I would love to receive some advice if any of you out there have experience of this.
I have booked a holiday to Croatia for 7 days and I am struggling to get travel insurance. I have secondary breast cancer, with a terminal prognosis. I am currently having chemo.
I have called 10 travel insurance companies that were listed on the Macmillan website as insurers that cover people with cancer. Only one will cover me and i have been quoted nearly £1000 which i can’t afford.
Has anyone in a similar situation had any luck with insurance companies, and received a more reasonable quote?
I am afraid that the words ‘secondary’ and ‘terminal’ are what are preventing you from getting insurance. Your only possibility is miaonline 01268782745
Croatia is not in the EU so an EHIC card would not help either. However, the UK does have some agreement with Croatia to provide healthcare for UK Nationals. It would not however, cover you for anything to do with your present treatment or for repatriation.
I am impressed by the matter of fact statement you make of your terminal prognosis. I think that you are very brave and wish you all the best in your decision to go off on holiday and have some enjoyment whilst you can.
Hi dollface
I’m also struggling to get cover due to being on chemo for secondaries. I got one quote last wk for a week in Spain + it was nearly £ 2.5k !! We have decided to take a chance as Spain is covered by the European health card.
Would it be possible to take a chemo break? I know some companies will provide cover once you are 4wks clear of chemo (eg insurepink)
good luck hope you get sorted + have a fantastic time
tina x
Perhaps you could try MIA they will only insure 60 days before travel and require consultant or doctor to put a note on your file that you are fit to travel
I went to Barcelona when I was on chemo, like you I couldn’t get any cover. I had insurance with our bank and they said they would cover everything else apart from anything to do with the cancer. I spoke to my chemo nurse as we had already booked and she said that if you needed an ambulance then you would have to pay for the cost but I would get treatment with the EHC.
It wasn’t easy as the chemo took it out of me but I decided to go and we had a wonderful holiday. We did something everyday and I slept for a couple of hours in the afternoon.
I stable at present and have gone to Europe several times since.
Hope it all goes well for you - take care of yourself
Hi - Ive just spent the last day and a half searching and was just about to give up when…
MIA online will cover me mid chemo with secondaries, £45 for a week in france! 01268 782745. They were also really nice on the phone! No dragons asking personal questions!
Thank-you. I cant believe how excited i am!!! I nearly cried on the phone then she said, ‘Yes, no problems, you deserve a holiday!’
Enjoy poland. I suggest you take out the insurance as soon as you book as they cover cancellation if you are unable to go cos of treatment! You just never know!
Hi all, thanks for your advice and well wishes. So after calling 20+ insurers (on the recommended Macmillan and BCC lists) I called miaonline (who are on the BCC list, but also recommended by Sadie- thanks!)
Only two of the insurers would cover me at this moment in time, the lowest quote i had received until this point was £733.
I then called miaonine who will cover me for £67, and a note from my Dr to say that I am fit to travel, I couldn’t beleive it!
So my advice to anyone in a similar situation looking for travel insurance would be call miaonline first. They asked fewer medical screening questions that other insurers and were very nice over the phone. Now I can look forward to Croatia!
Thanks again everyone.
x
dollface that is brilliant - well done for persevering. When I read your first post my immediate thought was “not a chance” - I’m so delighted to be wrong. Hope you have a wonderful holiday. finty xx
I have bookmarked this because there are a lot of places I want to visit, Spain, Italy, NY and Greece. To name but a few, oh and Bruges. East Anglia is a start though,lol. Seriously, this is excellent info as I now know where to get insurance and thanks to all the legwork you have done dollface
x sarah
I feel like a mia online rep, but the are SO GOOD!! I did not think anyone would insure me, mid chemo with secondary cancer, but the world is still my oyster at a fab price!!
Glad to be of help…
That is really good news! I am particularly interested because I really want to go to Croatia, but automatically assumed that because it isn’t in the EU, that it wouldn’t be covered. I might consider this as a destination too. I used MIA twice last year, infact they were the only company that would even consider me. I think I was charged about £70 for 2 weeks in France and Italy, then a similar amount for a long weekend in Germany. I liked the way that you just have to ask the DR/onc to write in your notes that you have discussed travel with them and that they consider you fit to travel. I did have a long telephone call with another company who I asked for a quote (at a ridiculously high premium) and they said that the DR would have to fill in a quite detailed form. I was disgusted with insurepink who display the pink ribbon, but wouldn’t insure me because my bone mets were in more than 3 places!
Good luck to anyone else booking a well deserved holiday!