FINDING THE RIGHT TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR DIABETES
When looking for a travel insurance quote you will be asked to complete a medical declaration, many of which will specifically ask if you have been diagnosed with diabetes. Once you have selected yes, the system will then continue to ask questions regarding your diabetes, medication and any associated conditions such as peripheral nephropathy and glaucoma.
Upon completing the medical declaration, personal and trip details the travel insurer will assess the risk and provide a quotation. Some quotes may be higher than others depending on the travel insurance provider, so you may wish to speak to several companies to find the most suitable cover for you at an appropriate price.
It is worth noting, travel insurers that use medication-led risk rating tools may be able to offer a more tailored quote as they carry out a more in-depth risk assessment. These policies will ask for all medications and the reasons for each one (i.e. Metformin is taken for Type 2 Diabetes), so be sure to have this to hand before starting the quotation; this means all conditions will be assessed and not accidently forgotten, ensuring you have the correct cover should you need to make a claim.
Depending on how many medications and conditions you need to declare you may find some medical declarations to be fairly time consuming – although it may not seem necessary to answer questions that require such detail it will help to ensure you have the most suitable policy for you.
EXCLUDING DIABETES FROM A TRAVEL INSURANCE POLICY
Heat, altitude and the travelling itself are all known to effect glucose levels and for this reason it is not recommended you exclude diabetes or any associated conditions from your travel insurance policy.
Excluding a condition is seen as a risk by the travel insurer, if a condition was not covered under the policy and something was to happen you could be facing huge medical bills so it is always best to be fully covered, just in case.
It is also worth noting many cruise companies will deny boarding if you do not have full medical cover for all your conditions. This is due to the expense incurred to dock at an unscheduled port or arrange for an ship to shore transfer. If you are cruising and are able to exclude your condition, check with the cruise company beforehand.
