When Ashley began planning a long-anticipated trip to see family in America, he was met with an all-too-familiar challenge: finding travel insurance that would fully cover his multiple pre-existing medical conditions including being in remission from Leukaemia. Like many people with complex health backgrounds, Ashley quickly discovered that the process of obtaining comprehensive travel insurance was far from straightforward.
“I thought I’d be able to just go online and get a quote as I was now in remission” he explained. “But many online quote systems only allow you to list a maximum of 15 medical conditions. Some of mine triggered follow-up questions or were grouped with others, and before I knew it, I had to choose which to prioritise just to get a basic quote.”
Ashley did eventually get a quote from one provider by listing only his 15 most significant conditions, but he was left uneasy. “I didn’t want to withhold anything, even unintentionally. It’s not worth the risk of finding your cover is invalid if you need to make a claim.”
Things took a positive turn when Ashley was referred to BIBA’s Find Insurance Service. “The information I received was invaluable,” Ashley said. “They helped me understand how the insurance market works and guided me to where I was most likely to find the right cover.”
Ashley added: “I didn’t know how best to navigate the market. Going to multiple comparison sites and listing my medical conditions became time consuming and confusing. And I imagine my experience is very similar to lots of others in my position.”
Ashley was connected with AllClear Travel Insurance and was able to secure the cover he needed. “It wasn’t the cheapest quote, but I knew it was suitable cover, and it gave me peace of mind,” he said. “I finally managed to complete the maze.”
When asked what he would say to someone in a similar situation, Ashley’s message was simple: don’t give up. “Rather than ring dozens of companies or trawl comparison sites, there should be a hotline straight to BIBA. They gave me the information I needed to make informed decisions. More people need help to navigate this system.”
Without that persistence, and the help from BIBA, Ashley is certain he would have had to cancel his trip altogether. “I might not have taken out insurance at all and then wouldn’t have been able to go abroad for at least a year. That’s not a small loss. Being somebody that’s gone through cancer… you have an awareness of your mortality. So do I really want to wait another year and then apply again for travel insurance – or do I want to live my life, now, with insurance?”
It’s a question that many in similar circumstances quietly wrestle with. For Ashley, securing cover wasn’t just about ticking a box, it was about reclaiming his freedom. As he put it, “There are so many people with cancer, whether you’re clear or not, who know they might have less time than someone who’s healthy.
You don’t want to lose valuable time just because you didn’t know where to look for insurance.”
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