Our Pick Of The Best Travel Insurance For Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
Covering the cost for emergency medical treatment is one of the most important aspects of travel insurance. But if you are travelling with a pre-existing medical condition, finding affordable cover can be more tricky as the insurer thinks you’re more likely to make a claim.
Many insurers either automatically exclude claims related to pre-existing medical conditions or cover them for a much higher premium. You may also find that the more severe the illness, the more you’ll have to pay. In some cases then, it can be worth seeking out specialist cover.
We have compiled our pick of the best travel insurance policies (April 2024) for a range of the most common pre-existing medical conditions. You can find more detail in our methodology, below.
- Why you can trust Forbes Advisor's ratings
- Our pick of the best policies for travelling with diabetes
- Coverwise Select Silver Plus
- Cover for You Standard Single Trip
- RAC Insurance Black Travel Plus Single Trip
- Our pick of the best policies for travelling with a heart condition
- Coverwise Select Silver Plus
- Ageas Ultra Travel Insurance Single Trip Med
- Saver Travel Insurance Silver Single Trip
- Our pick of the best policies for travelling having recovered from cancer
- Virgin Money Premier Single Trip Med
- Admiral (Gold)
- Holiday Extras Elite Policy
- Methodology
- What is a pre-existing medical condition?
- Is pregnancy a pre-existing condition?
- What does travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions cover?
- What about travel insurance and Covid?
- Can I add any other cover options?
- Why honesty gets the best policy
- How do I make a claim?
Our pick of the best policies for travelling with diabetes
Coverwise Select Silver Plus
Price
£28.34
Medical
£20 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
Price
£28.34
Medical
£20 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
Costing £28.34, this policy levies an excess of £50 per successful claim.
It also pays out the highest levels of medical cover and hospital benefit we found. Up to £20 million is available for emergency medical treatment and repatriation, and £2,000 (£30 per day/ £200 per week) is included for necessary costs outside of medical bills, while in hospital.
Policyholders can claim up to £2,000 for cancer including if the policyholder should fall ill leading up to the holiday and after taking out the policy. Up to £1,750 can be claimed if baggage is lost or stolen.
- £20 million medical cover
- 50 excess only
- £2,000 hospital benefit
- No excess waiver available
Cover for You Standard Single Trip
Price
£26.39
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
Price
£26.39
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
This policy offers a lower-cost premium of £26.39 and levies an excess of £50 per eligible claim. It provides up to £15 million in medical cover in addition to a hospital benefit of £2,000 (£50 per 24 hours). Policyholders can claim up to £3,000 for cancellation if an emergency, such as illness or injury, prevents their holiday from going ahead. It also offers £2,000 for lost or stolen baggage.
- Lower-cost premium
- £50 excess only
- £2,000 hospital benefit
- No excess waiver available
RAC Insurance Black Travel Plus Single Trip
Price
£54.61
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,500
Price
£54.61
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,500
At £54.61, this policy offers up to £5,000 for trip cancellation due to an emergency such as illness.
Policyholders can also claim up to £2,000 for lost or stolen baggage and belongings.
This policy pays out up to £15 million in cover for emergency treatment abroad and for repatriation to get the policyholder home. It offers a hospital benefit of up to £1,500 (£50 per 24 hours) to cover essential costs while in hospital.
- £1,500 hospital benefit
- £5,000 cancellation
- No excess waiver available
- £70 excess
Our pick of the best policies for travelling with a heart condition
Coverwise Select Silver Plus
Price
£51.35
Medical
£20 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
Price
£51.35
Medical
£20 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
With a premium of £51.35, this policy offers a substantial medical cover limit of £20 million to take care of treatment and repatriation costs during your trip. It also pays out a hospital benefit of £2,000 (£30 per day/ £200 per week) for essential costs outside of medical bills, while you’re in hospital.
An excess of £50 is levied for each eligible claim made.
Up to £2,000 is available if an emergency, such as an illness, means that you have to cancel your holiday. This policy also includes cover of up to £1,750 for lost or stolen belongings.
- £20 million medical cover
- £50 excess only
- £2,000 hospital benefit
- No excess waiver available
Ageas Ultra Travel Insurance Single Trip Med
Price
£35.69
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,000
Price
£35.69
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,000
Costing just £35.69, this policy offers up to £5,000 if you need to cancel your holiday due to an emergency such as illness, injury or bereavement and levies an excess of £70 for each eligible claim.
It also pays out up to £2,000 if your belongings are lost or stolen during your trip.
Policyholders can claim up to £15 million for medical costs, including treatment and repatriation. This policy also provides a hospital benefit of £1,000 (£50 per 24 hours) for additional expenses you may need to cover while in hospital.
- £15 million medical cover
- £5,000 cancellation cover
- Cheaper premium
- No excess waiver available
- £70 excess
Saver Travel Insurance Silver Single Trip
Price
£37.90
Medical
£10 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,500
Price
£37.90
Medical
£10 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,500
At £37.90, this policy offers up to £10 million cover for emergency medical treatment and repatriation costs to return home. It also pays out a maximum of £1,500 (£50 every 24 hours) to cover essential costs that may arise during a hospital stay while away.
If you cancel your trip due to illness, injury or bereavement, this policy will pay out up to £2,500. There’s also a cover limit of £2,000 for lost or stolen belongings.
An excess of £50 applies to each successful claim made on this policy.
- £50 excess only
- £2,500 cancellation cover
- No excess waiver available
Our pick of the best policies for travelling having recovered from cancer
Virgin Money Premier Single Trip Med
Price
£352.02
Medical
£12.5 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
Price
£352.02
Medical
£12.5 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£2,000
The policy costs £352 and levies an excess of £50 for each eligible claim.
It offers medical cover of up to £12.5 million for emergency treatment and repatriation costs. It also pays up to £2,000 (£50 per 24 hours) for expenses aside from medical treatment during a hospital stay, should you fall ill or get injured during your trip.
Policyholders can claim up to £3,000 for trip cancellation due to an emergency such as falling ill, and up to £2,000 for lost or stolen baggage.
- £50 excess only
- £2,000 hospital benefit
- No excess waiver available
Admiral (Gold)
Price
£185.14
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,000
Price
£185.14
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£1,000
At £185.14, this policy offers up to £15 million for medical cover and levies an excess of £95 per eligible claim.
It provides a maximum hospital benefit of £1,000 to cover expenses that may arise outside of medical bills during a hospital stay.
If you cancel your trip due to illness, injury or bereavement, this policy will pay out up to £3,000. There’s up to £2,000 available to cover the cost of your personal belongings if they are lost or stolen during the trip.
- £15 million medical cover
- £3,000 cancellation cover
- £95 excess
- No excess waiver available
Holiday Extras Elite Policy
Price
£387.81
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£800
Price
£387.81
Medical
£15 million
Hospital benefit (max)
£800
With a premium of £387.81, this policy offers up to £3,000 if your trip is cancelled and £2,000 for belongings that are lost or stolen while away.
Up to £15 million is provided in medical and repatriation cover. This policy also offers a maximum hospital benefit of £800 (£40 per 24 hours) to cover the cost of essentials if you have to stay in hospital during your holiday.
An excess of only £50 is payable for each eligible claim made on this policy.
- £15 million medical cover
- £50 excess only
- No excess waiver available
- Slightly lower hospital benefit
Methodology
We ran quotes in our travel insurance comparison tool to review single-trip travel insurance policies for three 42-year-olds, each with a different pre-existing condition, travelling to Spain for seven days.
All policies include at least £2,000 in cancellation cover and a minimum of £1,500 in baggage and belongings cover. We then ranked each policy on the following factors:
- Price: The premium (one-off payment) charged for cover
- Medical cover: The total payout in the case of a medical emergency. We only considered policies with a minimum of £2,000
- Hospital benefit: An amount paid each 24 hour period you spend in the hospital as an in-patient
- Excess: The amount deducted from any successful claims payout. (Some policies charge an excess for each person named on the policy, while others charge it only once)
- Cancellation cover: The total payout in the event the trip is cancelled for reasons listed on the policy. We only considered policies with a minimum of £2,000.
- Baggage cover: The total payout for lost, stolen or damaged baggage or belongings. We only considered policies with a minimum payout of £1,500.
The scores for each policy were totalled, with special weighting added to price, excess and cancellation. Policies that included gadget cover as standard were awarded additional points. We converted the totals into Forbes Advisor star ratings.
What is a pre-existing medical condition?
Pre-existing medical conditions are diseases, illnesses or injuries you had prior to taking out your travel insurance, or which you were suffering from when you bought your policy.
If you had a disease or condition and recovered from it, or are in remission, you are likely to be asked to disclose the fact as part of the insurance application process.
We’ll come to this point again later, but it’s important to stress that any answers or information someone provides when applying for insurance are as honest and as full as they can make them.
Common pre-existing medical conditions:
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Cancer
- Diabetes
- Respiratory issues such as asthma
- Epilepsy
- Heart conditions
- Crohn’s disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Joint and bone inflammation
Pre-existing medical conditions also include non-physical conditions such as anxiety or depression and must also be disclosed to your insurance provider.
You might also be asked if you are receiving treatment for alcohol or drug dependency, or if this have ever been the case.
Is pregnancy a pre-existing condition?
Travel insurers do not consider pregnancy in itself a medical condition. This means you do not need to disclose that you’re pregnant in your travel insurance application. Also, being pregnant should not impact the cost of your policy.
However, you will need to state any pre-existing conditions relating to your pregnancy such as gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, depression and anxiety.
If you are planning to fly while pregnant, check with your airline to see if they have a policy on flying when you are late in term – some, for example, won’t allow you to fly after 36 weeks. Some may also ask for a letter from your doctor or midwife after 28 weeks confirming you aren’t experiencing complications or at risk of giving birth prematurely.
What does travel insurance with pre-existing medical conditions cover?
As well as covering medical expenses if you need treatment while you’re abroad – around £5 million of cover should be sufficient – your travel insurance should cover you for the following:
- Repatriation – covering the cost of returning home for medical reasons.
- Cancellation or curtailment – should you have to cancel or cut short your holiday for reasons such as illness, redundancy or bereavement.
- Baggage and belongings – providing cover if your luggage or possessions are lost, stolen, damaged or destroyed.
- Personal accident – covering an accident resulting in personal injury or death
- Travel delay – offering an inconvenience benefit up to a pre-specified amount if the booked outward or return journey is delayed for a set period of time (typically 12 hours) after checking in
- Missed departures – covering the cost of additional accommodation or travel expenses if you miss your flight, ferry or train.
- Loss of passport – Helps cover the cost of replacing a passport and travel documentation, if they are lost or stolen
- Personal money – The amount that can be claimed if the policyholder’s money is lost or stolen
- Specialist equipment – if you need specialist equipment for use while you are away, you should be able to insure it for loss or theft.
What about travel insurance and Covid?
Cover for Covid-related risks, such as having to cancel your plans because you or someone else in your party falls ill to coronavirus before you go, is now available as standard with most travel insurance policies, but you can find more information here.
Other out-of-pocket expenses may also be covered, such as having to extend your stay abroad because you fall ill with Covid while there and cannot travel home.
But do bear in mind that each policy has different specifications, limits and exclusions on the cover provided, so it is important to check that you have the cover you require.
Also, it’s best to be aware of the measures your airline, tour operator and accommodation provider have in place in case problems arise, as insurers will want to know that you have tried the avenues available for claiming compensation before contacting them.
On most occasions your policy will most likely be rendered invalid if you travel against government advice. CoverForYou, Cedar Tree and Outbacker are among the first insurers to cover travel against FCDO advice.
You will also not be covered by your insurance for cancellation if you simply decide not to go on holiday anymore, and FCDO does not advise against going. This is called ‘disinclination to travel’ and is not an insured risk.
Can I add any other cover options?
You’ll usually be able to bolt on additional coverage options to your policy to make it more comprehensive. Typical optional extras include:
- Gadget cover – protecting gadgets such as your tablet or mobile phone against loss, theft or damage.
- Scheduled airline failure – providing cover should your airline go out of business.
- End supplier failure – in the event your hotel, travel company or airline goes into administration.
- Legal expenses – paying the cost of legal fees if you’re involved in an accident that was not your fault.
- Natural catastrophe and terrorism cover – for claims relating to a natural disaster such as volcano eruptions and earthquakes, and those relating to acts of terrorism.
- Sports and activities cover – cover for taking part in high-risk or winter sports.
Why honesty gets the best policy
If someone does not disclose something, or suggests a condition was not or is not as severe as it is, they could potentially run into difficulties if they ever need to make a claim.
That’s because the insurer might take a deeper look at the person’s medical files as part of the investigation into the claim. If they find something that doesn’t match the details on the application, they might refuse to pay up, or they might only pay a portion of the amount.
Why? Their argument would be that the premium they charged was incorrect because they were working with incorrect or inadequate information. And if the premium is incorrect, the claim will be challenged.
How do I make a claim?
Your insurer will outline its procedure for making claims in its policy wording. It’s always best to have relevant paperwork to hand before making a claim. This should include your policy number.
You should contact your insurer as soon as possible so that it can confirm the claims process. This is particularly important for medical claims so you can be confident you’re covered for particular treatments, and whether the bills will be settled directly by the insurer, or whether you will need to claim back the cost.
If you have been the victim of a crime, be sure to contact the local police force and get an incident number.
Remember to make your claim on time. For most insurers, you must register a claim within 28 to 31 days of your return to the UK for it to be considered.
Keep all supporting evidence related to your claim, such as medical documentation and receipts. You will need to send this to your insurer along with your claims form. It’s also best to keep copies for yourself, and a log of communication with your insurer.
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