Travel insurance-what to do?

[Purpleturtle43]

I have an annual policy and going to USA in a fortnight. I phoned my travel insurance company to update them that I have been taking MJ for 3 months. Basically they said because it was an optional treatment I wouldn't be covered for any medical problems relating to side effects of MJ while I am away.

I have had zero side effects since I have started so am not to concerned but obviously the side effect list is very extensive and includes a lot of things that would be caused by many conditions. When questioned they said that the treating doctor would have to say whether whatever was wrong with me could have been caused by MJ or not and if it could have the policy will not pay out.

Does anyone else have experience of this? The policy is for my whole family so I could get a second policy for just myself from somewhere else if anyone has any recommendations.

I asked this because I don't trust insurance companies to not link anything back to the jab. I'm not going abroad this summer.

I would go for another policy elsewhere, but sorry no recommendations.

If you have any gastric issues, gallstones, pancreas etc they have an excuse to squirm out of it.

Unlikely you will have problems, but insurance is necessary for unexpected things happening.

I would try different insurance providers. You may find one who doesn't make it an issue.

Which insurance company is telling you this out of interest?

Check whether you have cover with your bank account. These don't normally require you to declare existing treatments. It might even be worth briefly opening a suitable account just for the insurance.

I’ve had to pay £650 for a weeks holiday in the US! I have a number of medical conditions which had to be covered and take a lot of medication each day. Basically, I have high blood pressure ( 2 meds), osteoarthritis in knees ( 2 lots of strong painkillers four times a day) and had a TIA three years ago ( now on blood thinners and statins). I ended up with some loss of vision in one eye from the blood clot but after two years was fully discharged from the Eye Hospital where I had several scans, MRI and other tests which I had to declare. I was also discharged from the Stroke Clinic once the medications had kicked in.

So, in order to be covered for the very unlikely chance of being taken ill in the US linked to the TIA or my hypertension, I ended up paying the eye watering amount for insurance. I ended up talking to someone rather than using the on line application form as I was terrified of forgetting something - I even declared a D&C I had thirty years ago, allergies and psoriasis which I doubt will cause me any problems on holiday!

So I guess someone using WLI will need to pay a lot more for insurance to cover the possible side effects or be like my SIL and not declare all her significant medical conditions!

This is not correct. I’m with Barclays but the travel cover is via Aviva. I have to declare all conditions.

Forgot to say, I used a price comparison website specifically for people with medical conditions. I then looked at the cheapest quotes ( all were over £600) and picked the third cheapest which was a company I had heard of. When I used a basic comparison site, I was refused cover! I ended up using one linked to The Post Office.

Do you use WLI? I am with Barclays via Aviva and struggling to see how to declare that I am using Mounjaro. It doesn’t let me declare a medication, I have to declare a condition.

Natwest travel insurance didn't know to know about being on MJ

I understand that Obesity is usually the condition to declare, with MJ as the medication. No personal experience, but I've read other threads discussing it.

Ok great. I did declare obesity - even though I am no longer obese. There was no option to add a medication for that though. I will have to call them.

Some scary stories on here about what your bank account travel insurance covers and I wouldn’t use a basic one without all pre and current issues being covered. You also absolutely need to tell them of any medication you are on

Yeah that is the problem I am having. Even if I add obesity, which I no longer have, it doesn't ask me about medication 🤷🏼‍♀️

It seems like the online declaration software hasn’t caught up with the widespread use of WLIs!

We use It's So Easy Travel Insurance. They specialise in those with medical conditions. We've used them for years as DS has a couple of major medical conditions. We insure him for a year with them, then insure ourselves separately with M&S.
https://www.itssoeasytravelinsurance.com

I have Admiral annual insurance. I called and added Obesity (not obese anymore) and MJ. Person on the phone sounded like they've been asked this before. I also added my husband's anxiety and setraline. Premium increased by £12 but unsure if it's the MJ or setraline.

Has anyone added it on to the Barclays travel pack with Aviva? I’ve already added some other pre existing things on, and so when I go on now I can’t add anything else. I guess I’ll have to ring up, but worried they’ll cancel the insurance as some people are saying they can’t get it covered. I know I’ll need to get covered either way and declare it, but I’d like to know if I can just add it in with aviva and pay the extra

We have annual family cover with HSBC and have done for many years but as we too are going to the states soon I called up to check mounjaro was covered. I had to disclose my height and weight and whether i needed help breathing at night. Then 'obesity' was added to conditions with no increase in premium. Its the condition not the medication they are interested in ( i am only borderline obese bmi now) . They also cover HRT for 'menopausal' reasons for no extra cost.

Same question from me for the bank of Scotland/halifax platinum current account cover underwritten by Allianz? Has anyone been able to declare MJ? I was obese before taking MJ but now at a bmi of about 27 so can I still declare obesity? It’s an annual family policy and I would like to know their stance before calling but can’t find anything on here or online.

If you already have declared pre-existing conditions, then that is valid for 12 months. During that time, you don't have to declare anything new that happens, only when you come to renew your pre-existing conditions certificate. That is made clear on the website, but by all means call them to clarify (I did this as I don't trust anything!).

I haven’t added the MJ on, I added other stuff on and didn’t even think to include MJ. But now it won’t let me add anything else on as a quote.

Ah, so I think you're saying that you were already on mounjaro when you did your pre-existing conditions certificate, but that you forgot to add obesity to the pre-existing conditions to cover the mounjaro usage?

If it was less than 14 days ago that you did your pre-existing conditions coverage, you can cancel it and do it again (I had to do that last year as forgot something).

If you give them a ring and discuss it, I've found them very helpful when I've called them. I also had to make a claim 18 months ago, and it was very easy to claim and was paid out within a week.

Yes, you would still declare it as obesity. It is the condition that is declared, not the medication, and you are still taking the medication (or have taken with within the last year or however long your insurance company requires you to declare pre-existing conditions).

I had extensive bladder reconstruction surgery in 2015 (bladder removed, new one made from bowel, and a channel that I catheterise through). I still have to declare that as overactive bladder, even though I no longer have that problem, because that is the medical reason for why I use catheters, so that is my pre-existing condition even though I no longer have it. That will forever be on my travel insurance as a pre-existing condition!