Travel Insurance
Travel Insurance Just wanted to pass on a recommendation for a good insurance company. I was diagnosed in February and am currently having chemo. I want to go to France in a couple of weeks and have been struggling to find insurance for while I’m there. As well as breast cancer, i also have diabetes so with two critical illnesses to my name it’s been tricky. Untill today the quotes i had come up with for a week in France had been £200 and £120, almost more than the holiday itself is costing. Anyway after reading a recommendation from this website i phoned Freedom Travel Insurance and was pleasently suprised to be quoted £49 for the week. Amazing! So if your planning a holiday and need insurance contact Freedom Travel Insurance on 0870 774 3760.
Emma
travel insurance Hi Emma
I have just returned from a holiday in Cyprus and the cheapest insurance I could come up with was £264 for a 2 week trip. I will certainly keep the details you posted in the hope of getting something cheaper next time!
Hope you enjoy your hols and good luck with the chemo. I have just finished rads just over 3 weeks ago and finished chemo in April. Am at last beginning to feel more like my old self. Again hope all goes well for you ( are you having rads as well? if you are its a doddle after chemo!) Thanks for the info
Lindypoops
Yes I have always found Freedom Travel very good and helpful. I have never got such good quotes anywhere else including Marrs who many recommend. Fiona is great…
mind you now I have regional recurrence and on chemo again not sure how it will go…would love a trip to USA later in year and just would never risk going there without insurance as I know many do…suspect though the cost will be prohibitive (I paid £300 for 8 days just after primary tretament when I was NED)
Has anyone with stage 4/mets ever got cover to north America?
Jane
Hi Lindypoops
Ouch! that insurance must have added a bit of a sting to the holiday. Hopefully next time with Freedom Insurance it won’t be as bad. Hope you had a good time despite that? Congratulations on finishing the horrible stuff, do you have any other treatment next? I will have number 5 of 6 chemo next week, then rads followed by Hormone therapy. I can’t wait to feel normal again, it seems like a lifetime since i have felt that way. How did you prepare yourself for Rad? Did it effect your skin badly? Starting to think about that stage now and wondering how best to prepare myself.
Thanks
Emma
N. America Dear Jane,
North America can be extremely difficult to get insurance for. Marrs wouldn’t insure me this afternoon for an upcoming trip even though I was diagnosed in 2003, have not had any recurrence or mets, am on no medication currently and have had a year of herceptin. In fact, it was the late herceptin that pushed me into the unacceptable high risk category because it meant that I had had hospital treatment within the last year. So, something that reduced my risk of recurring ironically made me uninsurable.
Freedom Travel came up trumps and insured me, my husband and child for less than what they had quoted for just me in 2004, even though our trip is twice as long as it was then. Since I had a very aggressive cancer that was likely to come back within two to three years, I feel that Freedom Travel got it right.
I know someone with prostate cancer mets who got insurance to the US, but he has stable disease under control with hormones. Green Bee insured a terminal esophageal cancer patient I know of for a trip to France, although I don’t know if they would do the US. Unfortunately, the problems of the US healthcare system affect both those who reside their and those who are merely visiting.
AllClear2Go - www.allclear2go.co.uk or 08712 088 635 are worth a try. I found them excellent. I had previously been with Freedom and found them good. Husband recently diagnosed with Prostate Cancer and Freedom would only insure us for a one-off holiday (£700 for 2 weeks) not an annual policy. AllClear2Go even insure you if you’re terminal and aged 90! Their website is very good and staff on the 'phone very friendly. I got an annual policy with AllClear and we can now go to Antarctica in Dec/Jan - no worries!
Regards
Sue
I got the form from Mars and apparently the problem was that they classified spread to the lymph nodes, which I had had and told them about, as being metastatic (no)! I will complain about the vagueness of their questions.
Hi Ladies
Re: Travel insurance
Just enjoyed a great holiday in Cyprus, when making arrangements with travel agent I was asked about insurance, the lady I spoke to actually made the call for me and got the insurance for £98. Thats £70 for both my hubby and me and then an extra £28 for declaring B.C. Not bad!!!
Still a shame we have to do it though
Luv ‘n’ stuff
Binner xxx
Isn’t it about time someone set up a charity to help people with cancer pay for insurance on holidays they want to go on. I keep reading about all these charities offering worthy holidays for cancer patients (Odyssey; sail4cancer etc.) and though I’m sure people who go on them have a great time I don’t want to go on a special holiday for people with cancer…I want to choose where I go on holiday and be able to rest assured I’ll get insurance cover at a reasonable price wherever that is.
Jane
Travel Insurance
I underwent WLE in March and just finished 5 week course of radiotherapy and my consultant is saying I do not need any further treatment which obviously is great news. However trying to get travel insurance is proving difficult. We are going to the USA in September so today I tried Marrs who according to their website say they are willing to insure people with all sorts of health problems. Not the case as they were not prepared to cover me for the breast cancer or for my high blood pressure which I am medicated for and have been for several years. Previously I was covered for this with a Barclays policy!!!
I will try Freedom as suggested but I am beginning to feel like I am from another planet!!
Lorraine
Annual Travel Insurance
I did try Freedom Insurance in Cambridgeshire who were very helpful and have quoted £550 for worldwide annual travel insurance for unlimited trips up to 50 days. The cover includes my breast cancer condition and my high blood pressure. This quote also includes my husband who I am pleased to report is very healthy!!
I actually do not feel this quote is unreasonable considering I was paying £150.00 a year prior to my diagnosis for annual insurance. Having lived in the USA for 2 years I am fully aware of just how expensive any medical treatment is out there and the first thing they ask for when you arrive to see a doctor is your medical insurance!!
Hope this helps anyone still trying to arrange travel insurance.
Hi forum members
I hope you don’t mind me butting in on this thread, but as some of you probably know this is a topic which often comes up on the forums.
Breast Cancer Care’s press office is planning some media work to highlight the issues that people with a diagnosis of breast cancer can have when taking out travel insurance. If you would like to get involved with this, then please contact Ian Manley in the press office at <script type=“text/javascript”>eval(unescape(‘%64%6f%63%75%6d%65%6e%74%2e%77%72%69%74%65%28%27%3c%61%20%68%72%65%66%3d%22%6d%61%69%6c%74%6f%3a%69%61%6e%6d%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%22%3e%69%61%6e%6d%40%62%72%65%61%73%74%63%61%6e%63%65%72%63%61%72%65%2e%6f%72%67%2e%75%6b%3c%2f%61%3e%27%29%3b’))</script>, or on 0207 751 8066.
Best wishes
Lucy
Moderator
Breast Cancer Care
Re Aberdeen Insurance on 01472 826672
I have just purchased an annual worldwide policy for me and my family for 77 pounds. The only condition is any BC related medical treatment carries a 500 pound excess.
I had tried Freedom Travel and they quoted 363 pounds for a single 2 week holiday and could not offer an annual policy. The girl at Aberdeen Insurance was really helpful and pleasant. I was diagnosed 2 years ago and had surgery, chemo, rads and now on arimidex
Highly Recommended
Alison
www.marrs.co.uk is worth trying. Cover for 2 weeks in Europe cost less than £40 for my family of 4 - including cover for breast cancer.
These are the questions you are asked.
Travel Insurance Medical Declaration
Before completing our on-line proposal form, please answer the following questions on our Medical Declaration. The questions apply to each insured person. Therefore, even if only one insured person answers ‘yes’ to a question, you must answer ‘yes’ to that question in the Declaration below.
a Are you or anybody travelling with you waiting for an operation, hospital consultation (other than for regular check ups) or other hospital treatment or investigations? Yes No
b Have you or anybody travelling with you received treatment, other than regular medication, in the last 12 months for:
- any blood disorder;
- any form of cancer, leukaemia or tumour;
- a transplant;
- any psychiatric illness;
- dialysis treatment; or
- dementia?
Yes No
c Have you or anybody travelling with you, who is diagnosed as HIV positive, required treatment for HIV or any HIV related illness? Yes No
d Have you or anybody travelling with you had any breathing or heart problem which has needed hospital treatment in the last 12 months? Yes No
e Have you or anybody travelling with you been seen by a specialist in the last 3 months (other than for regular check ups) or been admitted to a hospital overnight? Yes No
f Have you or anybody travelling with you been given a terminal prognosis by a registered doctor? Yes No
g Do you know of any reason (medical or otherwise) why the trip is likely to be cancelled or cut short? Yes No
Travel Insurance
The insurance companies mentioned ie Marrs and Freedom do not appear to apply any logic in deciding whether to cover cancer sufferers. I tried Marrs for an annual worldwide cover and they refused to include my pre-existing conditions ie breast cancer and high blood pressure. Freedom however quite happily provided me with a quote that I did not find too unreasonable for annual worldwide cover which included any treatment I may need for my breast cancer or blood pressure - hopefully unlikely!
It is all very confusing to say the least!!
Lorraine
Hi
I too had problems with travel insurance - mastectomy + LD reconstruction about 18 mths ago - routine follow up + tamoxifen.,Llike Lorraine also have hypertension -Marrs would not cover me but found Columbus Direct would cover for annual worldwide policy including States which cost about £165 for myself ,husband who has diabetes + children x2
So if anyone having trouble try them but it is a minefield out there and I sometimes wonder if it depends who you talk to!
Happy travelling!
Hi ladies
A huge thank you to Alison for recommending Aberdeen Insurance who have come up trumps for me! They quoted annual worldwide cover for myself and hubby for only £65.00 with an excess of £500 if I needed treatment for my BC or high blood pressure which I hope is extremely unlikely.
I must have spoken to the same lady as Alison because she was a joy to deal with and totally eased my concerns about travelling to the USA in September.
Really worth a try for anyone still trying to arrange travel insurance.
Lorraine
Hi
I have an annual travel insurance and a holiday booked in September. I haven’t yet told the insurance company that I have had a lumpectomy and am not sure how they will react. Was anyone out there in a similar predicament and what did you do?
Just got travel insurance with Aberdeen Insurance - £75 for the year and £750 excess (so high because of my under active thyroid) can go to the States etc on it. I finished treatment on 16th March now on tamoxifen.
Big Thanks to Alison