In thinking my dad is taking a big risk with this?

[msharrassed]

My dad, who's almost 70, has been told he's got angina.

He's a keen traveller and is due to fly abroad on a European holiday soon - but he's not intending to tell the holiday insurance company.

I'm concerned that if something happens while he's abroad, he won't be covered for medical treatment there - and me and the rest of the family will be left trying to sort it out.

The parent of a friend, who also had angina, died mid-air a few years ago, so it's making me more anxious.

I can understand how my dad's looking forward to the holiday and he's probably worried he won't be able to go if he tells the insurance company, but I think he's taking too big a risk.

AIBU and WWYD? I've tried to persuade him to tell the insurers, but he's refusing.

SalBySea - I love those wrong thread moments. I don't think a prayer card will work as an alternative to insurance cover though.

I was not implying it was an alternative I was thinking of it as an adjunct to insurance or better than nothing that's all.

excellent post by SalBySea - rofl.

msharrassed hope you manage to sort it with your dad. My grandad (no longer with us) was a stubborn old gentleman but he used to tootle along to Age Concern for holiday insurance and they were great. Obviously they are used to dealing with older adults, including those who may be a little stubborn/cantankerous.

Failing that who is the patron saint of travel - Sal probably knows.

I think it might be St Christopher.

Ask insurance company if you can insure - as you may be the ones paying for expenses

Good idea Fragile - I'll try to reason with him first, and offer to sort out the insurance for him. I'll need to have details of his medical history, so if he won't play ball, that would be difficult.

My last resort is to threaten to phone his girlfriend who's his travelling companion - I'm sure she wouldn't want the hassle if anything happens when they're away.

My eldest dd is studying Spanish GCSE but I'm fairly certain the course doesn't cover "could you please embalm my granddad so we can get him on the ferry "

Having just been reading about the European Health Insurance Card (which replaced the E111) here, it seems to suggest that your father can access health care in Spain for free, or at a reduced cost, depending on what the usual approach is to health care access in the country.

Therefore, were anything to occur, he would appear to be covered. Obviously, though, if he had no private travel insurance, then issues such as flying him back to the UK, paying out for other miscellaneous expenses etc wouldn't be covered. But I'm sure the reciprocal health care agreement works well.

He has another holiday, booked and paid for later in the year, to South Africa. That's more of a worry than Spain because obviously there would be no reciprocal health care agreement there.

I'm going to have to speak to him and be very blunt.

I have heart problems and I always take out additional insurance to the EHIC, even for trips to Europe, just in case. I think I always go with Flexicover Direct (can't actually remember) and pay a small additional fee on top of standard cost(think it was about £8 for a European short trip) and declare my heart condition - you can fill out an online questionnaire about it.
If you go onto the British Heart Foundation website they have a list of insurers that will insure various heart conditions.

I've just spoken to him and he's going to phone his broker tomorrow - phew.

Thanks for all the suggestions here, I pointed out worst-case scenario - selling the house to pay for an air ambulance, girlfriend really not appreciating the hassle and it appears to have worked!

If he doesn't tell his insurers, then if he has any kind of accident or injury when away, then they won't pay out - not just on heart conditions.

Good advice, and links to insurers who cover pre existing conditions from the BHF

Lay it on the line for him exactly what could happen to him and his girlfriend if something happened and he wasn't insured

He really needs to get insurance, my dad had a heart attack on holiday 2 years ago. The bill my mum had to countersign for the insurance company for his care whilst abroad was for £250,000!!! That didnt include the cost of getting him home on an accompanied flight with a doctor

You should definitely check out SAGA. My dad is nearly 80 and falling apart at the seams and still manages to get insurance to travel to Spain every winter.

Well done ms h.

Yeah Saga and Age Concern are helpful. Insured my Mum for all sorts of international jaunts during and after two types of cancer.
Cancerbackup were very helpful offering free advice.
Be warned though, Spain is one of the hardest countries to get this kind of insurance for in her experience (my brother was living out there at the time so she went often), second only to the US. As far as the thing which has replaced the E111, it offers very basic cover only, and in specific clinics. You don't want to depend on one. It won't pay for an ambulance, or treatment in most hospitals, and it certainly won't cover things like: being airlifted home, anything more than basic medication or any sustained nursing treatment.

In terms of convincing him explain that you would be left having to deal with all this in the awful event of something serious happening. It's not just a matter of if something happens then he'll see. I remember hearing an awful case of a couple whose sone was injured on a gap year trip, had no insurance, and they paid £100,000+ for his care only for him to die. Tragic. It would be irresponsible of your dad not to sort this out.

And it's true, if he doesn't tell them he runs the risk of not being covered for anything else.

Good luck getting through to him. It's not easy is it.

My grandparents are both in their late eightys and fly abroad at least 3 times a year both have health problems including angina and they dont seem to have any problems getting insurance they may exclude the exsisting illness but at least he would be covered for anything else if he doesnt disclose it he may find his insurance void for anything tell him not to worry and have a great time

undertheduvet
I hope he is OK now?

He's fine now, he got really good care while he was there (should have done at that cost!) He had the op he needed done there so that's probably why it was so much, but I dont think he was stable enough to be flown home without it.
It really made all my family appreciate how vital travel insurance is. Even with his history he can still get covered, even for America which is hugely expensive for that kind of care.
Glad to hear that the OP's dad has given in

hmm op thats a hard one, i would definately keep trying to persuade him if you can. There are some companies that will insure him out there.
I dont want to put a downer on anything but my granparents went out for christmas and New Year abroad in 2007 and unfortunately my Granny had a fall, which ultimately led to her passing away whilst still abroad. Without the insurance my grandad would have not know what to do and they truly were fantastic.
If they had not been insured it would have made the trip more stressful thinking about finances rather than concentrating on being there iyswim.

Its the long term effects as well financially he needs to think of mortgage etc, and what debts he will leave the family with.

Sorry for hijacking your thread just hope you manage to pursuade him. Sometimes it is not the health condition itself that can cause the problems.