Quality travel insurance for medical conditions

The definition of 'medical condition' varies between travel insurance providers and comparison sites. Generally a medical condition is defined as any illness, injury or condition for which you are undergoing investigation or have received medical advice, treatment or medication. Some insurers will ask about your health over the last ten years, others only consider the last couple of years. In short: different travel insurance providers have different criteria for what defines a medical condition, which is why it can be a good idea to shop around for quotes or go to a specialist such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical.

Yes, some travel insurance providers will be able to offer cover if you are awaiting treatment. The specific terms will vary by insurance provider. With Travel Insurance 4 Medical you are clear to travel with all the benefits you'd expect from a good travel insurance policy. However if you are awaiting investigation or are on a waiting list for treatment for a pre-existing medical condition, there is no cancellation or curtailment cover available for claims related to that condition.

For example, if you are awaiting treatment that is then subsequently offered for a date where you have a holiday booked, you may need to cancel your trip. As this cancellation would be due to a pre-existing medical condition for which you were already on a waiting list, it would not be covered under the policy. The rest of your travel insurance benefits remain intact.

Yes, it's possible to get travel insurance if you have a terminal medical condition - but you may need to shop around as not every travel insurance provider will offer cover in these circumstances. You can try finding cover through the government-backed Money & Pensions Service travel insurance directory, or the British Insurance Brokers' Association Travel Medical Directory.

There's no need for specialist cover. But some travel insurance providers refuse to offer cover to travellers with certain medical conditions. Specialists such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical are more likely to be able to offer affordable cover to travellers with more complex medical conditions.

Failing to declare your medical conditions can invalidate your travel insurance policy, which is the same as travelling with no cover at all. It's important to declare all medical conditions when you are arranging your policy to make sure you get appropriate cover. If you are arranging travel insurance for someone else, you may be able to speak to their GP. You must not travel against the advice of a medical practitioner or be travelling to receive medical treatment during the trip. Insurers may look into your medical records and speak to your GP if you make a claim.

Travel insurance can be harder to obtain when you have medical conditions because different insurance providers approach medical conditions in different ways. Not every provider will offer cover to people with complex or multiple health conditions. Specialists, such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical, are more likely to be able to provide cover for people with health issues.

The price of travel insurance when you have medical conditions is determined by many factors - including the type of conditions you have, how your conditions are managed and your chosen insurance providers risk profile as well as age, destination and trip duration. Its important to shop around for quotes or consider insuring with a specialist, such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical. With many conditions you can often get travel insurance without any additional premium being payable.

A European Health Insurance Card or Global Health Insurance Card entitles you to state provided medical care for certain medical procedures. That doesn't necessarily mean your treatment will be free. EHIC and GHIC cards do not cover every country or every medical procedure - and they do not cover repatriation, which can cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. A good travel insurance policy helps to protect you from having to pay expensive medical bills for emergency procedures while you're abroad.

It's important to tell your insurance provider about any changes to your health to make sure you have the right cover in place for your holiday. Failure to do so could invalidate your policy.

Yes, you can get travel insurance if you have received a cancer diagnosis. The availability of cover depends on when you last received treatment, the type of treatment received (i.e. chemotherapy, radiography or surgery) and whether you are taking strong pain killers. Going to a specialist such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical, can increase the likelihood of being offered a policy. You could also try World First Travel Insurance, who use a different medical screening system to most other insurers and will therefore ask different questions about your cancer treatment.

Yes, several travel insurance providers can offer cover for pregnant travellers. In most instances – as with Travel Insurance 4 Medical - cover for pregnancy-related claims is limited to complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Routine pregnancy care, standard childbirth and claims outside the scope of defined complications are not normally covered.

Different policies offer different levels of cover and different types of protection. It's important to make sure the cover limits are suitable for your plans. For instance, if your accommodation costs £1,000 then you should look for a policy that offers at least £1,000 for cancellation or trip abandonment, otherwise you will be travelling underinsured. Likewise you don't want to pay over the odds for cover that you don't need. For example, if you aren't taking gadgets beyond your mobile phone, you dont need thousands of pounds worth of gadget cover.

Yes, some travel insurance providers offer the ability to insure multiple people on one policy. With Travel Insurance 4 Medical, up to 10 people can travel on the same policy. Getting everyone covered together is an easy way to save each person searching for their own cover. And if you do need to make a claim, it can save a lot of admin too.

It's always best to arrange your cover as soon as you've confirmed your holiday plans. That way you've got protection in place for the money you've spent on travel and accommodation if something forces you to cancel your plans before your departure date.

A common reason for struggling to find travel insurance is due to having complex medical conditions. Both the Money & Pensions Service and the British Insurance Brokers' Association offer directories where you can find travel insurance providers who typically cover complex medical conditions. You can also try going direct to a provider who specialises in cover for medical conditions, such as Travel Insurance 4 Medical or World First Travel Insurance.