| Author |  Topic  |
Nostromo
 United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline |  Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 07:48:06  
| The Worldwide Travel Insurance policy for my elderly in-laws has just run out and needs renewal. We used to be with Amex for a premium of £202 per annum for £5 million cover each of them. But from earlier threads on this subject, I recall some members mentioning better quotes. I would be grateful for some suggestions now.
They are both over 75 years, in reasonably good health for their ages. Both are on treatment for age-related arthritis and my father-in-law also for hypertension. |
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KarenScott
 United Kingdom
2524 Posts
Joined: 26 Jan 2004
Status: offline | |
jolliffee
 United Kingdom
2857 Posts
Joined: 10 Jun 2004
Status: offline | |
poet123
United Kingdom
254 Posts
Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Status: offline | |
KevinT
 United Kingdom
1643 Posts
Joined: 12 Sep 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 10:13:59
| Hi Nostromo,
Not sure if this will help in your particular case but :
My mother in law is 75 and apart from arthritis is reasonably fit. I was starting to have the same problem (finding reasonable travel insurance for her).
My wife and I are covered free for year round travel via my Lloyds bank a/c (either Gold or Platinum offers this and free AA membership). I rang their Travel Insurance section and found that I could extend this to cover her for just £45 per year. As we travel out to FL at least twice a year this seemed extremely good value, so I just renew that each year. |
Kevin
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blott
 United Kingdom
22387 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 11:26:33
| Mum is 83 with diabetes, hypertension and arthritis (although you'd never know it!) and got her annual worldwide policy for £110. I'll look it out and tell you the details at lunchtime.
Here you go - Eagle Star Direct 0800 555 200 Medical cover for £5million plus all the usual coverage with a 60 day maximum on any one trip. |
Blott
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Nostromo
United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline | |
Nostromo
United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 15:41:10
| After all the info that you guys gave and my following-up, I discovered (fortunately before it was too late) that Amex had sent a reminder back in June; my @%!*#/?! father-in-law forgot to tell me about it (I pay for it). Then Amex automatically renewed the policy a month later and sent the documents, and the old man forgot to tell me again  ! Now I have no choice but to accept this Amex policy, but at £221 pounds for the both of them it cannot be too bad. |
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blott
United Kingdom
22387 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
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KevinT
United Kingdom
1643 Posts
Joined: 12 Sep 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 16:33:57
| Nostromo,
Is it too late at this stage to cancel the renewal and get a refund on the premium? I would have thought that as they "automatically" renewed, there must be many who do not receive the letters and for reasons like yours need to cancel?
Guess you'll have to add "short term memory loss" to the ailments list!
Although we're all plagued with that from time to time  |
Kevin
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lisi
 United Kingdom
404 Posts
Joined: 02 Aug 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 19:21:18
| I know it's too late now - I run a club for people with Arthritis and many are elderly. Age Concern have a very competitive travel insurance for older people with disabilities - they might not be the cheapest but I believe the cover is very comprehensive.
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Nostromo
United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 09 Sep 2004 : 19:32:23
| It may or may not be too late, but I guess I won't bother cancelling and reapplying now. Even if I get cheaper quotes now, I don't think it is worth the hassle. I have already had my blood pressure coming out of my ears with my fater-in-law and don't want to go through it again. So, I'll just bite the bullett and let them use this policy for now and be more careful in June 2005. I have cancelled the automatic renewal option with Amex to be safe.
But thanks for all the advice you lot gave me. It will be useful info anyway. |
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ellie
 United Kingdom
6035 Posts
Joined: 31 May 2004
Status: offline | Posted - 10 Sep 2004 : 23:04:00
| We went away with friends in February to Florida and the Caribbean - they are in their 60's and the husband has had a triple by-pass and more recently an angioplasty.
We had enormous difficulty getting insurance as they either wanted the earth or a huge excess.
We tried everything, contacted every possible company, and the professional body, and tried every internet site we could find. Age Concern would not touch him without a huge payment or a huge excess, nor would anyone else. They eventually had to pay £1000 to get cover for a one-off trip for him alone.
They went away in May and someone told them to try M & S travel insurance. They covered him for about £30.
Following laser eye surgery a week before our recent trip to Florida, plus diagnosis of underactive thyroid,and a recent exploratory op, we obviously declared this to our insurance company as we have annual family insurance, with top rate of cover. They would not cover me for a year for these conditions. M & S said no problem. We changed companies. Their annual family world wide policy was excellent value, bearing in mind I had several conditions to be covered.
Very interested to see the other comments, and will keep them in mind should our friends need insurance again.
Ellie |
Ellie
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traceya89
 United Kingdom
359 Posts
Joined: 06 Aug 2004
Status: offline | Posted - 10 Sep 2004 : 23:25:15
| | if you have pre-existing conditions, for example adhesions or a hernia, and you have problems abroad, does this mean if you declare it to insurance compnays that if you take ill with these conditions in florida that you are covered for treatment or does it mean that you are not covered because they are pre-existing and you have to pay for your own medical treatment. |
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blott
United Kingdom
22387 Posts
Joined: 22 Feb 2002
Status: offline | Posted - 10 Sep 2004 : 23:51:02
| The insurance company will tell you if you're covered for them or not Tracey but you must declaire the conditions to them or, if you're taken ill, they may refuse to pay for your treatment.
Omitting to tell the insurance company could turn out to be cripplingly expensive as even a visit to the doctor there can cost $200 without any medications, a two day stay in hospital $7000+ and a week in intensive care $1million! |
Blott
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CarolAnn
United Kingdom
4788 Posts
Joined: 12 Apr 2004
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Nostromo
United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 11 Sep 2004 : 13:09:42
| quote:
Originally posted by CarolAnn
Otherwise you adore your father-in-law right? 
Well, I just about tolerate him. He has his good points - hardworking, honest to a fault and keeps to himself, but he is too "set in his ways" and absolutely cannot adjust to any change or accept when he is wrong. He has become a cantankerous old man with age and how my placid mother-in-law has tolerated him for 57 years is a wonder in itself. |
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ellie
United Kingdom
6035 Posts
Joined: 31 May 2004
Status: offline | Posted - 11 Sep 2004 : 16:53:54
| Before you take out insurance you must tell the company of any pre-existing conditions. Once you have taken out insurance, particularly with yearly travel insurance, you must tell the company if there are any changes whatsoever to these pre-existing conditions so that they can decide 1. whether they will cover you at all, 2. whether they will cover you with an increased excess, 3. whether you will have to pay extra in order to be covered on the original policy.
The strange thing with yearly travel insurance is that you would think that once you had taken it out, any changes to your medical condition would be covered - its insurance after all - but its not. They can charge you extra or exempt it. It is, however, essential to tell them everything as if not it could invalidate your whole policy.
We are registered with our local medical centre, which is luckily just 2 minutes away from our villa, as with 3 children we have often arrived in mid-winter and have had to consult a Dr for minor ailments - chest infections and asthma which required more than the drugs we had with us. He does not charge £200 per visit, usually about £90, and the service we receive is excellent - a very thorough health check before he prescribes. but the cost of drugs IS expensive. (makes you appreciate how little we pay per perscription, although of course, it is hidden in our NI payments)
I would not advise anyone to travel without adequate medical insurance, as Blott says, hospitalisation is hugely expensive. It is simply not worth the risk of finding yourself with no cover and a medical emergency - even a simple one. It's money well spent - even if you don't use it.
One thing we have found is that we always pay the small extra amount to lose our excess, as in this way, should we have to consult a Dr then we have no worries about how much it will cost us.
Ellie |
Ellie
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Sputnick
United Kingdom
39 Posts
Joined: 07 Jun 2004
Status: offline | Posted - 13 Sep 2004 : 15:19:17
| I have heard through my pharmasist that for around £15 you can get a copy of your medical records from your GP to give to insurance company and to state that they can contact GP to verify anything.
This saves you having to remember everything and does not give insurance co. any reason to find a get out if thins go wrong. | | Report this post to a moderator | goto top of page |
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Nostromo
United Kingdom
4015 Posts
Joined: 20 Jun 2003
Status: offline | Posted - 13 Sep 2004 : 19:54:53
| quote:
Originally posted by Sputnick
I have heard through my pharmasist that for around £15 you can get a copy of your medical records from your GP to give to insurance company and to state that they can contact GP to verify anything.
This saves you having to remember everything and does not give insurance co. any reason to find a get out if thins go wrong.
The problem with Medical Summaries is that they include everything, even info that is personal but of no consequence to the insurance cover. Trying to edit records obtained from the computer following a patient's written consent can be legally very tricky. To make it easier, I often do a simple letter addressed to the patient himself or herself describing the treatment info that is relevant. No consent is required since the letter is addressed & passed on to the patient only. They can then show it to the insurers of their own accord. |
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agod
 United Kingdom
507 Posts
Joined: 06 Apr 2004
Status: offline | Posted - 13 Sep 2004 : 20:42:03
| At the age of 44, while holidaying in Cyprus I had a heart attack on Christmas day, (I knew I shoud'nt have booked that lunch) the ambulance was an old peugot van, and they carried me out, not on a stretcher, but in a blanket, through the lobby of our 5 star hotel, now this is your worst nightmare, getting an emergency in some foriegn land, the clinic they took me to was brand new, and the 3 weeks intensive care, was wonderful, by the cypriot doctors and nurses, except for the old greek cook, who's boiled chicken gave me salmomella, this was followed up by being accompianed on the way home by an English Doctor who came out to look after me, skylift onto the plane and a private ambulance at this end, when I phoned my doctor, was greeted with can you get down surgery, I might be able to see you on Thursday, that told me I was home, a couple more heart attacks, and dying once or twice I got a by-pass, and am still going after 10 years.
The moral of all this is always get insurance whatever the cost, they paid for everything, including my wife staying on in Cyprus, at the hotel, extra car hire, and all Medical Expenses.
Alan |
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Travel Insurance for the Elderly
