Lung Cancer Travel Insurance Guide 2024 UK
It can be harder to find the right travel insurance when you have a medical condition like cancer. Lung cancer patients will be seen as having a higher risk of claiming, meaning insurers can be wary to offer cover.
Specialist lung cancer travel insurance is best in this situation, to ensure you are fully protected before going on holiday.
Travel insurance will protect you financially against a range of different events that could occur while you are away. You can claim for events such as lost luggage, flight delays or expensive emergency medical treatment.
60 Second Summary – Lung Cancer Travel Insurance Guide 2024 UK
It can be harder to buy travel insurance for lung cancer patients or survivors due to the perceived ‘risk’ seen by insurers. In this situation, it’s best to speak to a medical travel insurance expert. An expert will know which insurers are most likely to approve your application and where you will find the best prices.
- Travel insurance covers various unexpected events such as lost luggage, flight cancellations, and emergency medical expenses, providing peace of mind when you travel.
- Specialist lung cancer travel insurance will be your best option to ensure adequate coverage, particularly considering potential medical emergencies while abroad.
- You will always need to declare cancer on your travel insurance application or your policy could be deemed invalid by your provider.
Can you get travel insurance with lung cancer?
It can be trickier to find the right travel insurer and level of cover for people living with lung cancer. However, it’s not impossible to get cover and with the right advice you can even find very affordable policies.
A medical travel insurance specialist will have a good understanding of how lung cancer can affect travel insurance. This means you will get the right level of cover, without paying more than you need to.
You will normally need a note from your doctor to prove you are fit to travel before insurers will approve cover. This is especially true for patients currently undergoing cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Travelling with lung cancer should still be accessible in many cases, especially with travel insurance to cover any unexpected medical expenses.
What does lung cancer travel insurance cover?
Travel insurance policies are intended to give you peace of mind that you are financially covered if something goes wrong while overseas.
Travel insurance protects against a variety of unexpected events like:
- Lost baggage or hand luggage
- Lost/stolen items of value
- Cancelled flights
- Delayed flights or missed departures
It is important to declare that you have lung cancer when you apply for travel insurance. Pre-existing medical conditions such as cancer are not automatically covered by travel insurance. A standard policy often won’t provide anywhere near enough protection.
Specialist lung cancer travel insurance will also cover:
- 24/7 medical assistance
- Cancellation/curtailment due to ill health
- Medical emergencies and repatriation to the UK (Up to £15million)
- Replacement medication/medical equipment
All policies will provide some level of medical cover, but a specialist policy will be most appropriate for someone with cancer. Medical treatment can be very costly in other countries without extra support such as travel insurance to help.
If you were to become ill on holiday, you could be left with massive bills without the right protection in place. It can also be useful to get a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) which can lower medical costs in many countries.
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How much is travel insurance for lung cancer patients?
The cost of lung cancer travel insurance will vary from person to person. The insurers will ask several questions when you apply, relating to both your trip and your health. Questions asked on all travel insurance application include:
- Where you are going (trip destination)
- How much cover you need (£s)
- How long you will be away for (trip duration)
- Type of policy needed (single trip or annual cover?)
When applying for travel insurance for cancer patients, you will usually be asked questions such as:
- What is the grade and stage of your cancer?
- Your prognosis (is your cancer terminal?)
- When were you diagnosed with lung cancer?
- Are you currently having treatment/have treatment planned?
- Are you fully recovered (in remission)?
- Have you had surgery related to lung cancer?
- Will you need to take medication or medical equipment on your trip?
You might not be asked all of these question or there could be additional questions depending on the insurer. The main thing is to answer any questions asked as honestly as you can. If you leave out important details, you could end up with the wrong policy or one that won’t pay out.
Exclusions for travel insurance with lung cancer
It is possible that someone with lung cancer can be offered travel cover with exclusions attached. This means you would not be able to claim for anything relating to cancer e.g. medical treatment or having to cancel your holiday.
You would still be able to claim for a wide range of other reasons. This includes things such as losing your luggage, or your flights being delayed.
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Which is the best travel insurance for someone with lung cancer?
There isn’t one ‘best’ type of travel insurance available, though specialist cover will usually most suitable for some who has/has had cancer. These policies will offer a higher level of cover than a standard policy. Insurers will also generally be more understanding of medical issues that could come up because of your cancer.
There are two main types of policy to choose from when you need travel cover:
- Single trip cover: covers you for one specific trip.
- Annual travel cover: will cover multiple trips within 12 months.
Single trip cover will be a cheaper option if you only have one holiday planned. Annual cover is most useful for people who travel often, so they don’t need to keep track of multiple policies.
Travel insurance after lung cancer
It can be easier to get travel cover once you have been given the all-clear by your doctor (remission). This can open up the options available to you and you may even be able to get covered under a standard policy.
People with cancer in remission will be deemed less likely to claim due to illness or cancellations, compared to current cancer patients. There can however still be a higher risk of becoming unwell, so specialist travel cover will generally offer a better level of cover for you.
All travel insurance companies view cancer slightly differently. Some will be comfortable offering cover a few months after treatment, while others may prefer to wait years.
Someone who has had cancer is always best getting proper advice before applying for any insurance policy. This helps you to make sure you are getting the fairest prices and the right level of cover for what you need.
Can you get travel insurance with terminal cancer?
Terminal lung cancer patients will still be able to get travel insurance in some cases. If your doctor confirms you are fit to travel, there should still be options available to you.
Your best course of action will be to speak to a specialist insurer with experience in medical travel insurance policies. Applying to a mainstream provider could lead to being declined or paying far more than you need to.
Our top rated travel partners have years of expertise in helping terminal cancer patients find the right cover at the best prices.
Compare travel insurance for people with lung cancer
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 48,549 new cases of lung cancer diagnosed every year. If you want to go on holiday and have lung cancer, you still have the right to great travel cover.
Here is how to get help finding travel insurance quotes for top quality cover with NO AGE LIMITS.
1. Call and speak to a travel insurance expert or get a quote online
No matter what stage your cancer is, or if you are fully recovered, it is a good idea to get some advice from an experienced travel insurance broker.
CLICK HERE to get your online quotes
2. Answer a few quick questions
You will be asked a few basic questions about your holiday and your health (medical screening) to make sure you get the most appropriate cover at the right price.
3. Get personalised lung cancer travel insurance quotes
Receive your tailored travel insurance quotes from our amazing travel insurance partners.
Other insurance policies for people with lung cancer
- Income protection insurance
- Critical illness cover
- Personal accident insurance
- Lung cancer life insurance
Frequently asked questions about lung cancer
What are the first signs of lung cancer?
Early symptoms of lung cancer include a persistent cough, shortness of breath and coughing up blood.
What is the life expectancy with lung cancer?
40% of people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive for 1 or more years following diagnosis. 15% of people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive for 5 or more years following diagnosis. 10% of people diagnosed with lung cancer will survive for 10 or more years following diagnosis.
Is lung cancer curable?
It is possible to fully recover from lung cancer, if the cancer is caught early enough. According to Cancer Research UK, 55 out of 100 people with Stage 1 lung cancer will survive for 5 or more years following diagnosis.
Can people with lung cancer travel?
YES – You can still travel if you have lung cancer. It is always best to check with your doctor that you are well enough to travel first. Many insurers will request to see a note from your doctor that states this before they will approve cover.
Useful resources
Cancer Research UK – Travelling with cancer