
Travel Insurance For Pre-Existing Conditions
How to find affordable cover
If you've had a serious medical condition, or ongoing medical treatment, you're likely to be quoted ludicrously high prices for travel insurance. But there are ways to cut costs – if you're looking for a new travel insurance policy that'll cover your medical condition too, this guide explains what you need to know...
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Nine travel insurance need-to-knows if you've a pre-existing condition

The aim of travel insurance is to cover the cost of the unforeseen, such as illness and injury or theft of your possessions, while you're on holiday. It's also designed to cover you if you have to cancel your trip, or need to return early due to an emergency.
For people with pre-existing medical conditions, the cover works exactly the same way as insurance for typical travellers. The only exception is that it also covers the cost of care for any medical condition you may have had in the past or you suffer from currently. Before you buy, here are nine things you should know.
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Looking for a new travel insurance policy?
Important – please read first: coronavirus and these policies. When the coronavirus crisis started, many travel insurers stopped selling insurance, or offered no cover for ANY coronavirus-related issues.
However, there are now some policies that will cover medical costs if you catch coronavirus while on a trip, plus a few that also cover you if you need to cancel because you or a family member gets coronavirus before travelling and can't go.
Travelling against Foreign Office advice? Most new policies will not cover any non-essential travel while the Foreign Office continues to warn against it but we've found four providers that give some level of cover for this if you are looking for a new policy. The level of cover, and restrictions, differs.


We are about to take you through how to find the best policy for you but before we do, you must know...
- Very few policies cover you for coronavirus at the moment but we've found the few that give you some cover.
- As long as there's no Government warning in place, you'll be covered for all the other normal stuff, eg, bereavement, theft, loss.
- If you plan to travel to a country on the Foreign Office 'not to visit' list (we don't think you should go if the Foreign Office says don't) – and are looking for a new policy, we've found four providers that give some level of cover. But the level of cover, and restrictions, differ.
For some with conditions deemed less serious by the insurers, eg, mild asthma, you may find you can get a standard policy, or only have the price marginally increased. If that's the case, you may not need to go any further.
However, each insurer will have its own list of conditions it deems as more serious, which means you might have to pay a premium or get specialist cover. If that's the case, or you know you have a severe condition, it may be best to skip to step 2.
First up, start by visiting the normal comparison sites, which allow you to enter any existing conditions and which zip your details off to a number of insurers' and brokers' websites to find the cheapest quotes.
Try MoneySupermarket*, Compare The Market, Confused.com* and Gocompare as they allow you to adjust your quote to suit your needs, eg, single trip or annual, or in case you want to add travel disruption cover, scheduled airline failure, cruise cover etc.
To cover more serious conditions, such as certain joint conditions, heart conditions or cancer, you'll likely need to try specialist medical insurers' sites (often you won't see these on normal comparison sites).
A good starting point would be AllClear and Staysure*, as we know they will provide coronavirus medical assistance while abroad, including repatriation if needed.
Other specialists to add to the list to push the envelope – but check what level of coronavirus protection you will be getting – are Medical Travel Compared, Avanti*, MIA Online, Orbis and Global Travel Insurance*.
If you decide to travel to a country that has a Foreign Office warning against travel (though note we're not encouraging you to do so) and are looking for travel insurance to cover it, we've found some insurers that give some level of cover. Here's how it works...
- You WILL be covered for normal medical issues while overseas.
- You WILL have cover for the normal scenarios that travel insurance covers, such as loss of belongings, theft etc.
- You MAY NOT have cover if you catch coronavirus overseas, so check the policy.
Here are some insurers to consider:
Insurer | Is the cover given as standard, or as an optional extension? | Medical cover abroad for coronavirus? | Is there any cancellation cover for coronavirus? |
Battleface | Standard | Yes – but no repatriation cover | No |
Insurefor.com* | Standard (but only for single-trip travel, to Europe) | Yes – with repatriation cover | Yes, but ONLY if the insured or a family member is diagnosed with coronavirus |
Leisure Guard* | Standard (but only for single-trip travel, to Europe) | Yes – with repatriation cover | Yes, but ONLY if the insured or a family member is diagnosed with coronavirus |
Staysure* | Optional, by adding the European Foreign Office travel advice extension | No | Yes, but ONLY if the insured or a family member is diagnosed with coronavirus |
If you're still unable to find cover or the quote is still too expensive, speak to a specialist broker. They will be able to help you find insurers that will cover your condition, though it's unlikely the insurer will cover coronavirus too.
To find a broker who can help, see the British Insurance Brokers' Association website.
Always double-check the level of cover offered before taking out a policy as well as providers' websites for any info about coronavirus.
How to claim on your travel insurance

Claiming on your travel insurance shouldn't be daunting and – if you understand the terms and excesses on your policy – you shouldn't be in for any nasty shocks.
Follow the five steps below in the event you need to claim.
Travel insurance for pre-existing conditions FAQ
How to complain about your insurance provider
The insurance industry doesn't have the best customer-service reputation and while a provider may be good for some, it can be hell for others. Common problems include claims either not being paid out on time or at all, unfair charges, or exclusions being hidden in small print. It's always worth trying to call your provider first, but, if not, then…
Free tool to help you complain
This tool helps you draft and manage your complaint. It's totally free to use, and it's offered by Resolver, a firm we work with to help people get complaints justice.
RESOLVER – FREE COMPLAINTS TOOL*
If the company won't help, Resolver also helps you escalate your complaint to the free Financial Ombudsman Service.

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