Don’t blow your cover
WE ARE free to start flying or taking cruises again as lockdown restrictions ease, but older travellers must still tackle one major barrier as they face paying far higher travel insurance premiums as they advance in years.
Once you turn 70, the cost of travel cover nearly doubles, even if you are in sound health. If you have had previous medical conditions, then premiums can be “astronomical”, according to consumer champion Which?.
Some insurance companies will not cover you at all, giving people fewer quotes to choose from when trying to buy a competitively-priced policy.
Which? found that a 55-year-old travel insurance customer could find 76 quotes, but that plunged to just seven at age 80.
Money editor Jenny Ross said whether you can get cover also depends on what medical conditions you have. “While some health problems make little difference, many severe or unpredictable conditions, such as heart disease or bipolar disorder, or an illness still in the process of being diagnosed, can send insurers running for the hills,” she added.
Resist the temptation to travel overseas without insurance, as foreign medical bills can run to thousands of pounds.
Repatriation to the UK following a heart attack, stroke or broken leg in Spain or
France can cost up to £6,000, rising to £20,000 in India and Thailand, and £30,000 in the US, according to
Allclear Travel Insurance.
US hospital charges for serious conditions are exorbitant.treating a heart attack could cost a mind-boggling £250,000, and a stroke £350,000.
Britons are so used to healthcare being free at point of use in the UK they do not realise how much it costs overseas.
Allclear chief executive Chris Rolland said as you get older, it makes even more sense to seek advice from a specialist rather than rely on comparison sites to find the right deal: “Travellers should not have to pay so much more just because they have turned 70.”
Many non-specialist insurers do not want to cover the over-70s, and price their policies deliberately high to put off older applicants.
Age is only one factor when setting insurance premiums. “Length of trip, location, level of cancellation cover, valuables insured and the cost of local healthcare all play a part,” Rolland said.
The impact of pre-existing medical conditions on premiums can vary massively. “Someone with medicated blood pressure would, for example, be far less of a risk than someone who has had a series of heart attacks, and the premium would reflect that.”
Always declare medical conditions, even if they seem quite minor, to make sure you are protected if you do have to claim. He said: “If there are changes to your condition or medication, tell your travel insurer.”
Government-funded website Moneyhelper.org.uk has a free online directory of specialist travel insurers. This is designed to help people who have been refused travel insurance because of a medical condition, been offered insurance but with their condition excluded, or have been offered cover but charged a much higher additional premium.
Names on the list include Allclear, Able2travel, Free Spirit, Holiday
Extras, Goodtogoinsurance.com, Staysure, Insurefortravelhealth.co.uk, Payingtoomuch.com and Worldwide Travel Insurance Services.