80% cancer patients are priced out of holidays

Four out of five cancer patients say they have difficulties obtaining ‘sensibly priced’ travel insurance as a petition demanding change has reached more than 132,000 signatures.

ThePLANETScancercharity, which helps patients with pancreatic,liver,colorectal,abdominal and neuroendocrine cancer, launched the petition as it said sufferers were being deniedvaluableholidayrespite because of ‘extortionate’ costs with some insurers refusing to cover patients at all.

A survey of cancer charity CEOs carried out last month by Cancer52, an organisation which represents more than 100 cancer charities, found that 83% said their patients reported difficulties obtaining sensibly priced insurance for foreigntravel,withalmost50% regularly modifying plans and 38%oftenabandoningthemaltogether.

Almost a quarter (23%) said their patients regularly travelled without insurance and 43% said they sometimes did, while 73% said their patients often paid excessive amounts for cover.

Following the success of the petition, PLANETS is now working with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the UK's financial regulator which oversees the travel insurance industry, to highlight the issues.

Neil Pearce, co-founder of Southampton-based PLANETS, described the situation as a ‘scandal’.

The recently retired consultant surgeon said: ‘The survey results demonstrate how significant this problem is and the immense impact it has on the finances and wellbeing of cancer patients. The fundamental problem is the industry works to guidelines and not statutes, so nothing is truly enforceable.’