Travel insurance and secondary breast cancer

Many people continue to enjoy travel and these are a few important points that can ensure you have a safe holiday.

• Your travel insurance will not cover you for any claim relating to your breast cancer or any other pre-existing medical condition if you don’t tell the insurance company about it when you buy the policy. It may be possible to have your breast cancer excluded from your cover in order to receive a cheaper quote. However, this means that any treatment related to your breast cancer will not be covered by the policy.
• It may be worthwhile checking on the cost of travel insurance before booking your holiday in case the cost of insurance means you are unable to take the particular trip you want.
• It can be easier to get travel insurance cover for some countries (e.g. European) than for others (e.g. USA).
• You may need a doctor’s letter confirming that you have had a diagnosis of secondary breast cancer but that you are fit to travel, but be aware that some doctors may charge for this.
• You may be asked a series of questions about your cancer and any other medical conditions you may have. This is known as medical screening. Some people find some of the questions quite personal and sometimes insensitive. It is important to remember that medical screening is necessary for the insurer to work out if they are able to offer you a policy.

If you are asked questions as part of a medical screening, the following reminders may help.

• Surgery – what type, e.g. mastectomy, wide local excision?
• Chemotherapy – do you know what drug combination was given to you?
• Hormone therapy – which drug was prescribed, e.g. tamoxifen, anastrozole?
• Radiotherapy – have you had or are you having radiotherapy?

If you aren’t sure about any of these answers, check with your doctor first.

Some companies may not be able to offer you cover if you have only just finished a course of treatment or recently come out of hospital. Most insurers base their decision to offer cover on individual circumstances, so while one person may be offered cover another may not.

If you are travelling to a country within the European Union (EU) there are mutual health arrangements that you can benefit from if you need medical care while you are on holiday.

The European Health Insurance Care (EHIC Card) covers short trips in Europe and offers the same level of healthcare that local residents get (The EHIC Card has replaced the paper E111, which is no longer valid). You can apply online and the card is free. The application is free of charge. Some insurers will waive an excess on medical expenses if travellers use this mutual agreement.

Always ensure you understand exactly what you are covered for. If you are in any doubt, ask your insurer to confirm your cover for you.

Breast Cancer Care does not recommend or endorse any travel insurers. However, our Breast cancer and travel insurance factsheet contains information about insurance companies that people with breast cancer have contacted us with positive feedback about.

It is also important to remember that if you are unsuccessful with the insurers listed there, there are many others available and it can help to look beyond this list.