend them.

hth

 

[Beejayjay]

Thanks folks.

I decided better safe than sorry, and in the end I've taken out a policy with the Halifax.An Annual world wide for a family of 4, with coverage for my condition and replacement of medication included for £116, plus £10 to waive the £50 excess on any claim.

That's 3 times what it would have cost with my original choice of insurer - priced up before going onto insulin - but worth the extra for peace of mind. Yet again the insurance companies get away with penalising those of us unfortunate enough to be less than genetically perfect.

It's ironic that after many hours scouring the net for companies that would cover me without charging the earth, I called Halifax on Saturday night simply because of seeing their ad for travel insurance that they show for sponsoring the Sky News weather forecast !

And speaking of forecasts...

The weather.com site forecast for the first 6 days we are in Orlando give an expected high no lower than 73, with the highest expected to be 77, and the evening low expected to be nothing worse than 54. And Sunny or mainly sunny on all 6 days...

 

[Stuartpaul]

Beejay,

It's not that you're being penalised for being less than genetically perfect. Your going to a country that is the most expensive in the world for medical care. You are at a higher risk of needing that care so there's going to be an increased cost, - I'm afraid that's a fact of life.

If you think £116 is expensive try £986 for a weeks cover for my wife's condition!!!

Have a great trip, - hope you don't need the cover.

Stuart

 

[isanda]

We have always used the service that Diabetes UK promote as it specifically is tailored to the needs of people with diabetes. You can find the information on the Diabetes Uk web site at www.diabetes.org.uk and then clicking on the 'How we help' link at the top of the page.

Diabetes UK get a donation for every policy sold as well......that can only be a good thing!

 

[Beejayjay]

Stuart,

You're right on one level regarding the costs stateside, but even knowing that, I cant see this level of loading being acceptable.

We all know that the cost of medical care in the US is huge, and yes of course I do present more of a risk in terms of possibly needing treatment than the rest of my party. I'm basically fit and well despite the diabetes and anticipate absolutely no problems as a result of my it, but if I didn't have a tiny glimmer of concern in my mind that I might regret not paying the extra £85 or so, then I'd have gone for the £38 policy that gives the same level of cover but doesn't cover pre-existing conditions.

My point is that, as a 37 yr old, reasonably fit and well guy, who's condition is being treated and monitored carefully, how can I, as one of a party of 4, be so much more of a risk that it justifies the insurer being able to charge over 3 times the premium another firm charges for the exact same level of cover. An additional 50 %, maybe even 100 %, yes, but 200 % more ? That's ridiculous. As a comparative example, my partner smokes - but they don't load her as being more at risk of respiratory problems as a result. Moreover, she chooses to smoke, I don't choose to have a non/poorly functioning pancreas...

Furthermore we are all travelling to the USA, not some strange place where it costs less to be treated if you all your bits work properly. If, God forbid, my partner or her boys get hurt and need treatment, will it cost less to treat them than if I need to be stitched up, have a bone set or whatever ? Nope...

My major concern in taking insurance is to cover an accident or other illness or other such unlikely eventuality - am I any more likely to suffer that than the other 3 people in my party ? I think not.

Yeah, having a condition like this makes things more complicated, that is a fact of life, and yes I knew things would cost more as a result. To be honest I'm glad Iwent with tthe costlier policy - I'm happy to know for sure that I will be taken care of if anything untoward should happen. That doesn't mean I think the additional cost is necessary, fair or ethical.

Please dont take any of this as a pop at you, it really isn't. It's just my attempt to explain why I think it's unfair that such excessive charging should be allowed. Travel insurance isn't a luxury you can choose (logically) not to have - if you travel you need it.

Anyways, I'm a happy bunny now that I've got it sorted, everything we needed to sort for the trip is in place - tickets,, money, PS's, the lot. We're just looking forward to a nice relaxed Chrimbo day, and then we jet off on Boxing Day. The kids are really getting excited now - the youngster is so hyper he must be causing static on TV's for mile around !

And yeah, me and the better half are busting to go too...