Holiday medical insurance- age and health issues

[Suenliam]

Not sure if this is the correct section as I always look in the "What's New" heading but couldn't find a more appropriate one.
I am dreading looking for hol. medical ins. Liam is over 80 and has recently had a successful operation. This is on top of a serious heart related op. about 6 years ago which included a triple by-pass. He's lucky - never had any symptoms but it wrecks havoc with insurance! I seem to remember reading on here that there is a company which will cover us despite his issues but I can't seem to locate it. Does anyone have any recommendations before I start the ring round?
Thanks
Sue

 

[pampam]

So is staysure a bad company?
I was going with them for our cruise hubby has medical issues, type 2 diabetes high cholestrol bp , aortic stenosis , £1100
Or all clear £1600
Its to caribbean and usa
Which it turns out is most expensive

 

[The Wino]

Tesco, insured my partner, 83, who had recently had a major heart attack. He had to get a letter from his GP, £18, to state he was fit to travel. The holiday was 10 days raving in Benidorm. He had his heart attack, the previous October. We are off on a package holiday to Croatia September. We were debating whether to just take the chance. However, had a phone call today from my friend on a cruise with her cousin who is well in his 80s. They were meeting up with friends for the husband’s 90 birthday. 3 days later, dead with a heart attack.
£5000 to take his body off ship, then repatriation, probable about £8000. They tested him for Covid, which he had. Then tested my friend’s cousin who had it. My friend and him, confined to their cabin, and an injection for the cousin, as he was so ill that cost £800. Definitely getting insurance after listening to that.

Reading that makes you realise why the premiums are so high. How much would anyone want to cover against those sorts of costs and still on average end up in profit

 

[Pekepal]

So is staysure a bad company?
I was going with them for our cruise hubby has medical issues, type 2 diabetes high cholestrol bp , aortic stenosis , £1100
Or all clear £1600
Its to caribbean and usa
Which it turns out is most expensive

My sister in law went into hospital the week before cruise, died on day of cruise departure. Took months to get any sense out of them pushed from pillar to post. She had had a fall. No other problems. Got pneumonia and passed away.

 

[Linda farley]

Not sure if this is the correct section as I always look in the "What's New" heading but couldn't find a more appropriate one.
I am dreading looking for hol. medical ins. Liam is over 80 and has recently had a successful operation. This is on top of a serious heart related op. about 6 years ago which included a triple by-pass. He's lucky - never had any symptoms but it wrecks havoc with insurance! I seem to remember reading on here that there is a company which will cover us despite his issues but I can't seem to locate it. Does anyone have any recommendations before I start the ring round?
Thanks
Sue

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[Linda farley]

Not sure if this is the correct section as I always look in the "What's New" heading but couldn't find a more appropriate one.
I am dreading looking for hol. medical ins. Liam is over 80 and has recently had a successful operation. This is on top of a serious heart related op. about 6 years ago which included a triple by-pass. He's lucky - never had any symptoms but it wrecks havoc with insurance! I seem to remember reading on here that there is a company which will cover us despite his issues but I can't seem to locate it. Does anyone have any recommendations before I start the ring round?
Thanks
Sue

 

[Suenliam]

Interesting comments about the insurance cost of cruises and the costs if anything goes wrong. Good job we don't fancy a cruise as our policy specifically excludes cruises. I expect that makes it a bit cheaper.
Sue

 

[Puddleduck]

Interesting comments about the insurance cost of cruises and the costs if anything goes wrong. Good job we don't fancy a cruise as our policy specifically excludes cruises. I expect that makes it a bit cheaper.
Sue

Cruise cover is always extra because of the possible costs involved. Imagine the cost of evacuation by helicopter........

 

[The Wino]

Cruise cover is always extra because of the possible costs involved. Imagine the cost of evacuation by helicopter........

Thats true the same with travel to the states. But quoting based on the type of holiday or based on medical conditions or age are all part of the same assessment of risk.

 

[pampam]

Yes its more expensive for cruise and "americas"
But fancy a change with no airports

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[cyberyacht]

We also used Staysure for our cruise. I was covered by Nationwide but they wouldn't cover Martin. Staysure covered Martin with no extra payment but I had to pay a supplement. As we wanted a joint policy we went with Staysure.

Yes, the silent reapers. My Uncle died in Spain on holiday and looked very fit and well until 5 minutes before he checked out. Thank goodness he was risk adverse and had insurance.

We are just back from a cruise. Talking to a lady on the ship, her husband became ill in Longyearbyen but had to stay on the ship (Longyearbyen has a hospital but it's not for ill people but for accidents and emergencies only). The fastest way back to a major hospital was for him to stay on the ship and he was taken to hospital when we docked in Sortland. His ship's medical bill was in excess of £5,000 for the ship's doctor and nurses plus medication - but the cruise company and the insurance people sorted that out between themselves. His wife stayed on board as she wanted to deal with everything from home rather than have to deal with an unfamiliar language and medical procedures. At least the UK and Norway have a health agreement in place so only a passport is needed to obtain free health care. However the gentleman is unable to fly so getting him home from Sortland is going to be interesting for them. I think the rail line goes as far as Tromso so perhaps they will take him to Tromso by ship and then use the train.

I would never travel without insurance - every cruise we have been on there has been either a serious illness or, sad to say, a death.


Of course you never know how good your insurance is unless you need to claim.

Longyearben is an interesting place but decidedly remote. It's about thirty six hours or so steaming from North Cape and that's remote enough itself! You're almost as close to the North Pole.

 

[Puddleduck]

Longyearben is an interesting place but decidedly remote. It's about thirty six hours or so steaming from North Cape and that's remote enough itself! You're almost as close to the North Pole.

Certainly is both interesting and remote.

We hired a local guide for 3 hours (which was more like 4 1/2 hours) and he was brilliant having lived in Longyearbyen since he was 4 but he will have to leave in a couple of years time as no one over 70 is allowed to live there. It's also illegal to die there as there is no crematorium and burial isn't really an option. There is a miners graveyard but the bodies resurface due to the constant freeze and thaw of the ground. There are no visa requirements but anyone going to live there must have a way to support themselves financially and must have accommodation.

I'm pleased we went but am not sure I would go back.

 

[cyberyacht]

Have to have "the pic" with the sign! We didn't have a passing ice bear to take one of us together though. The wind was slicing you in half when we were there. Did the guide have a rifle? Even the two kindergarten teachers that we saw with a bunch of toddlers had them. I blame it on a lack of parental discipline.

 

[Dickie0121]

We managed to get travel insurance with "Insure with" as my wife has just had Lung cancer. Very difficult getting anyone to insure us at first.

 

[Widge]

We managed to get travel insurance with "Insure with" as my wife has just had Lung cancer. Very difficult getting anyone to insure us at first.

My brother went through https://www.worldwideinsure.com/ in 2019, he was 75 and 5 years after a lung transplant, but he was going to Australia which does have a very good reciprocal agreement the uk, he didnt have to use the insurance for medical reasons even though he had a problem on an internal flight which put him in hospital for checkups for a couple of days, in fact the hospital let him stay an extra night as his flight to the UK was the next day.

He did have to use the car excess insurance cover though, as a joy rider dumped a car right next to his hire car and set fire to it, badly damaging the hirecar, he said it was more hassle than if he had gone through the hirecar company, but a lot cheaper.

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[Widge]

Cruise cover is always extra because of the possible costs involved. Imagine the cost of evacuation by helicopter........

We have just booked a 13 Day cruise starting in Guadeloupe visiting St Lucia, Barbados, Tenerife ending up in Barcelona, just over 2000€ for the 2 of us, and we upgraded to a cabin with a window, looked at various insurances, but the one supplied by the cruise company was a hell of a lot cheaper, and appears to cover everything that we need.

We looked at cover for the whole trip, flight to Guadeloupe, 6 day stay in Guadeloupe followed by the cruise, but it was very high being the Caribbean, the insurance companies lump it in with North America, in our case we are French residents and as Guadeloupe is an overseas department of France, all our medical care is covered as if we were are at home, the only exception is repatriation of the body if either of us died, but we both have opted for cremation anyway so whether that happens in Guadeloupe or France, it doesn't really matter.

Therefore, we have taken out cover for our flight with the airline and as I said with the cruise company for the cruise.

 

[Edenside]

Widge did the cruise company ask you to disclose medical issues & whichcompany was it please.

 

[Widge]

Widge did the cruise company ask you to disclose medical issues & whichcompany was it please.

The Cruise was with Costa, I have messaged you with copies of the insurance docs, in Original French and a google translation. The cost was 74€ each for the insurance

We spoke to somebody on the phone when we booked, they were not interested in any pre conditions as long as we were fit for travel or not travelling against medical advice, we are also 64 and 65 so age was not a problem, but bear in mind we are in France and booked via Costa France, and if I am correct, I think that over here you are not allowed to have discrimination regarding existing medical conditions.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Dave

 

[gwyntaxi]

Try the M.C.C. We used them this year, they covered us both for everything except any ailments in the last three months.

 

[gwyntaxi]

Is that the Motorcaravaners Club please. TIA.

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[Widge]

Don't they only cover cricket related injuries.

 

[gus-lopez]

. His ship's medical bill was in excess of £5,000 for the ship's doctor and nurses plus medication

I've never been able to understand that,?
The cruise cannot take place without a doctor and nurses on board. The company builds it into the price. If no one falls I'll company stands yhe cost. So why do they charge clients for something legally required for them to be in business?
Son in laws Father , a doctor, has tied up with holiday companies all his life ,and why you could never get an appointment with him, and now retired still usually does a 3 month trip at least once a year

 

[The Wino]

I've never been able to understand that,?
The cruise cannot take place without a doctor and nurses on board. The company builds it into the price. If no one falls I'll company stands yhe cost. So why do they charge clients for something legally required for them to be in business?
Son in laws Father , a doctor, has tied up with holiday companies all his life ,and why you could never get an appointment with him, and now retired still usually does a 3 month trip at least once a year

Don't companies all charge for buisness expenses? If they didn't charge people who fall ill presumably they would either charge all passengers a bit more or make less profit......guess which is more likely. If people know that they're going to have to pay it's their choice either pay up themselves or get insured seems straight enough to me.

 

[pampam]

Got annual,world wide cruise cover for £1073, for both of us, so not as bad as initially thought

 

[Puddleduck]

Got annual,world wide cruise cover for £1073, for both of us, so not as bad as initially thought

We paid more than that for the two of us for 2 weeks cruising in Norway with a supplement for Spitzbergen.

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[Viennese]

Wife is over 80 we found Staysure to be the only company that would entertain us.

I also have Staysure - I have heart, blood pressure/cholesterol probs and have used them for 2 years now, currently £237. I used Free Spirit before - that was more expensive

 

[pampam]

I think sometimes its cheaper to buy annual than single trip

 

[Suenliam]

Pampam - it certainly is in my experience. I buy Staysure annual multi-trip policy covering Europe. I don't know the figures for this year, but last year it was £450 for single 35 day trip or £560 for multi trip with each trip 35 day maximum. We do two trips abroad a year of 35 days each as well as numerous trips here, so very cost effective for us. Also this year's renewal was only £30 more than last year despite both being a year older (OH over 80 with medical conditions and recently having had another operation).
Sue

 

[gus-lopez]

they would either charge all passengers a bit more

You are missing the point. They have built it in to the price at the outset assuming no one will fall ill.They cannot do anything else .
Therefore when someone does fall ill they are paying again.

 

[The Wino]

You are missing the point. They have built it in to the price at the outset assuming no one will fall ill.They cannot do anything else .
Therefore when someone does fall ill they are paying again.

No I think you are missing the point! They have paid for the medical staff but are receiving payment for their services. The overall profit or loss of the cruise company will therefore alter if they continue to provide medical staff but don't charge for treatment. They will either make less profit or put up prices.

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[pampam]

Im with staysure annual and last years was £312 for european cover annual, and it only went up by £7 this year to £319 , however with a cruise for 35 days booked fir feb to usa and caribbean it has gone up to just over a thousand , but am looking firward to it very much ,