Travel insurance for medical conditions

At Post Office, we work hard to provide cover that’s right for you and any pre-existing medical conditions you’re living with. And we know coronavirus is still a worry for many people living with such conditions.

All Post Office Travel Insurance policies provide limited cover against Covid-19, for cancellations, cutting short your trip and emergency medical expenses should you fall ill on your trip. Check if there any warnings from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) about where you plan to visit.

Check what’s covered as standard for Covid-19 on our policies. You can add extra cover for coronavirus-related problems with our trip disruption upgrade option.

Sometimes the FDCO will advise only essential travel to a certain place. If you make a trip to somewhere like this, we'll only cover a claim if the cause isn’t linked to the reason for the FCDO advice. This applies even if you've bought an optional trip disruption upgrade. You may be able to travel with full cover if we authorise, in writing, that your trip is essential before you depart. To find out more, please email travelinsurancefeedback@postoffice.co.uk

It's important to tell us the full details of any medical conditions you have, or any medication you're taking. This is so we can make sure the travel insurance we offer you fully covers you for your trip.

When you apply, we’ll ask the following medical questions. If the answer is “yes” for you or anyone listed on the policy, you’ll need to complete a medical screening.

• Have you been prescribed medication in the last 2 years, whether you’re taking it or not? This includes tablets (including morphine-based painkillers), inhalers or injections
• Do you currently routinely visit a GP, hospital or clinic for check-ups/consultations or treatments? This includes annual reviews or reviews once every 2 years for a condition
• Are you visited by a doctor, nurse or carer for check-ups or treatment (including changing dressings)?
• Have you been admitted into hospital or undergone surgery in the last 2 years?
• Have you received treatment for heart, stroke or respiratory-related illness in the last 2 years?
• Are you currently waiting for any consultations, referrals or results from tests/investigations, or on any waiting lists?

We'll check the condition and then let you know if we have a policy to suit your needs, and if any additional premium needs to be paid.

Yes, it's very important to tell us about your pre-existing medical conditions. If there's something you don't tell us about when you apply for travel insurance, you might not be fully covered when you go away. We must agree in writing to cover these conditions, and you may need to make an additional payment.

The questions we ask you in your medical screening will depend on the conditions you have. We’ll also ask about your recent medical history.

If you've had had any issues recently, we'll ask more questions about:

• Treatments you've had
• Medicines you've been given
• Surgery carried out
• Any planned treatments

We may have further questions after these.

Medical travel insurance covers you for your existing medical conditions. If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you may be more at risk than a healthy person. 

We offer a policy that considers all medical conditions to give you the level of cover that you need.

This can include:

• Any medical expenses
• If you need to be flown home
• Being taken to a different hospital if the one you’re in isn’t suitable for your condition

If you’re travelling within the EU, it’s important to take your existing European Health Insurance Card (Ehic). Check if it's still in date. If it's expired or about to expire, you can apply for a UK Global Health Insurance Card (Ghic).

With the card you can get emergency and necessary state healthcare in EU countries. The care will be free or at a reduced cost. But there are certain things they don't cover, such as medical repatriation. So it's important to have travel insurance too.

Please remember that the Ehic no longer covers healthcare for UK nationals in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.