Travel insurance help -specialist cover

[Fiddlerontheroof]

I have to get specialist travel insurance every year as I have medical conditions, as does my daughter who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. It's something I feel I need to have after a very scary experience in the US years ago which without travel insurance would have had me and my then husband with a 80k medical bill!

Anyway, back to now....the firm I have always used are now refusing to quote as my daughter is on a waiting list (fairly routine! no serious issues, and she's often on a waiting list, so nothing new there) and my son is also awaiting a small operation for a nodule on his throat. So they are telling me no-one will insure them while they are on a waiting list for anything, no matter how minor. We are going to Italy, and then dd is travelling to the states with a group October.

Is this true? Does anyone know? It seems crazy to me. Is there anything I can do. Removing them off the waiting list is possible, but frustrating, and the insurance compmay have told me I will need doctors notes certifying they are happy for them to come off the list, which no doubt I'll have to pay for!

Thanks

Sounds a bit like your insurance company are trying to fob you off. I'm a travel agent and we always advise customers who require specialist insurance to use InsuranceWith. Google them x

I thought you can get insurance for pre-existing conditions easily enough but it won't cover you if you have to cancel for a scheduled op.

But if an op date came up that was during your holiday, you could rearrange the op, couldn't you?

I've recently had ops scheduled after holidays I'd already booked. Can you ask your hospital/s to do that?

Though I can see that having 2 of the group on separate waiting lists complicated matters...

Which's recommendations for pre-existing conditions cover (aimed at over-50s admittedly) are

BIBA Protect
Blue Bear Travel Gold
Boots Silver
Covered2go Gold
Get Going Travel Premier
Holidaysafe Premier
Insurancewith Sapphire
Insuredtotravel Platinum
Insurewithease Gold
Leisurecare Multi Traveller
Letsgoinsure Travellers Choice
Marks and Spencer Bank
Saga
Topnotchcover Gold
Travel Insurance Saver Prime
World First

so worth ringing round some of those to see what they say. (But ask the hospitals first if the ops can be delayed until after the trips, then they're not technically on a waiting list?)

Thanks, actually we had an op date through for my son on Friday...but it's the day we go, so I am going to have to delay it anyway, as it's routine and not urgent, as is the other appointment..so neither will affect our holiday plans.

Thanks so much for that list, I'll get calling. It does make me wonder sometimes when a young person heading off on a drinking holiday to Ibiza can get insurance for a tiny price, yet I have to pay £200 some years to insure a child who has never ever been hospitalised at any point in her life because of her condition...but there you go!

Thanks, I appreciate all your responses

I use Liverpool-Victoria they cover my colitis and Dd's Autism anxiety. Not sure about your situation but they are good.

if it is any consolation the kiddy-drunk will find it quite hard to get the cover to pay up if they were pissed when they had the accident. Most of them don't realise that until too late.

and there's no need to justify having travel insurance when leaving the country. Only those who test positive for stupidity (great phrase from the Tour de France commentary the other day!) would not get it.

hope a broker can help you out, plus the other suggestions.

Have you tried Lloyd's bank? I have crohns and have also had cancer. For my last holiday which was start of last month it was £56 for 11 nights.

Thanks so, much everyone, and for that list theonewiththenicestsmile. I tried Boots, and they were far more rational about it all....and they are going to call me back with quote tomorrow, only thing is they won't insure my son for his throat nodule, but, that's no issue at all, he'd still be covered if he had tonsillitis or something similar....it's more the cerebral palsy I need covered....for example if she has a fall and breaks and arm. Thanks, I was feeling very worried, so I really appreciate comments and advice. X

And special subject...I'd never looked at it that way, thanks x

M&S are pretty good for pre existing conditions.

I went on holiday in April knowing I was having major surgery for a pre-existing medical condition 10 days after we came back. I was able to get insurance but no-one would cover me for anything related to what I needed the surgery for.

The AA will cover some pre-existing conditions if you phone up and declare them. Someone I know has recently taken out travel insurance with MIA with cover for pre-existing conditions.