Travel insurance with advanced prostate cancer?

[Tinyhands]

DH has recently been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and is on hormone treatment and chemo. We know it will kill him eventually but probably not for at least 3 years.

Other than having cancer and the effects of his treatment he is in good health so we want to travel as soon as this round of chemo stops and continue to take advantage of breaks between treatments to travel for as long as he is well enough.

Problem is almost no one will insure him with a terminal diagnosis so we are having to buy specialist insurance which is £1000+ a trip even though the terminal stage of his disease is probably years away.

We'd be happy with a policy that excluded cancer-related problems altogether because it's not problems from cancer we need to insure against, it's the bog standard travel risks everyone has like breaking a leg or catching something and not being able to fly. If the absolute worst happened and something goes very bad very fast with his condition while overseas we accept that means we'd need to self fund getting him stablised and home, and in the worst case we can afford it.

Does anyone know of a travel insurance policy that would treat the cancer as an excluded pre-existing condition, or maybe who don't class a life limiting diagnosis as terminal until it's in the later stages?

Is he currently stable? PSA not rising? If so, he is responding to treatment and although his treatment isn't curative he is not terminal, he is responding to palliative treatment currently. In the absence of any complications like kidney or bone problems you should be able travel. Have you got a clinical nurse specialist to ask for a 'to whom it may concern' letter?

https://www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/everyday-money/insurance/travel-insurance-directory#

Have a look here and also cancer charities might have some ideas.
Also sometimes insurance companies will say terminal means 12 months so check the detail. Might need to get the consultant to put this in writing.
Be careful not covering cancer I once had a patient who broke their leg abroad but insurance didn't pay because they said their bones had been weakened by 'treatment for cancer '.

As far as I know it will be very difficult, or even impossible (or prohibitively expensive).
You can get insurance to cover baggage, delays etc. if it is Europe you can get a GHIC, but of course repatriation is a problem if needed.
We risked it for short breaks without insurance. Mad, I know, & I would be horrified if someone else did it but DH was adamant.

Actually that's true about the 12 months, DH had been given 9-12 months & was uninsurable.

Insurance With.
Founded by a lady with incurable cancer.

We used Staysure for travelling with advanced stage medical conditions. Had to speak to an underwriter and it was £800 ish for 1 year cover.

Thank you everyone, this is hugely helpful. We did ask the insurers for our existing policies (attached to bank accounts) if they had a specific time like a year or less to count as "terminal" but they all said they would consider his diagnosis terminal. I will follow up the suggested names and also let him know about getting a consultant's letter.

(His PSA is actually falling right now, fingers crossed it stays low for a good while once chemo ends)

I'd second trying InsuranceWith. We used them many times when I was having breast cancer treatment and they have also covered my husband's medical conditions. Each time we have used them, the premium has been around 10% of the cost of some of the main insurers.

All Clear are good, too.

I'd try co-op. Ask about multi trip policies too, it works out comparatively very little more than a single trip (still extortionate but a lot less than a grand a time). For one thing I found Coop, or at least the guy I spoke to, a lot more intelligent and compassionate than the All Clear agents to say it's their area of specialty (cancer patient). They were cheaper too for me. You can get a membership which gets you a discount for a pound.

Another recommendation for Insure With. DH has terminal cancer (he was given 12-18 months at diagnosis) and they insured him at a very reasonable price.

👍I was also just about to suggest this company.

Staysure insured my MIL who had a very limited prognosis (and using a chest drain) for a very reasonable cost