Travel insurance with medical conditions :S

[delasi]

We have the opportunity to go abroad (Europe) this summer thanks to family. This is will be our first holiday abroad in 3 years and first holiday abroad for DS who is under 1. However just had a moment with the travel insurance quotes.

A standard single trip cover for the 3 of us would be £10. For a low excess, this would be £16. All fine and good by me.

However DH has Crohn's. This is the trickier bit. The q's for getting a quote include q's on hospitalisation and surgery. Well, last year he had a relapse so yep to all of those. However he is now fine and on basic meds (no controlled substances). The quote for single trip cover was £213

We can't afford that but obviously I don't want to travel without insurance, especially not with a baby. Any advice on insurance that is more reasonable? If we get standard cover, does that mean the Crohn's isn't covered or is the whole thing invalidated for all of us?

It also occurred to me that DS and I have medical conditions too. DS has reflux but we're currently weaning off Ranitidine as per paed's instructions (so far so good). I have hypothyroidism - I take a low dose of meds daily, and that's about it. Do these need to be declared too? I wanted to buy insurance asap to cover for cancellation as the flights were bought today, but now I don't know what to do

Forgot to add I've already ordered EHICs for all of us.

Try Insure and Go. They have break down the cost of each ailment/condition. My DD is listed by medical/travel insurers as having renal failiure - she does have a kidney condition but no Dr has ever said her kidneys are failing but thats the diagnosis that always comes up when I answer the set questions on her condition.

Insure and Go worked out ALOT cheaper for us than specialist insurers recommended by kidney charities/help groups.

Aviva were good for DH (different condition to your DH) they were also surprisingly good for DD who has complex asthma. It might be cheaper to get DH insured separately from you and DS. Some ideas of the companies to try are here

This is the insurance comapny we used last year when travelling with tthree asthmatics (one of them a complex asthmatic with lots of hosiptal admissions and DH who has a history of blood clotting problems including a DVT, a TIA and type 2 diabetes.

We have annual travel insurance from Axa-PPP. Family of 7, pre-existing conditions (DD had many hopital stays for asthma the year we took out the policy). It costs about £240 a year.

These people insured my very elderly parents when noone else would, and mum said they seemed to actually understand what she was saying. No lengthly interrogations about what each tablet was for etc

www.miatravelinsurance.co.uk/

We used More than for DH who has a much more complicated medical history than yours. £100 to cover 3 serious pre existing conditions plus a badly broken leg which may well result in cancellation.

Yes you absolutely need to mention thyroid problems! DH has an interactive thyroid and his insurance is usually about £10 more than mine.

You can't not insure one of your party, really, and if you don't mention the Crohns you risk invalidating the insurance for all of you. EHICs are great but you still usually have to pay up front and they obviously don't have the additional benefits of insurance like rearranging flights, accommodation etc.

EHICs are a small part of insurance. If (perish the thought) someone has an accident and ends up hospitalised and needing an air ambulance home, that can result in bankruptcy/loss of house etc. The baby is actually the lowest risk, it doesn't run out in the road!

you MUST get insurance and you MUST declare all conditions. It will take some time on the phone but it can be done. If you can't afford the premium, you can't go.

UNDERactive thyroid! Quite frightened by the prospect of an interactive thyroid!

Declare all conditions. They may not matter but if you don't mention them your insurance could be invalidated.

I use Insure and Go annual worldwide insurance as I travel long haul many times per year to Dubai and oz.
I had to declare a DVT which I was hospitalised for and I have to self inject myself for flights now for life.
For me and DD for a year with medical declared it was £63.

My granddad used them and fell and broke his hip in antinga, he was in hospital for 2 weeks out there, had to be operated on and flown home first class, apparently cost over £100,000 of which they covered all of it. He thought he would never be able to travel again as would be sky high, but he called insure and go again ans even though all this happened and they had to pay out masses they gave him full cover, with previous medical conditions declared for £100 for the year.

Tescos has worked for me in the past (ds has ASD and has had seizures)

Thank you all so much for the recommendations, I've been going through all of them and I think we have something reasonable worked out (either Insure and Go or More Than, just going through the finer details now) - as a poster upthread said, surprising that they were more reasonable than the specialist companies. Once again thanks to you all! Can now enjoy our holiday!

splendid - it was possible!