Cancer patients are being priced out of holidays because they can’t afford the inflated insurance premiums companies are charging, a charity has said.
Patients and people in recovery from the deadly disease are “frequently” refused cover or quoted unaffordable premiums, forcing some to travel without insurance or miss trips altogether, according to Maggie’s cancer support charity.
Prohibitively high prices mean they cannot visit friends and family abroad and are forced to avoid business travel, the charity said.
Josh Cull, from Bournemouth, was quoted a minimum of £3,000 for insurance when he decided to visit South Asia after he had recovered from “completely unexpected” brain cancer.
Josh, who was diagnosed with a medulloblastoma brain tumour in 2021 when he was 25, said he “went through chemotherapy and radiotherapy as well as major surgery to remove the tumour, which affected my eyesight and my ability to walk”.
Initially told he had only three months to live, Josh, now 28, admitted he “was lucky to come out the other side, and the trip [with his fiancee and brother] was supposed to be a reward for everything we’d been through”.
But, he said, he “couldn’t get an insurance quote for less than £3,000”, despite having been out of treatment “for two-and-a-half years”, and being “healthy and fully recovered”.
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“Simply having a cancer diagnosis in my past meant the insurance was extremely expensive,” he said.
“It felt so unfair. I ended up travelling uninsured because I just couldn’t afford the cover.”
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Millie Tharakan, 72, from north London, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, and her cancer returned in 2020.
She has since been receiving immunotherapy and has regular CT scans to monitor her condition.
£1,300 bill was ‘so unfair’
Ms Tharakan was “steady” and fit to fly, her oncologist said, but was forced to pay £1,300 for annual cover for travel insurance in Europe.
The mother of three and grandmother of five said: “We wanted to go on a family holiday and given my health I didn’t feel comfortable travelling without insurance, but it’s been incredibly stressful.
“Most insurance companies I spoke to wouldn’t even consider covering me. It feels so unfair.”
‘Inflated’ insurance costs
Maggie’s chief executive, Dame Laura Lee, said they are hearing from growing numbers of cancer sufferers about the diffculties they face “trying to obtain travel insurance, and the emotional distress this can cause”.
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“The last thing people should have to think about is inflated insurance costs when they should be focused on recovering from treatment and living well with cancer,” she said.
“Travelling and taking holidays can be so important for someone’s wellbeing and recovery, and it is extremely unfair that people with cancer are being priced out of the opportunity to visit family and friends abroad or simply explore the world.”
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A spokesperson for the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said the group understands how beneficial travel and holidays are for cancer patients and are “committed to supporting customers who have or have had cancer”.
“Unfortunately, people with pre-existing medical conditions may be more likely to need emergency medical treatment whilst abroad, which can come at a significant cost,” they added.
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Insurers will take this, and other issues, into account, when deciding whether to offer “suitable” cover.
“If an insurer is unable to offer you cover because of a pre-existing medical condition, they will point you to specialist providers who can help you find an appropriate policy.”
The charity has called on Treasury minister Emma Reynolds to investigate and wants ministers to work with travel insurance companies, the Financial Conduct Authority, and cancer patients to get a “fairer deal” for insurance.
The Treasury has been approached for comment.
