Kick in the teeth!

[stepka]

Just booked our road trip in California, into san francisco out of san diego plus luxury car hire ,a month away just what I need. Then got quotes for single trip insurance with medical declarations (copd,heart failure,stents,hbp,h colesteral )
Flights ect £1400 travel insurance £1500 ,so not going lost £300 deposit.

Would medical insurance be cheaper if you stay closer to home? Somewhere in Europe? Sorry about your trip at least you didn’t lose the lot.

Oh what a disappointment. I am sorry. Unfortunately medical conditions do cost an awful lot. I pay an extra couple of hundred pounds for my insurance, but that is with a £500 excess.
I just hope for the best.
It is really important to research and buy insurance before you book though.

I just read your medical conditions again and tbh, I wouldn't fly with those, and certainly not to USA. Sometimes the level of risk isn't worth it.

Are you going via a specialist insurance company or a general one ? Specialist may be cheaper as they have a better understanding of risks, whereas the general ones just bump up the premium for anyone who has any risk.

Perhaps look on British Heart foundation or COPD charity websites and they may recommend specialist suppliers. It won’t be cheap but its worth a try. You may also find annual or family policies help spread the risk.

Have you got a "fit to fly letter"? You would normally need that prior to booking too.

Heart failure and stents is clearly going to whack up the price of insurance! What did you think would happen? It’s also the USA so Medical care is private. Check before you book maybe?

Did you get multiple quotes? Did you try companies who specialise in insuring those with pre-existing medical conditions? All insurance companies will have "profiles" of the kind of people they want to insure. If you don't fit in to their current desired profile, they'll often give you a massive price partly to dissuade you from using them.

I have a number of pre-existing conditions and keep an annual policy running. Each year when it's time to renew I get a minimum of three quotes - usually from AllClear, Staysure and InsuranceWith. A couple of years ago I tried a non-specialist insurer and got a quote of £1200. A better level of insurance cover from Staysure was "only" £420.

Unfortunately though, if you have medical conditions, high insurance costs are just something you have to factor in and budget for. Especially for countries like the US where even a minor illness or injury can quickly run a bill in the tens of thousands. If you want to travel, you may just have to build this in to your plan.