I have phoned the majority of insurance companies listed on the site, yet I am still struggling to find a company that will insure my husband and his CML (diagnosed Nov 2010).Does anybody know of a company that may be able to help?
I dont really want to travel without cover but when you are being quoted ridiculous amounts i.e £400 for Europe and £1400 for USA it makes you thing maybe its the way forward if we are ever to go on holiday again !! .What do other people do and will it get better with time?
Any advice would be gratefully appreciated.
Thanks
Mary
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Travel Insurrance
Hi Mary,
I was Dx Sept. 2011, travelled to Thailand few weeks ago and got insurance via the travel agent with Travelmaster cost £85 for 4 of us ( 2 x mid 40's and 2 kids ) then had to answer questions and take a top up policy for the CML which was £37 and gave full CML cover, thought this was very reasonable. i have two numbers 08456 582999 and 01483 730900 one is the insurance co, the other the health line for the top up, not sure which is which. Give thema a go. Post if any good as will help others in the coming months i guess.
Nigel
Hi we had the same problem last year.
I then started looking for companies that understand pre existing medical conditions.
The company we used is called MEDICI TRAVEL
Our premium for last year with annual multitrip cover came in at £133.00
I was diagnosed with cml in 2009 at the age of 39 i also have bad rheumatoid arthitis.
I hope this helps
Stuart
HI NIgel,
I phoned the medical screening this morning .Answered the questions and was told no cant insure CML.
Did you answer yes to being in remission and no to chemo question ? ( my husband takes 400mg imatinib).
I am getting so frustrated, seems so many companies happy to quote you ridiculous prices but have no idea about
types of questions they need to be asking to get a true overview of the condition .I have some other numbers to try so will let you and others know outcome .
Thank you .
Regards
Mary
Sorry i don't recall, i would assume yes however, i also am on Imatinib
I have just tried the Medici Travel web site. The proposed insurance was declined (for one week in France) on all pre-existing medical conditions:
Medical Condition/s Declared:
Ischaemic heart disease - Declined
Angina - Declined
Myocardial infarction - Declined
Chronic myeloid leukaemia - Declined.
Not a lot of use, then. I will just continue with the medical insurance provided by my bank (free), with identical declinations.
I fail to see the problem with insuring people with CML. It is not likely to "flare up" in a week. The disease is Chronic, and the worst that can happen is that you lose, or forget, your medication!
I have had many arguments with insurance companies over the years with little success. After a discussion with my haematologist I am happy to exclude cover for CML. He assures me that there is no chance of CML suddenly causing a need for urgent medical treatment while on holiday and, after taking Glivec for the last 7 years, I am sure that he is right. He has also assured me that if any insurance company tried to relate any other problems to CML, he would be happy to support me in any action against them.
Having said that, I have found Golfguard to provide the best worldwide cover for me.
My own insurers have now - after 3 years - just begun to require discolsure of pre existing comditions, having up to now dealt with these in a generic and quite "generous" way. As a result, I am no longer covered for CML related problems. As John says however, in my own case I cannot see CML being an issue at short notice and being PCRU I am content not to be covered for that specific risk. If any issue were taken on unrelated claims, I know I can call on my consultant to put them right. Given the small risk, I don't see any reason to pay a fortune for an additional premium for CML claims I can't see myself making. I also think that if CML is ever likely to cause a short notice problem, I will know in advance and am unlikely to be thinking of going on holiday.
It seems most insurers ask daft and out of date questions about CML - they don't understand it. They asked me if I was taking strong painkillers....
Hi Mary,
I was diagnosed just before you in August 2010. I had already booked a trip to Australia in the December of that year and was determined not to let diagnosis deter me from travelling.
I did some research on insurance companies and put a spreadsheet together for the quotes at that time. Whist your trip is to a different location, it will give you an idea of the companies on the market and their quotes in 2010.
If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet,please let me know your email address and I'll send one to you.
Cheers
Thank-you to everybody for the advice re travel insurance.
I finally managed to get cover for £100.13 for my husband (with CML)as well as myself and my daughter to travel to Corfu. I have to say it was a painful procedure being asked the ridiculous questions,so I tried a company that specialises in Cancer and requests medical evidence from your consultant -they quoted £600-800 for 2 weeks in Europe!!Maybe they think people with CML have a large sign on their heads saying 'rip me off'!
My husband takes 400mg of imatinib and not had any side effects so makes you wonder what they ask for on their forms? Marsy a copy of the spreadsheet would be very much appreciated.
If any of you are going to the Hammersmith meeting on 15th Sept ,we look forward to meeting you.
Many thanks
Mary
Hi Marsy,
It would be great if you could share your research with CMLSgroup ... if the companies listed on the travel page of this website are not helpful contacts for CML patients then I will delete those that do not cover or are overly expensive.
I can only do this if I have feedback and recommendations from our members.
Your research/spreadsheet would certainly be helpful for me to do this. Please can you send it to me at cmlsupportgroup@gmail.com
Thanks and best wishes,
Sandy
I have noticed, over the 8 years that I have had CML, an increasing reluctance by insurance companies to offer cover for it.
When I first was diagnosed with the disease (June 2004), a letter from my haematologist was sufficient for me to buy holiday insurance at normal rates to go to New York for a week in February 2005. I went back to the same company again for insurance for a cruise in 2007 (round the Baltic, very nice!), but they refused me cover. I eventually managed to get cover, but a double the normal price.
I went back to this company for a quote the next year, and they refused to cover me for CML. Further enquiries reveal that very few companies will offer cover, the number that will is decreasing every year, and the premiums they require are increasing every time.
I have never claimed on travel insurance in my life, yet I still cannot get cover, even for Europe. I am going to France in September for a week. I will only use the cover provided by my bank, and when I go to South America for a cruise in Antartica next February, I will not even enquire. It's their loss.
Happy St Swithin's day, everyone. There has not been a drop of rain here in St Albans today!
Regards
Richard
Most of the travel insurance cover insurance for CML patients about £130.00. My wife had diagnosed in 2012 and we had a cover about £120.00 when we flew to UK for a month. I think if you really want to enjoy holidays safely then you need to take insurance cover. The amount £400.00 for Europe is somewhat confusing for me. Try other company to and compare with other what they have included in insurance cover.
I'm not sure if this will help anyone, but I had my travel insurance with PruHealth before DX - and they have continued to provide cover for me, which includes CML cover with no additional cost. They seemed to understand the condition, and were pretty easy to deal with.
Hi Mary
Try Rothwell and Towler also known as World First who will accept CML as a condition for a reasonable surcharge.They have a website as World First.Suggest call them and do the medical screening over the phone rather than online;each condition will have a separate surcharge and it is wise to declare all conditions for which there might be something of significance on your medical records.
I found that the charge for annual annual cover was not a lot more than a single long haul trip.
Had a reasonable experience when I had to put in a claim for muscular /sciatic hip problem due to drug interaction Glivec/Tarivid;they eventually paid out several thousands for amended travel arrangements plus medical fees in Thailand etc.
Have been dx 6 years now and initially found it very problematic to get cover for travel and always vey expensive
Hope this helps
John W