Travel insurance: don’t let a health condition derail your holiday plans
A medical issue can cause travel insurance quotes to increase significantly, but travelling abroad without coverage is a risk not worth taking.
‘I nearly fell over when I saw the travel insurance quote,” says the retiree Bernie Lawrence. The 77-year-old from Fleet, Hampshire, says that after he developed heart problems, the cost of buying cover became “astronomical”.
Lawrence, who usually travels with his wife, Barbara, 79, had always been active and fit before experiencing chest pains while running in 2018. Nine days later, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery.
Before the surgery, the couple purchased annual travel insurance policies for Europe for under £100.
However, following the operation and as they aged, the cost of insurance began to rise sharply. In 2022, they paid £302 for the same level of coverage. After Lawrence experienced a brief episode of atrial fibrillation—a common heart rhythm disorder—and was placed on an NHS waiting list for an echocardiogram, they were quoted £1,200.
“I just couldn’t believe it,” he says. “All I was waiting for was for them to tell me something I already knew: that it had gone and probably wasn’t going to come back.”
Unable to wait months for NHS confirmation, Lawrence paid privately for the scan. Once cleared, his travel insurance quote dropped to £584. The couple paid £805 in 2024 and £1,009 this year for annual cover before a Mediterranean cruise.
While he says he thinks insurance companies look on older people as “a bit of a cash cow”, he adds: “You can’t really argue with them because they say: ‘Well, you’re 77 years old and you’ve had all these things in the past.’”
Medical bills
Despite never making a claim, Lawrence believes having insurance is important. However, a survey by specialist insurer AllClear suggests that 18% of Britons with pre-existing medical conditions plan to travel abroad this summer without insurance.
Travelling without insurance exposes holidaymakers to potentially large medical bills if emergencies occur. Two years ago, insurers paid out £262 million for medical expenses for UK travellers requiring emergency care or treatment abroad.
Countries such as the US and Canada can charge hundreds of thousands of pounds for treatment if someone falls ill, making appropriate coverage crucial, says James Daley, founder of Fairer Finance, a research and rating agency.
“Travel insurance can get very expensive if you’ve got a pre-existing medical condition,” he says. “But it’s incredibly important that you take out insurance that covers you for your condition – particularly if you’re travelling to countries like the US where there’s no reciprocal health agreement with the UK.
“If you end up having a medical emergency in the US without insurance, the costs can run into the tens and even hundreds of thousands of pounds.”
Buying cover
The cost of a travel insurance policy depends on factors such as age, medical condition, destination, and trip duration.
Price comparison websites enable searches for policies accommodating pre-existing medical conditions, but it is essential to verify the insurer’s terms before purchase. Additionally, ensure that any medical information declared on comparison sites is reflected in the final policy documents.
If mainstream comparison sites or traditional insurers cannot provide coverage, specialist providers such as Medical Travel Compared, PayingTooMuch, or AllClear may assist. The British Insurance Brokers’ Association can also help locate a broker.
When applying for cover, insurers typically ask about medical issues experienced within a specific timeframe, usually the past five years.
However, the period covered varies by provider and condition, ranging from two to five years or longer for serious illnesses like cancer or heart disease. If a condition has resolved and no treatment has been received since, disclosure may not be necessary.
Some travellers consider purchasing separate policies for individuals with pre-existing conditions rather than joint or group policies. Tommy Lloyd, managing director of Medical Travel Compared, generally recommends insuring the entire travelling party under the same policy.
“This helps ensure that cancellation and curtailment cover applies consistently across the group,” he says.
“For example, if a traveller’s medical condition unexpectedly worsens before departure and the holiday has to be cancelled, a joint policy is more likely to provide protection for all insured travellers who are unable to travel as a result.”
He adds: “While cost is understandably an important consideration, travellers should be careful not to focus solely on the cheapest premium. The scope of cover and how it responds when travelling companions are affected by a medical condition can be just as important as the price paid.”
Common conditions
Some common medical conditions, such as anxiety, high blood pressure, arthritis, and asthma, typically add only a few pounds to a standard policy.
However, higher costs may apply if the condition is still under investigation or awaiting treatment.
It is essential to disclose any medical conditions to avoid invalidating the policy.
We obtained quotes for a traveller without pre-existing conditions and compared them with quotes for the same traveller declaring various conditions. Declaring anxiety did not increase the premium, but other conditions did. Angina and a prior heart attack had the largest impact, increasing the price by approximately 50%.
Finding coverage may be difficult depending on the condition and how recent the diagnosis is.
In 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority introduced rules requiring insurers to assist customers with pre-existing conditions. If an insurer cannot provide cover or charges premiums exceeding £200, it must direct the customer to a specialist provider.
An Association of British Insurers spokesperson advises shoppers to compare policies based on trip length, destination, and excess, emphasizing that improving access to insurance remains a priority for the industry.
Our price check
Using Medical Travel Compared, we checked prices for a 57-year-old traveller taking a seven-night trip to Spain. The impact of pre-existing conditions on premiums varied:
- Diagnosed anxiety disorder, not referred to psychiatrist: £12.43
- Diagnosed asthma, taking up to two medicines: £14.65
- Angina, one previous heart attack, no new symptoms, currently fit: £18.76
- Breast cancer, last treatment three to five years ago, given all-clear: £13.94
Case study: ‘It’s just ridiculous’
The part-time parish clerk Ian Wardle, 68, from Hatfield Peverel in Essex, says he was quoted up to £6,000 for travel insurance after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma – leaving him questioning whether he could afford to visit his brother in the US.
Wardle was diagnosed in July 2020 during the Covid pandemic after discovering a golf ball-sized lump in his neck. Scans revealed 26 cancerous lymph nodes, some the size of an orange.
He underwent chemotherapy from September 2020 to January 2021, followed by maintenance treatment until the end of 2022. He has since been declared cancer-free.
After recovery, he and his wife resumed travelling, including trips to the Maldives, for which he found affordable insurance.
However, when arranging insurance for a solo motorbike trip to visit his brother in South Carolina in 2024, he was shocked by quotes on comparison websites.
“Some of them, even just for a week’s cover, were like £5,000 or £6,000,” he says. “I was just thinking: ‘No, I’m not paying that. It’s just ridiculous.’”
Wardle says the high premiums almost deterred him from travelling.
“It just put everything in perspective,” he says. “I just couldn’t justify spending that sort of money for a week’s trip.”
He found more affordable coverage through AllClear Travel and appreciated being able to speak to someone rather than purchasing online.
“Being able to talk to someone was quite important,” he says. “There’s always a worry that if you don’t tick the right box or miss a detail, then they won’t pay.”
He now pays about £1,000 annually for a policy covering travel to the US.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that insurers paid out £262 billion for medical expenses for UK travellers in 2024. The correct figure is £262 million.
