Can I get travel insurance for medical conditions?
There aren’t many medical conditions we can’t cover. In fact, over 97% of people can get travel insurance with us.
Comparing travel insurance from other providers? It’s worth knowing that some policies will only cover you for claims that aren’t related to pre-existing conditions.
That’s why if you’ve had symptoms, treatment, surgery or investigations over the past two years, you may need specialist travel insurance for medical conditions.
Do I need to tell you about all my conditions?
Covering your medical conditions is the best way to make sure your travel insurance policy is valid when you need to use it.
It’s important to tell us about all of your conditions. Even if you think it’s small and doesn’t matter.
Having medical conditions can increase the chance of needing to use your travel insurance. But having the right cover in place means that if your condition flairs up or develops into something new, we can help.
A pre-existing medical condition for travel insurance is one where, over the past two years, you’ve had:
✔ Symptoms
✔ Treatment and/or medication
✔ Investigations and/or surgery
✔ Medical appointments
If you’ve had a cardiovascular or circulatory condition at any time, it’s really important that you tell us about it.
We’re specialists in travel insurance for pre-existing conditions. Here are some of the conditions we can usually cover:
Allergies – if you suffer from allergies is really important that you let us know
Asthma – whether you have mild or severe asthma, get a quick quote for tailored cover
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) – if you have a lung condition like COPD, we may be able to cover you for medical emergencies abroad
Cancer – your cancer diagnosis shouldn’t stop you from seeing the world
Breast cancer – whether you’ve just been diagnosed or you’re in remission, find out if we can cover your breast cancer
Prostate cancer – finding good cover when you have prostate cancer can be tricky, but we‘re here to give you a helping hand
Diabetes – type 1 or 2 diabetes shouldn’t stop you from going on holiday!
Epilepsy – epilepsy can affect people in different ways, so your cover can always be personalised to you
Multiple sclerosis – let us know if your multiple sclerosis is progressive, remitting, relapsing or benign when you take out cover
Parkinson’s – tell us about your Parkinson’s disease, and know we’ll be by your side when you need us most
Crohn’s disease – having Crohn’s disease shouldn’t stop you from getting away from it all!
Diverticulitis – whether you’re living with symptoms of diverticulitis or you’ve had surgery, travel with confidence on your next trip
Gastric reflux – if you’re living with GORD, gastric reflux or excess stomach acid, make sure you’re properly covered
Gallstones and gallbladder conditions – gallstones and gallbladder conditions shouldn’t get in the way of a great holiday
Cataracts – if you’re living with cataracts, or awaiting removal or surgery, we may be able to cover you
Glaucoma – having travel insurance for glaucoma means you can enjoy your holiday with peace of mind
Angina – we may be able to cover you if you’ve had a coronary angioplasty or a heart stent fitted for angina
Atrial Fibrillation– tell us about your history of atrial fibrillation and travel the world knowing we’re there when you need us
Cardiomyopathy – get the go-ahead from your doctor that you’re fit to travel and relax with cardiomyopathy travel insurance that’s tailored to you
Heart attack – if you’ve previously had a heart attack, as long as a doctor has given you the go-ahead to travel, we should be able to cover you
Heart conditions – don’t let your heart condition get in the way of a great trip
High blood pressure- get tailored travel insurance for your next holiday if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
Arthritis – make sure that you can travel to your favourite places, knowing that you’re covered if you need medical attention for your arthritis
Back and neck problems– from a slipped disc to sciatica, if you’ve got a previous history of back or neck issues it’s important that you tell us
Hernia – having a hernia shouldn’t get in the way of a great holiday
Joint replacements – if you’ve previously had a joint replacement, let us know about your surgery
Osteoporosis – being diagnosed with osteopenia or osteoporosis shouldn’t get in the way of your next holiday
HIV – include AIDS or HIV on your travel insurance, and travel with a policy that meets your needs
Kidney conditions – whether you’re living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), kidney stones, nephritis or renal failure, we know what’s what when it comes to travel insurance for kidney patients
Fibromyalgia – if you’re living with fibromyalgia, it’s important to choose specialist medical travel insurance
Thyroid issues – living with hyperthyroidism is considered a pre-existing medical condition, so you need to declare it on your travel insurance
What medical conditions can’t travel insurance cover?
This list isn’t definitive, so if you’ve been unwell with, or had treatment for, any other illness, it’s important you let us know.
While we can cover a lot of conditions, there are times we might not be able to offer you cover.
If we can’t cover you, try the Money Helper website or call them on 0800 138 7777. They recommend other specialist medical travel insurance providers who may be able to help.
We might not be able to cover you if:
✘ Your condition is life-threatening. If you’d describe your condition as life-threatening, then we might still be able to offer you cover. But this would depend on your current health, when your trip is and where you’re travelling to.
✘ Your diagnosis is unknown. If you’re undergoing medical investigations or waiting for a diagnosis, we won’t be able to cover any claims related to any pre-existing or undiagnosed conditions. However, we still might be able to offer you a level of cover. Call us for free on 0800 033 4902.
✘ You’re not fit to travel. We also need to know that you’re fit enough to travel and that your doctors wouldn’t advise against travel.
You don’t need to declare:
| Basic | |
|---|---|
| Medical emergencies and repatriation | Up to £5m |
| Cancellation | Up to £500 |
| Cutting your holiday short | Up to £500 |
| Baggage | Up to £300 |
| Travel delay | Up to £300 |
| Money and passport | Up to £300 |
| COVID-19 | |
| Excess | £129 |
| Comprehensive | |
|---|---|
| Medical emergencies and repatriation | Unlimited |
| Cancellation | Up to £5k |
| Cutting your holiday short | Up to £5k |
| Baggage | Up to £2.5k |
| Travel delay | Up to £1.5k |
| Money and passport | Up to £500 |
| COVID-19 | |
| Excess | £99 |
| Signature | |
|---|---|
| Medical emergencies and repatriation | Unlimited |
| Cancellation | Up to £10k |
| Cutting your holiday short | Up to £10k |
| Baggage | Up to £5k |
| Travel delay | Up to £1.5k |
| Money and passport | Up to £500 |
| COVID-19 | |
| Excess | £0 |
| Basic | Comprehensive | Signature | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical emergencies and repatriation | Up to £5m | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Cancellation | Up to £500 | Up to £5k | Up to £10k |
| Cutting your holiday short | Up to £500 | Up to £5k | Up to £10k |
| Baggage | Up to £300 | Up to £2.5k | Up to £5k |
| Travel delay | Up to £300 | Up to £1.5k | Up to £1.5k |
| Money and passport | Up to £300 | Up to £500 | Up to £500 |
| COVID-19 | |||
| Excess | £129 | £99 | £0 |
These are just a few of the things our policy covers. For the ins and the outs, take a look at our policy wording.
Get QuoteWhat’s not covered?
Travel insurance with medical cover is there to offer a helping hand if something unexpected happens. But that doesn’t always mean everything is covered.
It’s important to read through your policy before you set off on your trip. It’ll help you understand what you’re covered for, and what you’re not.
You can discover more in our guide to what travel insurance covers too.
Your Staysure policy won’t cover these types of claims:
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How to get medical travel insurance
What will I be asked when I apply for travel insurance with medical conditions?
Medical screening for travel insurance is a quick and easy process that takes the hassle out of getting holiday insurance with medical conditions.
We’ll ask you a simple set of questions about your medical history that helps us to understand how your condition(s) affect you.
Learn more about our medical screening process here.
Medical emergencies abroad can be extremely expensive. For instance, according to gov.uk a stomach bug or infection treated in a hospital in the USA, with return flights home, can easily return a medical bill of £100,000. Discover more in our guide to the top ten most expensive countries to be hospitalised in.
That’s why you get up to £5 million of cover for medical emergencies and repatriation with our Basic travel insurance for pre-existing conditions, and up to unlimited cover with our Comprehensive and Signature policies.
What our expert says…
"It's really important that you tell us about any changes to your health after you've bought your policy. If you forget, you might not be covered if you have a medical emergency and you need to claim. Adding a new medical condition to your holiday insurance policy may cost a bit extra, but it means you're covered should the unexpected happen."
- Vikki Measures, travel insurance expert
Read Vikki's guide to what you need to declare on your travel insurance
You, or someone with you, should call our 24-hour medical emergency helpline as soon as possible. You’ll find this number on your policy documents. We can help you find the most appropriate place for you to have treatment. Our multilingual team can also act as a translator if your medical team doesn’t speak your language.
Specialist travel insurance is another way to describe holiday insurance for medical conditions. It’s a specialist type of insurance that’s often not covered by a standard travel insurance policy.
It’s a term that can also be used to describe other types of ‘non-standard’ policy too, like winter sports, cruise insurance, and travel insurance for over 70s.
If you are travelling to Europe and you have a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) or an European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you should still take out medical travel insurance.
The GHIC/EHIC schemes can give you access to free or discounted emergency medical treatment within the EU, but they’re not the same as proper travel insurance. You could still pay for a large portion of your care with a GHIC or EHIC, plus they won’t cover you if you get taken to a hospital for private treatment.
Only travel insurance can cover you in these instances, giving you the peace of mind you want on your holiday. Find out more in GHIC is the new EHIC: what you need to know.
We understand how important it is for your travel insurance to offer the right level of cover so you can travel with confidence. We cover most pre-existing conditions, but occasionally, we might not be able to help.
If that’s the case, we recommend checking out BIBA’s medical directory or calling them on 0370 950 1790. They can provide a full list of specialist medical travel insurance providers who might be able to help.
* Applies to Single Trip policies only
