Does PCa affect travel insurance?

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 10:36

I've recently been diagnosed with PCa (I'm totally asymptomatic), but haven't yet started any treatment. I'm a little puzzled reading the threads about travel why a mere diagnosis of PCa should have any impact at all on travel insurance - I can see no reason why it should make me any more likely to make a medical claim than someone without PCa!

Am I actually at any greater risk than someone without cancer, and if this really is something I need to tell an insurer about (as I gather it is) can anyone suggest a good insurance company who won't charge me an arm and a leg?

Cheers,

Chris

User

Posted 07 Sep 2018 at 17:30

Hi Chris

I'm with Nationwide with a flex plus account and been diagnosed with Advanced PC.

For future trips they have quoted £115 per annum which I thought was pretty reasonable. I haven't paid it yet because I've just embarked on my treatment and I can't envisage going abroad again at this stage, just concentrating on the treatment and seeing how I go.

I did actually have 3 trips booked, the first in a fortnight to Vancouver and California has been cancelled and I've made a claim, I've got two others booked in January and March next year but I reckon i've no chance of making them so further claims will follow..

My wife has stepped in, bless her, so instead of going to Vancouver and a 10 night Californian coastal cruise we are having a weekend in Whitby which I'm really looking forward to.

Edited to add i'm surprised nationwide won't support anyone undergoing Stampede. I'll ring them on monday

Edited by member 07 Sep 2018 at 17:36 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 12:01

An update: just phoned my insurance company and they've simply said that any claim relating to a pre-existing condition won't be covered, but other than that my insurance continues as before. That's absolutely fine with me - problem solved!

Chris

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 18:56

There can come a time when due to the progress of the disease or developed side effects of treatment that a medical intervention becomes more likely. In such circumstances it becomes prudent to have medical cover for the risk. However, for many men there is an exceedingly low risk of an intervention within two or three weeks of a holiday and a few weeks that precede it due to the fairly slow advance of the disease and lack of need need for urgent treatment. Like many others I have so far carried my own risk concerning PCa and it's ramnifications. I have always disclosed this to various insurers who have excluded it from cover and they have made no charge for my PCa diagnosis and PCa histology.

Barry

User

Posted 27 Jun 2018 at 20:51

I’ve used Holidaysafe for the last 3 years

Arthur

User

Posted 09 Dec 2018 at 22:26

Bob

You should tell your company asap about your diagnosis. It is my understanding that they will pay the cancellation fees due on the day of your diagnosis. So, if when you were diagnosed, you had a 50% penalty, they'll cover that. If you wait until later to tell them and you're meant to pay 100%, they can still only offer to pay 50%. Hope that makes sense.

Ulsterman

User

Posted 10 Dec 2018 at 12:33

As Lyn says, though, Bob, the timetable for treatment is very much in your hands. If you want to go on holiday, go for it - it'll probably do you the world of good! It's not as if prostate RT is something that has to be done desperately urgently (in most cases, anyway). My oncologist said that even if I chose to delay it by six months it would make no appreciable difference to the outcome, particularly when someone is on HT.

Chris

User

Posted 11 Jan 2019 at 08:30

Great, that’s very reasonable. Enjoy your travels.

Ido4

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User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 10:58

Chris, I am also asymptomatic but found my old insurance company wanted far to much money to cover me. I found that The National Federation of Pensioners offer cover and it only has one condition, you must be fit to travel. I paid about £250 for my wife and I and we both have cancer in some form.

You don't have to be a pensioner only aged over 50.

http://www.nfoptravelinsurance.org.uk/

I hope the ad is OK mods?

John

Gleason 6 = 3+3 PSA 8.8 P. volume 48 cc Left Cores 3/3, Volume = 20% PSA 10.8 Feb '19 PSA 1.2

Jan '20 PSA 0.3 July '20 0.1 Jan. 21 < 0.1

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 11:25

Cheers, John, that's greatly appreciated. I'll get in touch with my current insurers (I get travel insurance "free" with my bank account) and see what they say. I'd be perfectly happy for them to simply exclude any cancer-related issues from cover if that could be done, because I really don't see how PCa could conceivably result in any need for medical treatment while on holiday.

Chris

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 12:01

Chris

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 17:03

That's interesting; I am on AS and like many, no symptoms at all. I called my insurance company who put me through to medical screening to go through some questions. The result was a total non-event. They recorded my diagnosis and sent me an updated schedule declaring I was covered at no extra cost: insurance is AXA via my Smile More Account.

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 17:38

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

But unless you took out your policy after the 26th May, these are not pre-existing conditions so surely you should be fully covered for all (assuming it is an annual or multi-trip policy)?

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 17:43

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I'd be perfectly happy for them to simply exclude any cancer-related issues from cover if that could be done, because I really don't see how PCa could conceivably result in any need for medical treatment while on holiday.

Chris

No but if you had a big holiday booked and then the hospital said you needed surgery on the kidney now rather than later, and they had a space, you would want to be covered for the cost of the cancelled holiday. You would probably also want to be able to claim the lost money for your wife / partner / companion who may not feel like going without you.

Plus, if you hadn't disclosed it, went away, fell off a cliff and broke your leg and the insurer then discovered your cancer diagnosis had not been disclosed, they could refuse to cover you for the broken leg & associated costs.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 18:29

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

But unless you took out your policy after the 26th May, these are not pre-existing conditions so surely you should be fully covered for all (assuming it is an annual or multi-trip policy)?

Yes, but the T&Cs of the policy say that I have to notify them if I'm diagnosed or being tested for anything new, and that if I don't do so, the entire policy becomes invalid. So yes, you're right in saying that if I'd had a trip booked before the diagnosis, the insurance would have covered it, but any future trip I booked wouldn't have been covered unless I told them about the cancer.

Chris

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 18:32

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

That's exactly why I wanted to make sure I was "following the rules", Lyn, and notifying my insurers! And the outcome's been just what I was hoping for, that my insurance cover continues, but the cancers are now excluded. They did say I could be covered for them for another £130 a year, but at present I see no need for that.

Chris

Edited by member 13 Jun 2018 at 18:34 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 18:56

Barry

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 19:31

We have always chosen to keep the cancer covered but have been very fortunate - our annual cover provider continued to cover John for an extra £20 per year, even when he went to climb Kili in between the RP and the RT. It has been more expensive this year because we disclosed his two new knees which shouldn't affect his holidays at all but perhaps makes him a little more likely to fall off a bicycle or something :-)

My dad also keeps the cancer covered as he is a little fearful of ever going into retention again. It happened once nearly 20 years ago but he said it was so awful he wouldn't risk not being able to claim if he ever had to go to an overseas hospital.

We are probably a bit more risk-averse than most since my brother died abroad when he was 27 and it cost us many, many thousands of £££s to have his body flown home due to him not making a full disclosure to his insurer. The last time we took my mother-in-law to Australia, the flight cost £3000 and the insurance cost £4,500 but she had cancer, dementia, new knees, had just had her gall bladder removed, diabetes and Lord knows what else. Was worth it though as she died 2 months after we came back.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 13 Jun 2018 at 21:08

I think where you are intending to go is also a factor to consider. If for example you find you need treatment in the USA and are not covered, the cost can be crippling. In participating countries in Europe there is a reciprocal arrangement for urgent and unplanned treatment, the cost of which can be recovered from the person's own country.

Barry

User

Posted 14 Jun 2018 at 08:42

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/jun/11/travel-insurance-terms-conditions-claim-small-print

This may not be 100% relevant, but it does show how insurance companies work.
Personally I would try to avoid any exclusions on a medical policy which may be "twisted" in the event of a claim.

Alan

Edited by member 14 Jun 2018 at 11:24 | Reason: Changed format of link text

User

Posted 14 Jun 2018 at 09:57

when my husband was diagnosed we where also covered by our bank, when we informed them he had prostate cancer they replied he would not be covered (Barclays) some banks still cover you so it is all according to who you are with. I also do not no why because as you say you are no more likely than anyone else to fall ill unless it is advanced and even then it is not that much more likely.

regards barbara

User

Posted 15 Jun 2018 at 21:22

Some 24 years ago, I had a serious heart attack, which left my heart quite badly damaged. We still wanted to go abroad on holiday however, so we trawled various insurance companies and found a policy which covered us for all events, including any heart events, for £85 for my wife and I. we used this company many times in subsequent years.

Fast forward to 2016, my onco suggested that if I had any bucket list items, I should do them sooner rather than later. So we began to plan a modest holiday abroad. Once again I trawled all insurance companies I could find, including those promoted by MacMillan. Only two companies were willing to cover me at all and they each wanted in excess of £2,500. We cancelled all plans after that.

I would have thought heart problems would have been considered to be much more risky than PCa on a short term holiday, but it seems not.

I believe I am not fit to travel anywhere now and so it is academic to me, but I never did manage to understand the justification for the premium.

User

Posted 27 Jun 2018 at 19:37

I’ve just received our annual holiday cover renewal which is supplied by nationwide flex plus account ,for the last 2 years they’ve charged us an extra £129.00 for Gary’s condition which we thought was a really good price .this year after going through all the same questions we’ve been informed that because Gary is on a trial(stampede) that it is now void and they will no longer cover him .

Any advice on where to go now ? I’m fuming as the took my money the last 2 years without a problem .

Debby

User

Posted 27 Jun 2018 at 20:51

I’ve used Holidaysafe for the last 3 years

Arthur

User

Posted 27 Jun 2018 at 22:34

Hi everyone i am stage 4 pc aged 51 on a trial and on several ht drugs my cancer is still progressing and i just took out travel insurance to Greece for me and my wife and two teenage children for seven days in july for the grand sum of £44 ... and it covers my prostate cancer my high blood pressure and my high cholesterol just got an excess of £150 for those 3 if i was to claim any medical assistance while on holiday ..... The name of the insurance company is Insurancewith .com .. phone number is 02038837154 ...

I got this company from Macmillans forum page on travel insurance .... i did phone one company before this and i was given a price of £2350 for seven days holiday just because i have a terminal illness even thou it is still treatable at the moment ...

Hope this may help some people because at one stage i thought i would never be able to go aboard again .... also you can do an online quote easily and get a price straight away with some really easy questions to answer..... hope this helps ...

User

Posted 28 Jun 2018 at 07:43

Thankyou that’s great ,I’ve also decided to maybe not do the yearly one as you start the policy as soon as you take it out ,meaning if you book a holiday say 3 months ahead and only get around to that 1 holiday it’s quite expensive .

Best wishes to all

Debby

User

Posted 28 Jun 2018 at 08:02

Debby

im shocked with the Nationwide Flex Plus. I’m insured with them and found them to be very good. I’m not at trial stage yet, but it is of concern if they won’t insure people on a trial.

Ulsterman

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