Page 2 | Travel insurance while waiting for a mole to be checked!

Popdrop · 2023-11-29T16:36:59+00:00

A wwyd really. I've booked a holiday for March and need to pay the balance and book a flight. The balance is due a few days before I'm getting a mole biopsied next month. The company I usually get travel insurance have a web page that says they can't give insurance while I'm waiting for a diagnosis. It's not beyond the realms of possibility it's very minor skin cancer. However I don't want to get to March and suddenly need urgent treatment... Is that likely to happen? I can't not have insurance at all. But the basic costs of the holiday are around £3k. I also can't afford to lose that money. What would you do? Go ahead and book everything which I need to do now? Not book? Get travel insurance that wouldn't cover the mole?! Help.

BCBird · 30/11/2023 19:30

Try and fet travel insurance test will cover yhis . Have you tried Staysure?

Original poster

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 19:43

Roselilly36 · 30/11/2023 19:26

If you don’t declare that you are waiting dx, you do run the risk of the policy being cancelled in event of an even unrelated claim, unfortunately. Have you spoken to staysure?

I'll call them tomorrow, thank you

OP posts:

Original poster

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 20:15

Ok I called them! Really nice helpful man. they will insure me BUT wont cover ANY of my existing health conditions - not just the mole. So I have asthma and if for whatever reason I had an asthma attack it wouldn't be covered. Can't think why I would unless I developed a cough or illness that triggered it but that's a concern. Wonder if I can book something separate just to cover me for that. They've saved my very reasonable quote for me to have a think about.

Also said I can call back once I have my mole diagnosis and amend the policy to then include the asthma etc.

OP posts:

Pippu · 30/11/2023 21:30

Yes that's exactly what I discovered. They will insure for lost luggage etc but exclude all existing health conditions. In my case I can't risk that as I have so many.
I'm not sure whether they would cover something new? Say you fell ill on holiday with something new or had an accident?
If you are travelling in Europe your GHIC may give some cover but you need to be aware that in case of emergency you can end up in a private hospital which of course isn't covered.

Original poster

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 21:51

Pippu · 30/11/2023 21:30

Yes that's exactly what I discovered. They will insure for lost luggage etc but exclude all existing health conditions. In my case I can't risk that as I have so many.
I'm not sure whether they would cover something new? Say you fell ill on holiday with something new or had an accident?
If you are travelling in Europe your GHIC may give some cover but you need to be aware that in case of emergency you can end up in a private hospital which of course isn't covered.

Yes they would cover something new - like if you broke a leg.

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piggymcpoke · 30/11/2023 23:06

Oh gosh I hadn't even thought about this. I have a skin mark that's being checked out and I've just booked a holiday.
I have annual travel insurance with my bank account. I wonder when I should contact them?

OP I'm sorry you're going through this and i hope you get your insurance sorted.

Riverlee · 30/11/2023 23:14

Look at Martin Lewis website. He has a list of travel insurance companies including those suitable for medical conditions.

Paddleboarder · 30/11/2023 23:30

If it was me I would just get the travel insurance that didn't cover the mole. It doesn't sound as though they are very worried about it if you have been waiting all this time so the chances are it'll be fine. I had a potential basal cell carcinoma referred last year - it had actually been there for 10 years but I thought it had changed and a photo the GP sent away came back with possible basal cell. I got an appointment at the hospital really quickly and had it biopsied but I had to wait about six weeks for the result. The consultant had said she thought it was something else but even if not I shouldn't lose sleep worrying about it. It turned out to something benign.

Original poster

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 23:58

Paddleboarder · 30/11/2023 23:30

If it was me I would just get the travel insurance that didn't cover the mole. It doesn't sound as though they are very worried about it if you have been waiting all this time so the chances are it'll be fine. I had a potential basal cell carcinoma referred last year - it had actually been there for 10 years but I thought it had changed and a photo the GP sent away came back with possible basal cell. I got an appointment at the hospital really quickly and had it biopsied but I had to wait about six weeks for the result. The consultant had said she thought it was something else but even if not I shouldn't lose sleep worrying about it. It turned out to something benign.

Hi thanks. Yes I would totally do this but it's not possible! If I failed to disclose I was waiting for a hospital diagnosis I'm pretty sure it would invalidate the insurance if I had to claim for any other medical issue. So I could go, not disclose the mole, break an arm and then face a huge bill for the arm break!

Most will simply not insure you if you're waiting for anything.

And you can be damn sure if you're trying to claim tens of thousands for something they'll check all your records.

It's very annoying!!

Glad you were ok.

OP posts:

Original poster

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 23:59

piggymcpoke · 30/11/2023 23:06

Oh gosh I hadn't even thought about this. I have a skin mark that's being checked out and I've just booked a holiday.
I have annual travel insurance with my bank account. I wonder when I should contact them?

OP I'm sorry you're going through this and i hope you get your insurance sorted.

I would definitely check the ts and Cs. Bet you're not covered. See my post re Staysure though.

OP posts:

FairisleFairy · 01/12/2023 00:08

Riverlee · 30/11/2023 23:14

Look at Martin Lewis website. He has a list of travel insurance companies including those suitable for medical conditions.

Was going to suggest this too

User136921 · 01/12/2023 06:09

It sound like the Staysure one will be alright for you as they will add the asthma and any other conditions on when you get the biopsy results, only thing to be wary of is if the appointment gets cancelled and put back so to be really on the safe side I perhaps wouldn't get the insurance until the biopsy is actually done but you say that stuff can be changed up until mid January anyway.

As it has been so long since your original GP appointment I guess they aren't too worried as you haven't been put on the 2 week/month pathway, whatever it is now. I was put on the 2 week pathway for mine as the GP was worried it might be SCC but after my video call with the consultant I was took off that as she was quite certain it was BCC because of the history of it and how it looked.

Pippu · 01/12/2023 10:46

Riverlee · 30/11/2023 23:14

Look at Martin Lewis website. He has a list of travel insurance companies including those suitable for medical conditions.

They do normally but the point here is that if you have any "as yet undiagnosed conditions" then they will also exclude the diagnosed conditions you have.

So in my case I have long standing conditions such as a heart related one that I need covered (no symptoms for years but it could theoretically flare up). They won't cover me for that because I have another unrelated condition that doesn't yet have a diagnosis.

whimsicalmoon · 02/12/2023 18:07

Pippu · 30/11/2023 17:35

Not helpful here but you should always book travel insurance at the same time as you book the holiday. It doesn't cost any more and in this case they would have covered any loss.
No travel insurer will give cover if you are awaiting diagnosis. They won't even exclude that thing and cover you for anything else. Last year DH was waiting for referral and then results of a mole removal. I had to delay booking the holiday until he got the diagnosis.
I am awaiting diagnosis of a minor thing. They've ruled out anything serious but not actually diagnosed yet. I have a lot of other pre existing conditions which are all stable but can't book a holiday because my travel insurer won't cover anything at all until I have this other thing sorted out. Very frustrating.

I find this utterly insane. With NHS waiting lists being what they are, someone could end up waiting a year for something relatively minor to be diagnosed. They're supposed to not go on holiday? Not visit loved ones abroad? It's bad enough already sitting in limbo waiting for tests, without also not being able to go away! I can understand excluding anything relating to that condition, but how do they justify not covering anything at all?

It doesn't work like this in other countries, and I don't understand why it's tolerated here. Travel insurance here just feels like a total scam.

lljkk · 02/12/2023 19:43

UK residents are still insured if they holiday in UK...
It's a simple solution for holidays.

I have family overseas, I go most years to visit because my relatives can't travel so easily, but it's a luxury not a necessity to both see them & get NHS health care.

Pippu · 02/12/2023 22:14

@whimsicalmoon I agree. I imagine many people will take the risk and lie to the travel insurance company. Trouble is that if you need to claim they will want to see your medical records. Ok if it's not costly but imo insurance is there for catastrophic events and not worth the risk.
It certainly is a scam. Annual travel insurance for me and DH is £500. Anyone would think that meant I was an invalid and not fit to travel but no, just a long list of well managed conditions plus a past history of breast cancer.

saraclara · 02/12/2023 22:23

Long NHS waiting lists are causing a lot of problems like this. I had to get an ECG and consultation done privately because my GP had been ultra cautious about some mild dizziness and referred me for one six months before two separate long haul trips I had planned. The waiting list was 8-10 months and no-one would insure me. My annual insurance that would have covered me for anything other than the dizziness was to run out before my planned trips and I couldn't renew.

I was fortunate that it was relatively inexpensive for the simple test and consult that I had, and sure enough there was nothing wrong, so I was able to go ahead with my trips. But anything more expensive or difficult and I'd have been stuffed.

I've now learned to be careful about what I go to the doctors with prior to a big trip.

Bearpawk · 02/12/2023 22:45

If you have your biopsy in jan, you should have your results back by March. Then you should be able to book travel insurance as you'll have a diagnosis or the all clear.
Where is your mole op? My initial biopsy left quite a wound that I had to be careful with for a couple of months.
If it's positive - depending on the spread and depth of it, you may need a wider area excised which is a bigger surgery and possible lymph node removal and biopsy. That's very unlikely to happen before March though.
Also consider is it a sunshine holiday? If so, you may feel very differently about
It by then.

littlequestion · 02/12/2023 22:52

OP we had similar when trying to book insurance last year as DH was waiting for a diagnosis on a minor sporting injury. He is diabetic so we needed a policy that covered that. Spent ages ringing round and eventually got a policy with Allclear. Can't remember if it included the injury or not but it certainly covered the diabetes and everything else and wasn't especially expensive.

Clickncollect · 03/12/2023 21:03

We used Allclear last year when we were waiting for a hospital appointment due to my son having an inward turning eye so, on paper, were waiting for a diagnosis.
Thankfully he’s had the appointment now and it was nothing sinister so we’re back to normal insurance companies.

whimsicalmoon · 03/12/2023 21:38

Pippu · 02/12/2023 22:14

@whimsicalmoon I agree. I imagine many people will take the risk and lie to the travel insurance company. Trouble is that if you need to claim they will want to see your medical records. Ok if it's not costly but imo insurance is there for catastrophic events and not worth the risk.
It certainly is a scam. Annual travel insurance for me and DH is £500. Anyone would think that meant I was an invalid and not fit to travel but no, just a long list of well managed conditions plus a past history of breast cancer.

Exactly. There's no point at all in lying, because they'll check, so you might as well save yourself the cost of the insurance and not bother getting any!

I got my actual medical records recently, with a list of all my "conditions", and half of them I'd forgotten I ever had. Really minor, trivial things that I went to the GP about 10 years ago, stuff like skin tags and sinusitis, but I bet if I ever tried to claim on my insurance, they'd use my failure to disclose them as an excuse to get out of paying.

whimsicalmoon · 03/12/2023 21:45

saraclara · 02/12/2023 22:23

Long NHS waiting lists are causing a lot of problems like this. I had to get an ECG and consultation done privately because my GP had been ultra cautious about some mild dizziness and referred me for one six months before two separate long haul trips I had planned. The waiting list was 8-10 months and no-one would insure me. My annual insurance that would have covered me for anything other than the dizziness was to run out before my planned trips and I couldn't renew.

I was fortunate that it was relatively inexpensive for the simple test and consult that I had, and sure enough there was nothing wrong, so I was able to go ahead with my trips. But anything more expensive or difficult and I'd have been stuffed.

I've now learned to be careful about what I go to the doctors with prior to a big trip.

Edited

It's actually put me off going to the GP about anything. I basically live to travel atm, as I don't have much of a life and am not dating, so literally the reason I get out of bed and work every morning is looking forward to my next holiday, and the thought of having to travel uninsured or not travel because I'm waiting months and months for some "just in case" scan is awful.

It's a totally insane system and I don't understand why it's allowed! At the very most, they should just refuse to insure whatever it is you're getting investigated instead of denying coverage!

NeverDropYourMooncup · 04/12/2023 08:05

Popdrop · 30/11/2023 19:21

How do I do this? Companies say they just won't do the insurance if I'm waiting for a diagnosis, full stop. Would happily take insurance that excluded it!

I just don't want to say I'm not waiting for a diagnosis then break a leg on holiday and them not cover that because they say I didn't tell them about a damn mole!

Would a company not pay out for something totally unrelated?

Show quote history

The trouble with that is that insurers know what happens there - people go off on holiday somewhere expensive, then either complain of a backache or hurt their ankle, then the X-ray reveals bony metastases or the doctor 'spots' something and before you know it, there's a claim for half a million that hasn't been preapproved .