www.miaonline.co.uk
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Tel 01268 782745
Premium of £44.50 for up to 17 days in Europe quoted for me with Secondaries in liver and bone. I usually pay in excess of £200 with Free Spirit. The staff are very helpful . I can only book 2months in advance with written comment by Oncologist as "fit to travel "in my medical notes.
As most companies will not cover me and I have been quoted up to £3000 for a week in Europe this seems a bargain.
Hello everyone, I was diagnosed with invasive lobular cancer, Grade 3, 2 nodes spread in February. I have just called my annual travel policy supplier, Norwich Union (provided with my HSBC bank account) to ask about the impact on my policy. Basically the only impact is that I will not be covered for any breast cancer related problems until a year after diagnosis, but apart from that no impact at all! I thought that this was great, and wanted to share it with you as it may be worth you checking out your annual policies if you have them, or looking into buying one. Prior to making the call I also checked out Freedom travel online and was provided with a really reasonable quote having given exactly the same information to them. good luck and happy holidays, Cathy.
To stunned - please don’t go abroad with disclosing your bc to your insurance company.
Some 7 yrs ago,(prior to my bc) we went for our annual visit to the USA to visit friends in Florida - we had Barclayclard Gold insurance, and it never occurred to me to let them know I had pre-existing Crohn’s. Our visit was for 2 months, but within 2 weeks I had a severe rectal haemorrhage, my friend took me to the nearest ER and I was put on IV steroids and blood transfusions. The first thing the triage receptionist said to my friend was: “Does she have insurance?”. I had to sit on the loo for an hour bleeding copiously until my friend said she would make the receptionist personally responsible if I died! You all should have a friend like Trish! She replied yes, and showed her my policy. It was late at night, 11 pm I think, and obviously they were unable to contact the insurers in the UK at that time with the time difference of 5 hours, so they admitted me. Then all hell broke loose - my bp was 70 over 40 and the last thing I remember is the ER doctor saying: “we are losing her”. It was a very frightening situation.
I was in the hospital for 6 days, in the high dependancy ward, and it cost some 15,500. Barclays’ underwriters refused to pay, saying I had not disclosed my pre-existing Crohn’s. I was unaware at that time I needed to. However, as I thought I had flu (as my host had), and had taken some 350 mg of aspirin, this caused the crypt abscesses in my colon to burst.
I fought this claim for some 9 months, and did eventually get reimbursed. But it is a very cautionary tale not to take annual travel insurance policies for granted.
I went back to Florida in Jan 2006, but this time my Crohn’s was under control, and I got insured for it with the Post Office (paid £48 for a 2 week visit), but they would not cover me for bc. I was 3 yrs out from dx, lumpectomy, total axillary clearance, chemo, rads and just on Arimidex. I figured that I would probably not die of bc in a 2 week trip, but I could do from Crohn’s. So I went, and sod the consequences. I had a brilliant time and came back with a whole new wardrobe as I lost 2 stones when on FEC chemo. I think the whole wardrobe (some 12 different outfits) cost less than the extortionate fees some insurance companies charge. I would love to see some statistics on how many bc patients claim on their travel insurance. I would bet it is negligible.
Thanks ladies for all the information - my husband is 79 yrs old, and is waiting for a neurology appt (6 months!) for a severe walking problem and we have been unable so far to get insurance for him to go to Spain next year, but will definitely try Aberdeen Insurance.
Interesting to read about the insurance. Two years since my mastectomy and I have managed to get travel inusrance at the normal rate, but with a £20.26 excess if I have to cancel due to a cancer problem, with the Post Office.
Just want to say that even if you have an annual policy through a bank that you got before you were diagnosed, it might not be good. I had an account with Lloyds TSB that provided global travel insurance cover, but when I was a few month out of treatment I checked whether it would cover a trip to the US and it would not.
Also, it is very important to get in writing that you have disclosed your BC to the insurance company. The worse case I heard of was a woman who had told an insurance company that she was five years post diagnosis and the insurance company told her that she did not need to pay extra for a trip to Canada, which is a high-cost country. Unfortunately she developed serious problems with mets to the lung while she was there and the insurance company was refusing to pay because they said that it was a pre-existing condition. A lot of insurance companies seem not to use very scientific criteria. For example, if I had had no spread to the lymph nodes, I could have gotten insurance from Marrs with no added cost at three and a half years after diagnosis, which is a bit loopy because although something like 2/3rds of recurrences happen within the first three years, there is still that third out there.
Mammabee
I have just got my insurance through Aberdeen Insurance. There number is: 01472 826 672
I have another medical condition as well as BC to cover and it has cost £27 with £500 excess for BC related issues/ £50 with no excess and £55 for an annual policy. I thought that this is fantastic as it usually costs me £70 extra to cover my other pre-existing medical problem. So, I am off to New York for some retail therapy!
I’m off on my first holiday since my surgery, and although I’m sure implants are nothing to worry about I’m REALLY (quietly) scared! I do get on and off lymphodema in my right arm, which is annoying so I guess I should wear the sleeve I’ve got (and don’t usually wear, cos it seems to hurt more with it! I think it’s too tight) ANYWAY, just to keep the Insurance feedback/topic going. I’ve just called around, I started with THE BEST:
Aberdeen insurance: 01472 826672 They quoted £13.61 for a 6day trip to Europe! THIS INCLUDES COVER FOR B.C. and OSTEOPENIA Ironically it was ‘cystitis’ that bumped it up to £31.61, would you believe!! So in short if you want B.C. cover only really then it’d VERY cheap.
Other’s I tried were Freedom Travel insurance: 087077 43760 Would’ve been pretty good but for my other issues, which bumped it up to £50.67
Marrs Travel insurance: they quoted £12.65 to cover my B.C. but as before this went insane when I added other stuff.
I have to say I was INCREDIBLY impressed with Aberdeen Insurance Service, they were the most kind and personable too. Marrs were a bit frosty to be honest.
Anyway good luck. I’m off to look for other postings of anxious flyers! (And hopefully get some sun) x
I have insurance with Lloyds via my bank account and although Lloyds’ charity is Breast Cancer (staff pay £1 not to wear uniform every Friday etc.) their insurance would not cover ANYTHING breast cancer related and it makes you think? Hmmm heart probs - down to chemo; lung problems - down to rads; bone problems - down to Arimidex. Marrs didn’t help me nor did most of the others, one quoted £600 for a three week holiday in India where any treatment would probably cost less than the premium! Eventually I got covered for myself and my husband with Itssoeasytravelinsurance.com or .co.uk. But yes, you do have to declare EVERYTHING. Even something minor which happens after you took out the insurance.
Thanks Yessie for your helpful post. I have taken note of all the numbers as I intend a holiday to see my sister in Oz as soon as I finish treatment in December. It will save me fishing around for the telephone numbers
Insurance covered myself, husband and daughter for three week adventure holiday in Africa. Covered not only BC (no excess whatsoever) but diverse other things that I didn’t need such as elephant safaris, tuk-tuk rides and (mysteriously) two bungee jumps.