Navigating Pre-existing Conditions and Cruise Travel Insurance

Travelling can be a thrilling and enriching experience, offering new sights, cultures, and adventures. However, it comes with its own set of challenges, especially for those with pre-existing medical conditions that require careful planning and consideration.

Understanding how these conditions affect your travel insurance is crucial to ensure you are adequately covered and protected during your journey. This becomes even more important if you're planning a cruise, where medical facilities might be more limited than on land.

This comprehensive guide offers all you need to know about managing pre-existing conditions within cruise travel insurance policies. It provides valuable tips and insights to ensure your peace of mind as you set sail, allowing you to fully enjoy your journey without worrying about unforeseen medical expenses or complications.

The Importance of Cruise Travel Insurance

Cruise travel insurance is essential, offering protection against various unforeseen events like trip cancellations, medical emergencies, and even lost luggage. For those with pre-existing conditions, having this insurance is even more critical, as the confined environment of a cruise ship can exacerbate certain health issues.

Medical facilities on cruise ships, while equipped to manage emergencies, are limited in scope. Should you need more comprehensive medical care, you might require evacuation to a land-based hospital, which can be costly without the right protection. Cruise travel insurance can cover these expenses, ensuring you receive necessary care without financial strain.

Additionally, cruise travel often involves international destinations, where healthcare systems differ. Your travel insurance can bridge the gap between varying healthcare standards, covering medical services that might otherwise be unavailable or expensive abroad.

READ MORE: Do You Need Cruise Travel Insurance?

What is a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?

Pre-existing medical conditions can vary widely, from chronic ailments like diabetes to past injuries or surgeries that could still impact your health. 
These conditions are typically defined as any medical issue you've been diagnosed with, treated for, or prescribed medication for before your travel insurance policy starts. It's essential to understand what medical conditions you should declare. 

Which Medical Conditions Do I Need to Declare?

When using Compare Your Cruise Insurance to compare cruise travel insurance quotes, we will ask you a short list of Yes/No questions to help you determine which medical conditions you need to declare. The questions are as follows:

• Have you, or anyone to be named on the policy, ever been diagnosed with or treated for any: cancerous, respiratory, heart or circulatory conditions (including problems with blood flow, strokes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol)?
  
  
• Have you, or anyone to be named on the policy, ever been diagnosed with or treated for any: psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, or eating disorders?
  
  
• Within the last 2 years, have you or anyone to be named on the policy: been prescribed medication, or attended a hospital as an out or inpatient, or any other medical facility such as a medical practitioner's surgery?
  
  
• Have you, or anyone to be named on the policy been put on a waiting list for treatment or investigation relating to a diagnosed medical condition?
  
  
• Have you, or anyone to be named on the policy: been given a terminal prognosis?

You will need to let us know of any medical conditions you have if you can answer 'Yes' to any of these questions. Our panel of specialist cruise travel insurance providers will then be able to provider you with the most accurate quote, to cover your specific needs. 

How Will My Pre-Existing Conditions Affect MyTravel Insurance Policy

Disclosing your medical conditions when obtaining travel insurance quotes is crucial. By sharing this information, the specialist providers on our panel can tailor the policy to meet your specific needs, ensuring that you are properly covered. 

This tailored approach is vital because, should an unexpected flare-up occur before or during your holiday, you will have the necessary protection to manage medical emergencies without additional stress or financial burden.

While declaring your medical conditions might lead to an increase in your premium, this increase varies depending on the condition and its severity. Despite the potential for higher costs, the consequences of not disclosing such conditions can be much more severe. 

Without full disclosure, you risk leaving yourself exposed to significant financial liabilities, as insurers may refuse to cover any claims related to undeclared conditions.

Neglecting to inform your insurer of medical conditions can have serious repercussions. Insurers may decline your claims or even invalidate your entire policy, effectively cancelling it from its inception. 

This cancellation would leave you completely uninsured for your holiday, exposing you to potentially substantial out-of-pocket expenses for medical care and other related issues that could have been avoided with proper insurance protection. 

How to Choose the Best Cruise Travel Insurance for Pre-existing Conditions

When selecting the right cruise travel insurance, it's essential to consider several factors, beginning with the scope of cover. Look for policies that specifically address pre-existing medical conditions and provide comprehensive protection, including cover for emergency evacuation and repatriation.

Here at Compare Your Cruise Insurance, we have over 18 specialist travel insurance providers on our panel, who can help customers locate their cruise travel insurance, which includes protection for pre-existing medical conditions. 

While price is often a key factor when choosing travel insurance, it’s important to recognise that the cheapest option isn’t always the best. Lower-cost policies may offer limited protection, more exclusions, and higher excesses (the portion of a claim you must pay).

Each policy benefit comes with a maximum cover limit—the highest amount the insurer will pay for a specific benefit. For example, if your cruise costs £2,000 (£1,000 per person), ensure that the cancellation benefit of your policy covers at least £1,000 per person. Anything less would leave you underinsured.

Be sure to carefully review any exclusions in the policy. For instance, many cruise insurance policies do not automatically cover gadgets like smartphones or tablets unless you specifically add gadget cover, often for an additional premium.

Next, consider the policy's excesses. An excess is the amount you must pay toward any claim. For example, if you file a baggage claim worth £200 and your excess is £50, the insurer will only reimburse you £150. Policies with lower excesses or excess waivers typically come with higher premiums, while those with higher excesses can lower your policy cost. It’s crucial to find a balance between an excess you can comfortably afford and a premium that fits your budget.

In some cases, investing a little more upfront on a comprehensive policy can save you significantly, particularly if health issues arise during your cruise.

How Do I Let You Know About My Medical Condition?

Once you have answered these initial questions, you will be guided to our convenient medical declaration tool. In this section, you will be able to enter each medical condition you have by completing a short survey designed to assess the severity and impact of each condition. This survey will ask detailed questions to better understand your health situation.

By providing this information, we will be able to assist you in finding the most accurate insurance quotes possible, from our panel of specialist cruise travel insurance providers, ensuring that all your conditions are thoroughly covered. This process aids in creating a tailored policy that suits your specific health needs and offers peace of mind.

I Have an Undiagnosed Medical Condition, Can I Get a Policy?

If you have an undiagnosed medical condition, obtaining cruise travel insurance can be challenging. Insurers are hesitant to provide cover because they lack information about your specific condition, which prevents them from accurately assessing the risk and offering suitable protection.

This uncertainty means they can't tailor a policy to meet your needs, potentially leaving you without the necessary protection during your travels. It's advisable to seek a diagnosis from a healthcare professional first, and then explore insurance options once your condition is identified and documented.

This way, you'll have a clearer understanding of your health status and can secure more appropriate insurance protection for your cruise.

I Have a Terminal Prognosis, Can I Get Cover?

You may be able to locate a cruise travel insurance policy even if you have a terminal prognosis, but this process can be quite challenging depending on the duration and specifics of your prognosis. Insurance companies typically have strict guidelines, and in most cases, they may not provide cover if your prognosis is less than 6 months.

I Am Unable to Obtain a Quote, What Should I Do?

There can be numerous reasons why you may be declined to receive a quote. The most common are as follows:

Single Trip Vs. Annual Multi-Trip

If you're considering an Annual Multi-Trip policy, factors like medical conditions, age, or policy tier (Europe, Worldwide (excluding the USA, Canada, and the Caribbean), or Worldwide) might make it challenging to receive a quote. In such situations, try opting for a Single Trip policy instead.

Medical Condition Severity and Location

If you have an extreme medical condition and planning to travel to a country with costly healthcare or repatriation back to the UK would be extremely expensive, some insurers might not provide quotes as the premium would be high.

In such situations, you can explore the Money Helper Directory, a website that assists in finding providers who might be able to help. You can access the Directory here. 

Age Of Traveller

Some insurers have a limit on the age of their travellers, meaning if you are over a certain age, insurers will refuse to provide you with a quote as you fall outside of their risk rating. Again, there are specialist providers out there that might be able to provide you with cover. Head to the Money Helper Directory for assistance.