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User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 13:03

Hi Everyone 

I am looking for recommendations and some advice please. 

Dad is due to go on holiday soon (for a month) and has been looking at Travel Insurance and the results are eye watering ranging from £644-£2400. Last year he had no trouble as he hadn't undergone treatment. 

He has now had a prostatectomy (October 2018) which unfortunately was unsuccessful. His PSA 6 weeks post op was 8. After all scans to see were the cancer could be they drew a blank, they couldn't detect anything. However, with a PSA that high he was told that he will have cells in several places to make the reading that high rather than in one place so radiotherapy was out. He was commenced on ADT and his PSA is now down to 0.02.

He is unsure of what to tick for the question when was your last treatment as it seems to be referring to chemo etc rather than ADT. Does he tick the box stating he is receiving treatment to keep him comfortable rather than for curative reasons? when he did it took him to further questions asking about terminal illness. Dad hasn't been told he's terminal. 

It's so confusing, sorry if you have found my ramblings confusing ;)

Suzi x 

 

User
Posted 25 Jan 2020 at 15:10
Maybe late on this subject, I have travel insurance as part of my bank account, when I called to update my cover with my prostate cancer (RP) they did want a £100 extra to cover me just for a weeks sailing in Turkey, however if I accepted the exclusion of any prostate cancer related issues they were happy to keep the cover as it was with the bank account, no extra payment on top of the monthly account fee.
User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 20:25

There is a big difference between how much insurers charge.

Have a look at Travel and prostate cancer on this website. I believe Macmillan also have information, and they have a booklet on traveling with cancer. Some of the better deals can come from things like travel insurance policies bundled with enhanced bank accounts. You will probably have to pay extra, but vastly less than with some other insurers.

User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 21:27
Generally speaking, PCa is a slowly advancing one and unless there is a likelihood of imminent treatment being required many men, (including me) declare PCa but opt to carry their own risk and thereby save considerably on an inflated premium. I think it also depends where you are holidaying. I would be more concerned about the possibility of having to have treatment in the USA which can be horrendously expensive. In Europe we largely still have the reciprocal emergency arrangement for unexpected rather than planned treatment but this could change shortly.........
Barry
User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 21:31
The best bet is to not apply online. If he phones a company like Insurewith, they will ask him the questions and he can answer them honestly and in context. It is important that he understands he is not terminally ill - we had a member recently who couldn't get insurance anywhere, despite being in better shape than many ... it turned out he was answering 'yes' to the 'is your cancer terminal' question.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 07:38
Suzi, in addition to Lyn's advice to contact "insurewith" (advice which I'd support), another option to consider is declaring the cancer with another company but excluding it from the cover. This should get your dad insurance at a "normal" price, and from your description it sounds unlikely that he'll need any cancer-related treatment while he's away on holiday. Almost all insurance companies will allow you to exclude existing medical conditions.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 11:44
I telephone Boots travel and answer all their questions honestly. I’m pretty much in the same boat as your dad health wise and only pay £75 for a two week Europe cruise !
User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 13:27

I'm insured with Nationwide so pay a premium on top of the £13 monthly fee.
One question they asked when I paid my annual top up was " are you prescribed pain killers for your cancer?"
I replied no because I'm not but the lady told me if I was they wouldn't insure me which I was surprised at.

Edited by member 10 Aug 2019 at 13:28  | Reason: C

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 18:16
I agree it’s best to phone them. They asked me if my cancer had spread to other parts of my body and I said I don’t know. I explained my blood tests indicated that I still had some cancer cells but nobody has ever said where they are. So she said she would tick no to the question but the recorded phone conversation would be saved as it put it into context

Bri

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 18:52

I have what might be called firm Red Lines about holidays and insurance.

- Don't insure my condition - unless it's not much more.

- Don't insure with anyone that isn't well known and even then be very careful. I'm a Direct Line person.

- Don't book anything that could need a large non-refundable payment over a month in advance.

- Give preference to holidays that have an option to re-schedule.

- Don't book anything beyond the next blood test, unless it's cancellable.

- Never interrupt my treatment for a holiday.

Happy Days.

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 01:25

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I have what might be called firm Red Lines about holidays and insurance.

- Don't insure my condition - unless it's not much more.

Gosh, we take the opposite view. Hard experience taught us that insurers will try to link any issue to the uninsured condition so we always cover the PCa. I can imagine that if a man was ill on holiday with a UTI, the insurer would argue that it is to do with the cancer even if it isn’t. It costs us about £20 to cover John’s PCa and knees ... even when he did Kilimanjaro in between the surgery and the RT / HT it was only about £25. At the other end of the spectrum, we paid £4,500 to insure my mother-in-law for her last trip to Australia and it was worth every penny to have peace of mind; when my brother drowned in Greece at age 26 the insurer didn’t pay out (on a technicality) and it cost a small fortune to get all the legal stuff sorted and have the body flown home. 

Edited by member 11 Aug 2019 at 01:34  | Reason: Not specified

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

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 16:39

I always cover PC plus any other conditions. I agree with Lyn, it f you don’t they will look to link any claim to something uninsured.

I’d rather have the peace of mind full disclosure brings.

Ido4

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 23:30

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
It costs us about £20 to cover John’s PCa and knees ... even when he did Kilimanjaro in between the surgery and the RT / HT it was only about £25.

£25 is what some call a no-brainer.  Although I'd look the gift horse in the mouth, it sounds a bit too cheap.  There is so much difference in insurance types and medical assessments we might be comparing pebbles with mountains.

I start on line to get that price then ring up to talk about medical conditions.  On line sometimes entitles you to extra cover, like we were offered cruise cover for free for making an on line application even though we later rang up.  My wife made use of the cruise cover.

Edited by member 11 Aug 2019 at 23:33  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 00:05
I am not daft - when you have paid to fly a body home, you get a bit pedantic about making sure you have reasonable cover for any problems you could possibly face! The price hike was from £100 to £125 to cover him to climb a mountain. Our annual policy (worldwide excluding USA) has a base price of £100; once we have been through the medical screening call, it goes up to £120 as a result of him having 2 new knees and a prostate in a petrie dish. Add in my medical history and it goes up to nearly £130.

From other postings on here, I think that the companies Macmillan recommends for people that have had cancer tend to be reasonable and proportionate in their questions and their underwriting.

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

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 13:46

Thanks to each and everyone of you who took the time to reply, you have given us some great advice. Dad will be phoning round companies today.

*Just an update*  Dad managed to get his holiday insurance for £150 for the month he was delighted. Definitely pays to contact by phone. Suzi xx

Edited by member 15 Aug 2019 at 09:10  | Reason: update

User
Posted 02 Jan 2020 at 06:08

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi,

Grateful for the name of the holiday company you dad got his reasonable cover from please.

regards

Norm

 

I get world annual cover with my bank account through AXA. I phoned them to check about adding PCa and high blood pressure. It cost £120 per year for both.

Cheers

Bill

User
Posted 02 Jan 2020 at 08:33

We have travel insurance at a reasonable price but it will not cover anything arising from the prostate cancer. So we go anyway as luggage, cancellations etc are covered as would new conditions be covered. However we have to make sure to keep up to date each year with new medications or procedures. Any withholding of information could invalidate a claim.

User
Posted 15 Jan 2020 at 21:18

Hi Norm 

so sorry I have only just read this properly. 
Dad used this company  He said call them though rather than using the internet as you can explain things properly  I hope you get on ok https://www.insurancewith.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj5KBo-6F5wIVRLDtCh3eHwRDEAAYASAAEgJgMPD_BwE

Suzi 😀

User
Posted 25 Jan 2020 at 16:47
As regards using your Bank for travel insurance, account holders should ensure they are young enough to be covered. I had an account with Nationwide some years ago and told them I was going to take my business elsewhere. They tried to persuade me to stay with them saying I was getting free travel insurance cover. I pointed out that I was beyond the age (70) so was not covered to which they agreed on checking. I see they will now cover 70+ people but at additional cost. So I suggest anybody who considers relying on their bank check they are not excluded through age or need cover at extra cost.
Barry
User
Posted 02 Feb 2020 at 15:17
You are only terminally ill if the doctors have stopped all treatment apart from those to keep you comfortable, e.g. pain relief or continuing HT to minimise side effects. As long as you are having active treatment, you are incurable but not terminal.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

Show Most Thanked Posts
User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 20:25

There is a big difference between how much insurers charge.

Have a look at Travel and prostate cancer on this website. I believe Macmillan also have information, and they have a booklet on traveling with cancer. Some of the better deals can come from things like travel insurance policies bundled with enhanced bank accounts. You will probably have to pay extra, but vastly less than with some other insurers.

User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 20:53

Thanks Andy 62 I will take a look 

 

User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 21:27
Generally speaking, PCa is a slowly advancing one and unless there is a likelihood of imminent treatment being required many men, (including me) declare PCa but opt to carry their own risk and thereby save considerably on an inflated premium. I think it also depends where you are holidaying. I would be more concerned about the possibility of having to have treatment in the USA which can be horrendously expensive. In Europe we largely still have the reciprocal emergency arrangement for unexpected rather than planned treatment but this could change shortly.........
Barry
User
Posted 09 Aug 2019 at 21:31
The best bet is to not apply online. If he phones a company like Insurewith, they will ask him the questions and he can answer them honestly and in context. It is important that he understands he is not terminally ill - we had a member recently who couldn't get insurance anywhere, despite being in better shape than many ... it turned out he was answering 'yes' to the 'is your cancer terminal' question.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 07:38
Suzi, in addition to Lyn's advice to contact "insurewith" (advice which I'd support), another option to consider is declaring the cancer with another company but excluding it from the cover. This should get your dad insurance at a "normal" price, and from your description it sounds unlikely that he'll need any cancer-related treatment while he's away on holiday. Almost all insurance companies will allow you to exclude existing medical conditions.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 11:44
I telephone Boots travel and answer all their questions honestly. I’m pretty much in the same boat as your dad health wise and only pay £75 for a two week Europe cruise !
User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 13:27

I'm insured with Nationwide so pay a premium on top of the £13 monthly fee.
One question they asked when I paid my annual top up was " are you prescribed pain killers for your cancer?"
I replied no because I'm not but the lady told me if I was they wouldn't insure me which I was surprised at.

Edited by member 10 Aug 2019 at 13:28  | Reason: C

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 18:16
I agree it’s best to phone them. They asked me if my cancer had spread to other parts of my body and I said I don’t know. I explained my blood tests indicated that I still had some cancer cells but nobody has ever said where they are. So she said she would tick no to the question but the recorded phone conversation would be saved as it put it into context

Bri

User
Posted 10 Aug 2019 at 18:52

I have what might be called firm Red Lines about holidays and insurance.

- Don't insure my condition - unless it's not much more.

- Don't insure with anyone that isn't well known and even then be very careful. I'm a Direct Line person.

- Don't book anything that could need a large non-refundable payment over a month in advance.

- Give preference to holidays that have an option to re-schedule.

- Don't book anything beyond the next blood test, unless it's cancellable.

- Never interrupt my treatment for a holiday.

Happy Days.

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 01:25

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

I have what might be called firm Red Lines about holidays and insurance.

- Don't insure my condition - unless it's not much more.

Gosh, we take the opposite view. Hard experience taught us that insurers will try to link any issue to the uninsured condition so we always cover the PCa. I can imagine that if a man was ill on holiday with a UTI, the insurer would argue that it is to do with the cancer even if it isn’t. It costs us about £20 to cover John’s PCa and knees ... even when he did Kilimanjaro in between the surgery and the RT / HT it was only about £25. At the other end of the spectrum, we paid £4,500 to insure my mother-in-law for her last trip to Australia and it was worth every penny to have peace of mind; when my brother drowned in Greece at age 26 the insurer didn’t pay out (on a technicality) and it cost a small fortune to get all the legal stuff sorted and have the body flown home. 

Edited by member 11 Aug 2019 at 01:34  | Reason: Not specified

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

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 16:39

I always cover PC plus any other conditions. I agree with Lyn, it f you don’t they will look to link any claim to something uninsured.

I’d rather have the peace of mind full disclosure brings.

Ido4

User
Posted 11 Aug 2019 at 23:30

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
It costs us about £20 to cover John’s PCa and knees ... even when he did Kilimanjaro in between the surgery and the RT / HT it was only about £25.

£25 is what some call a no-brainer.  Although I'd look the gift horse in the mouth, it sounds a bit too cheap.  There is so much difference in insurance types and medical assessments we might be comparing pebbles with mountains.

I start on line to get that price then ring up to talk about medical conditions.  On line sometimes entitles you to extra cover, like we were offered cruise cover for free for making an on line application even though we later rang up.  My wife made use of the cruise cover.

Edited by member 11 Aug 2019 at 23:33  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 00:05
I am not daft - when you have paid to fly a body home, you get a bit pedantic about making sure you have reasonable cover for any problems you could possibly face! The price hike was from £100 to £125 to cover him to climb a mountain. Our annual policy (worldwide excluding USA) has a base price of £100; once we have been through the medical screening call, it goes up to £120 as a result of him having 2 new knees and a prostate in a petrie dish. Add in my medical history and it goes up to nearly £130.

From other postings on here, I think that the companies Macmillan recommends for people that have had cancer tend to be reasonable and proportionate in their questions and their underwriting.

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

User
Posted 12 Aug 2019 at 13:46

Thanks to each and everyone of you who took the time to reply, you have given us some great advice. Dad will be phoning round companies today.

*Just an update*  Dad managed to get his holiday insurance for £150 for the month he was delighted. Definitely pays to contact by phone. Suzi xx

Edited by member 15 Aug 2019 at 09:10  | Reason: update

User
Posted 01 Jan 2020 at 12:41

Hi,

Grateful for the name of the holiday company you dad got his reasonable cover from please.

regards

Norm

User
Posted 02 Jan 2020 at 06:08

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

Hi,

Grateful for the name of the holiday company you dad got his reasonable cover from please.

regards

Norm

 

I get world annual cover with my bank account through AXA. I phoned them to check about adding PCa and high blood pressure. It cost £120 per year for both.

Cheers

Bill

User
Posted 02 Jan 2020 at 08:33

We have travel insurance at a reasonable price but it will not cover anything arising from the prostate cancer. So we go anyway as luggage, cancellations etc are covered as would new conditions be covered. However we have to make sure to keep up to date each year with new medications or procedures. Any withholding of information could invalidate a claim.

User
Posted 15 Jan 2020 at 21:18

Hi Norm 

so sorry I have only just read this properly. 
Dad used this company  He said call them though rather than using the internet as you can explain things properly  I hope you get on ok https://www.insurancewith.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIj5KBo-6F5wIVRLDtCh3eHwRDEAAYASAAEgJgMPD_BwE

Suzi 😀

User
Posted 25 Jan 2020 at 15:10
Maybe late on this subject, I have travel insurance as part of my bank account, when I called to update my cover with my prostate cancer (RP) they did want a £100 extra to cover me just for a weeks sailing in Turkey, however if I accepted the exclusion of any prostate cancer related issues they were happy to keep the cover as it was with the bank account, no extra payment on top of the monthly account fee.
User
Posted 25 Jan 2020 at 16:47
As regards using your Bank for travel insurance, account holders should ensure they are young enough to be covered. I had an account with Nationwide some years ago and told them I was going to take my business elsewhere. They tried to persuade me to stay with them saying I was getting free travel insurance cover. I pointed out that I was beyond the age (70) so was not covered to which they agreed on checking. I see they will now cover 70+ people but at additional cost. So I suggest anybody who considers relying on their bank check they are not excluded through age or need cover at extra cost.
Barry
User
Posted 02 Feb 2020 at 13:03

Some really interesting stuff on here.

 I currently have an annual policy that I have held for 35 years! I claimed twice last year because of PCa and they were brilliant, paying out both times,no quibble, in fact even suggesting I claim for stuff that I had not thought about. They have now however upped my excess from £40 pp to £200 pp and I had to pay a £75 surcharge for 12 months, reviewable. In addition they are not covering my PCa and they won’t cover my gallbladder problems. I’m not too worried about this as at present I am in remission and have had only an RP, no chemo or radio. In addition my gallbladder will cease to exist next week! 

It is however a pain to constantly have to ring them up every time I have a medical development. I am considering a future move to another company that costs a lot more per year but is not concerned with existing conditions. They operate on the principle that they will cover you unless the Dr tells you that you cannot travel, or that you have less than six months to live.

Edited by member 02 Feb 2020 at 13:09  | Reason: Not specified

User
Posted 02 Feb 2020 at 14:08

Hi Lyn,

Just about to seek holiday insurance cover and slightly confused by your post stating that it is a mistake to say you are terminally ill when applying to insurance company. If such as myself you have APC is not the medical prognosis terminal albeit you hope to avoid the grim reaper for as long as possible by the various treatments ?

Or do you mean you only declare your condition terminal if doctors told you only 6 or 12 months left to live because you have exhausted the treatment options?

Regards

Norm

User
Posted 02 Feb 2020 at 15:17
You are only terminally ill if the doctors have stopped all treatment apart from those to keep you comfortable, e.g. pain relief or continuing HT to minimise side effects. As long as you are having active treatment, you are incurable but not terminal.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

 
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