Leukaemia and Travel Insurance

Hi Guys,

Back to blogosphere with a bang. Every time we turn on the telly we are faced with more doom and gloom about the credit crunch! Can anything put an end to our misery? Mmmmmm.... a holiday of course... ..... just think about that walk along the beach, someone to grant your every wish,stunning views, magical moments, candelit dinners, sunglasses and smiles!

Then think about travel insurance................ Did I take that smile off your face? We all know that obtaining travel insurance before we head off on our holidays can be difficult. For people affected by cancer it can become a huge problem.


I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in November, 2004 and was disappointed to discover that my old reliable insurance company now excludes cover for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Shocking!!! No, not really, I discovered that several companies have a cancer related exclusion which means that I am covered for everything except medical treatment related to my condition. Then of course, if I am unfortunate to get sick from anything else eg. food poisoning, malaria, heart attack .....I will have to prove that the illness which I developed is not related to my pre- existing medical condition.


It is a huge personal risk to travel without any form of cover. It might seem the easy option - take out a basic policy (approx £20.00 for a single trip in Europe), hop on the plane and hope for the best! Probably not the wisest thing to do though? What happens if you get sick on holidays or need to be flown home? But what do you do if some insurance companies don't want to know ... what if they won't even provide a quotation......?


When I was looking for a quotation, the Insurance Companies usually went through a few standard questions about my pre-existing medical condition (i) what date was I diagnosed (ii) did I go into remission (iii) have I been an inpatient in the last six months (iv) have I got a terminal prognosis..... It was frustrating when I provided all the information, had gone through all the hoops and was then told that acute myeloid leukaemia is simply not covered at all. Why, I asked - when it is almost five years since diagnosis?

It is just another problem that the recession has created. Insurance markets are setting the premiums higher or they are reducing the availability of insurance to those affected by cancer....even five years after diagnosis.


However, all hope is not lost and there are some specialist companies still providing cover for acute myeloid leukamia patients... at a price of course. It seems to be that the average price for a single trip policy for travel within Europe is approximately £20 - £30 ..... that is basic cover... ie., lost luggage, lost passport etc.


In order to get covered for a pre- existing medical condition it is necessary to go through medical screening where you will be asked a series of standard questions like those mentioned above. Hopefully at the end of the conversation you will be provided with a quotation..... I was quoted £52.77 which in the big picture is not too bad and at the end of the day is peace of mind when you are on holidays. So the total cost of travel insurance (to include cover for my AML) was £72.77. The Insurers would not give me a quotation for the annual multi- trip policy so it looks like I will have to go through the whole process again the next time I am planning some holiday adventures!