brownsat259 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Sorry, submitted twice - not my fault I'm sure! What's the DELETE button for? It doesn't seem to delete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownsat259 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 I sympathise. Going straight to the bottom line - have you tried Worldwide Travel Insurance Services Ltd? Telephone 01892 833 338. Email - sales@worldwideinsure.com. My problems started when my medical history changed dramatically 4 years ago. Suddenly I had COPD (before it was just asthma) and needed 24 hour oxygen plus various other medications to keep me going. 2 years later I felt I was fit enough to travel abroad again - we'd holidayed several times in the UK in the meantime. In December 2009 the Camping Club insurers quoted £900 plus for me and my husband so we tried elsewhere. Everyone was very helpful & happy to give us someone else's number. 2 or 3 companies wouldn't insure me at all, but one of these gave me the number of the British Insurers Brokers Association. They quoted £225 annual cover for me & my husband for under 31 days per trip, but only added £70 to increase this to 62 days. When the paperwork arrived it was from Worldwide as above. Your problems seem more complicated than mine, but I hope you are able to carry on travelling. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike88 Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Tony. Your aneurysm - and the extent of it - is a condition that an insurance company may not fully understand or alternatively you may need to discuss with your doctors to fully understand it yourself. With respect to some of the other posters I doubt whether they either fully appreciate what an aneurysm is or the perceived risks. The problem is that without full and accurate knowledge of your condition the insurance companies - on the basis of what you may have told them - have taken the view that you are simply too great an insurable risk. In reality there may be very little risk but the very mention of the word "aneurysm" conjures up all sorts of alarm bells even though many of us have them without even knowing it as more often than not there are no symptoms. On the other hand the condition might be serious and presumably you know the score following your discussions with your doctors. Don't be fobbed off as I know from personal experience that the medical profession rarely like dealing with aneurisms unless or until an emergency occurs. Before giving up your travel plans you should question what exactly the insurance cover will provide. If you travel in Europe you are covered medically via your EHIC card. If you want cover for other things then that MIGHT be possible through conventional cover which excludes the medical issues relating to your aneurysm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 Mike88 - 2011-11-21 1:37 PM Tony. Your aneurysm - and the extent of it - is a condition that an insurance company may not fully understand or alternatively you may need to discuss with your doctors to fully understand it yourself. The consultant at the hospital has told me that there is no immediate risk and no need for any action at present, I am to have a further scan in 12 months to monitor the situation, so that doesnt seem to be much of a risk. However it is a reportable condition, and insurers dont like the possibility of having to pay however remote the possibility . They exclude it from cover or charge an exhorbitant fee. Kidney stones are easily treatable via lithotrypsy, but just have to wait for my turn. Pancreatic cyst is benign, and no treatment is considered necessary, just monitor again in 12 months the lung problem (idiopathetic Pulmonary Fibrosis) is treated by steroid pills, and they dont know any cure, but is not cancerous, and not infectious, so have to keep on the pills until otherwise advised. All is not lost, and E111 is current and valid. tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 Hi I apologise for dragging this back to the top again, but I have recently found a possible option for myself re medical assistance not covered by generalised "holiday insurance" which excludes pre-existing conditions cover or escalates premiums to sky high prices. There is a Swiss organisation called Swissassist (www.swissassist.com)) which appear to operate in conjunction with E111. The E111 seems to cover emergency hospital care in the country you are in to the same extent as residents of that country. It does not cover repatriation for medical emergency. Swissassist operates an emergency air ambulance service 24/7 and apparently fly the hospitalised patient back home arranging transfers, liaison over language problems, and ambulance transfers to your local hospital so you can fall back into good old fashioned NHS care They currently are offering one year cover for 50 euro, and don't seem to exclude any preconditions. They also seem to repatriate accompanying family member at the same time. It operates only in european countries, so no good for stateside or further afield. As long as Uk doctors have not declared you unfit for travel, there doesnt seem to be any restraints. It needs further investigation, but for someone like myself with declareable conditions,, it might be a solution. Travel cover for loss of deposits, cancellations, baggae loss, passports etc but excluding medical cover must be available somewhere, and e111 fixes broken legs etc so hospitalisation long term would be to get flown back to uk. Where is the catch? tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Nothing like living in hope is there Tony! :-D Joking apart, someone recently mentioned that membership of German breakdown/automobile association ADAC have a similar scheme? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 tonyg3nwl - 2011-12-05 5:02 PM Hi I apologise for dragging this back to the top again, but I have recently found a possible option for myself re medical assistance not covered by generalised "holiday insurance" which excludes pre-existing conditions cover or escalates premiums to sky high prices. There is a Swiss organisation called Swissassist (www.swissassist.com)) which appear to operate in conjunction with E111. The E111 seems to cover emergency hospital care in the country you are in to the same extent as residents of that country. It does not cover repatriation for medical emergency. Swissassist operates an emergency air ambulance service 24/7 and apparently fly the hospitalised patient back home arranging transfers, liaison over language problems, and ambulance transfers to your local hospital so you can fall back into good old fashioned NHS care They currently are offering one year cover for 50 euro, and don't seem to exclude any preconditions. They also seem to repatriate accompanying family member at the same time. It operates only in european countries, so no good for stateside or further afield. As long as Uk doctors have not declared you unfit for travel, there doesnt seem to be any restraints. It needs further investigation, but for someone like myself with declareable conditions,, it might be a solution. Travel cover for loss of deposits, cancellations, baggae loss, passports etc but excluding medical cover must be available somewhere, and e111 fixes broken legs etc so hospitalisation long term would be to get flown back to uk. Where is the catch? tonyg3nwl I am a bit confused about your q uote as you say Swissassist do NOT cover repatriation for medical emergancy but then continue to say they will fly you home. Also what is the situation regarding hospitalisation for road accidents now? I know in the past people were not covered when abroad and ran up thousands of pounds in hospital costs. The EHIC only gives cover the same as the citizens of that country get. In France you have to pay for medicines (but can claim back a small perccentage - getting smaller each year!), the ambulances are private compamies so demand payment as soon as you arrive at the hospital before they will deposit you, then there is the daily charge etc.etc. Following a road accident it is the fire service which provides the ambulance but have no idea how much they charge. Cheap car insurance in France covers the passengers for hospital treatment but you have to stipulate that you want the driver covered as well so presumably if an accident was your fault you could be hit by charges from the driver of the other vehicle. Sorry to be so cheerful(!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share Posted December 6, 2011 Hi, "The E111 seems to cover emergency hospital care in the country you are in to the same extent as residents of that country. It does not cover repatriation for medical emergency. " I thought that made it quite clear that repatriation is not covered by e111, hence the apparent option of Swissassist. regarding the other costs for ambulances, hospital charges abroad etc, they can be very expensive I know, but trying to find a medical inclusive insurance package when you have declareable conditions seems to be charging for all those costs "up front", ... or any cover for any of the conditions is specifically excluded. tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Yes, you are correct when you say that the costs can be very high. In the case of my late husband's unsuccessful claim the total was over £800 for one week's stay in hospital, this despite the fact that the specialist who investigated the "incident" years bafore had declared that there was never any doubt that he had NOT had a mini-stroke.Anyway, looking on the brighter side his treatment in France was first class and left him with no after effects, so it was worth the expense! This of course was some years ago and the EHIC is a bit different now so the cover might be better too. I wonder if it would be worth investigating French top-up cover to go with the Swiss repatriation cover? I believe you can buy it now even if not resident and there are no medical questions. There are several companies offering health cover advice, and if language might be a barrier, English speaking firms are available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Hi once again. Updated re plans... net result is that next year we have decided that UK will entertain us. As long standing Caravan Club members, we are going to take advantage of some of their rallies and as we also are members of CCC, no doubt something in their programme will tempt us as well. We have already committed ourselves to a 2 weeks in June, and 2 weeks end July/August, and a few shorter weekend breaks. Further plans afoot to find a suitable May break and 'er indoors' wants a visit to North Wales, so researching that option as well . Easter is set up for a long weekend , we hope, October golden wedding time undecided, but considering possible Coach tour options tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Assist SA Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Dear Patricia, Thank you for mentioning the company "Swiss Assist". We are an air ambulance company, not an insurance company, which will fly people home in the case of illness or Accident. There is a very long list or " rules & conditions ", one of which is that the person is in hospital at least 3 days and that they have not set off on holiday with an acute medical condition. It is clear, that most people over a certain age have some health problems, but we assume that they do not set off on holiday ill, although some people do . Before we take anybody home, we do a detailed check in the hospital, and also with their GP. This is important, because once we take somebody, they are our responsibility, and we need to know the medical condition of this patient before we start flying at altitude with our medical crew. We never fly a person home without making a full medical clearance, and also without finding the correct hospital for them back "home." .. Sometimes , we will also wait a few days until the patient is stabile to be transferred. However, if you are a person with a history of ..... for example " heart surgery" , this for us is not a problem. We assume you are alright when you set off on your journey. The problem is that the EEC heath cover gives people a false sense of security, and most people do not realize that to get home a person very ill is a very expensive problem, and moreover, the ambulances ( road or air ) want ALWAYS money up front, and this can be a difficult problem to raise many thousands of euros in a few hours, and do a bank transfer from the hospital bed, just to get home. Even more difficult if you cannot communicate with your bank because you are too ill to talk, which is a problem. A typical price to give an example would be Nice/ London which would set you back about 15.000 € + . If you fall ill, we will sort everything out for you, and will organize every part of the trip, and bring you back home to a suitable hospital with your husband/ wife aboard. I hope this has answered a few points, and if there are any further questions, please drop us an E mail. info@swissassist-sa.ch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 Re-- the above. As is always the case my guess is "your rules and conditions" will have the potential to exclude just about everything, but for just 50 Euro a year you will put a Lear jet and fully qualified staff at my disposal, yes right. I'd love to see the FULL terms and conditions, but doubt I'd live long enough to read them all. (!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss Assist SA Posted January 30, 2012 Share Posted January 30, 2012 . Dear " Stalwart, " Our terms and conditions are to be found on the last page, tick the box at the bottom, and you can read them. As you will see, we do not exclude everything. Actually we are very generous with our terms, but we do check very throughy the claims, because people do not always admit their medical conditions. If in any doubt, you can always contact us. Thank you for your interest in our company.Swiss Assist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 We have free travel insurance through our bank but were able to upgrade to cover my husband's heart failure and back problems, my raised blood pressure and extended to 90 day trips, all for £190 pounds we thought that was pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 1footinthegrave Posted February 1, 2012 Share Posted February 1, 2012 gwyn - 2012-02-01 8:02 PM We have free travel insurance through our bank but were able to upgrade to cover my husband's heart failure and back problems, my raised blood pressure and extended to 90 day trips, all for £190 pounds we thought that was pretty good Is it the Co-op (?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandya Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 If anyone out there who have experience of swissassist could post their opinion it would be very helpfull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 No, Nationwide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klyne Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 gwyn - 2012-02-01 8:02 PM We have free travel insurance through our bank but were able to upgrade to cover my husband's heart failure and back problems, my raised blood pressure and extended to 90 day trips, all for £190 pounds we thought that was pretty good Red Pennant would be £260 for 94 days including breakdown which seems to compare quite reasonably. Generally they don't load the premiums for medical conditions but you do have to go through a screening process. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyg3nwl Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Hi Folks, Another update. Yesterday's trip to see the consultant for reveiw of the IPF problem. Coughing has long since stopped and consultant is well pleased, such that he is now weaning me off the steroids over the next 10 weeks. Next appointment Early May. Breathing tests satisfactory, almost "normal" whatever that means. Trouble is that during the period on steroids, i was told to stop Atenolol, (a beta blocker to prevent migraines attacks). This has resulted in the last few weeks of a series of migraine attacks restarting (Cluster headaches) Yesterday, the Consultant advised that Atenolol can be restarted, so I am hopeful that the migraines can once again be controlled in the near future. They are bl..dy painful, but sumatriptans pills are effective if taken as soon as symptoms first show. I feel like a walking pharmacy now, but "keep on taking the pills" Holidays will be uk based, and we have sold the Stargazer, and gone over (back to) the darkside have bought an Abbey Spectrum CARAVAN, so back to the tugging fraternity. I apologise if we are at the head of the queue, holding you up, but I can't see you hiding behind the caravan. tonyg3nwl tonyg3nwl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Hi, I am in the process of looking at insurance for us. Problems with annual insurance are that many are limited to 31 days or as with Saga 120 days maximum during the year. Quotes so far have put us in the line of thought for single trip insurance. After declaring all medical problems for 71 yr and 55 yr old this is what we have Single trip Saga £188. for 32days Goodtogoinsure £93.40 for 32 days MCC Goldcover £145 plus medical excesses still to be added. Annual Saga £267 45 days Annual Saga £350.22 60 days Annual Saga £452 90 days (with Saga you can only go away for a maximum of 120 days during the whole year.) C.C.C. £492 unlimited. it looks like Goodtogoinsure have our custom unless anyone else has reccomendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Hi all, regarding this issue with health insurance. we are currently in spain ( 8 weeks ) and on the 3 sites we have been on have met a few people who have been out here all winter, in conversation i always ask what they do for long term insurance and am shocked at how many say they don`t have any and rely soley on the nhs card. casey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Frightening if there is need for transport home or death? chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 casey - 2012-04-03 7:43 PM Hi all, regarding this issue with health insurance. we are currently in spain ( 8 weeks ) and on the 3 sites we have been on have met a few people who have been out here all winter, in conversation i always ask what they do for long term insurance and am shocked at how many say they don`t have any and rely soley on the nhs card. casey. I have been constantly amazed over the years not only at the number of people with none or inadequate travel insurance but also the numbers without rescue and recovery or without any knowledge whatsoever of the driving requirements of each country. The worst I heard was a chap who luckily for him drove through Switzerland and back using motorways without realising he needed a vignette!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Chris, talking about death, i was told a story the other day and this woman knows the people it happend to; the wife died on the friday night, husband in turmoil as to what to do van starts up in early hours, brits on site go to see what`s happening man explains he is driving wifes body home, this he does over 24 hours, goes straight home and rings doctor who questions the length of time wife had been dead, he explains that she had been unwell and asleep in bed so he left her till they got home when he discoverd her dead. may be true, may not but bil says we have to tie him to bike rack if he pops his clogs while we are away. casey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 See, motorhomes are useful even acting as a hearse. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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