Livewires Northern Ireland Patient Support Group

Advice for travelling

Travelling

You should try to take your holidays reasonably close to a hospital with a Coronary Care Unit and not too far from a hospital where the staff are familiar with your ICD. Check with your hospital before booking as they will be able to give you advice.

The E111 procedure has now been replaced with the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) – Application Packs are available from the Post Office.

Livewires Group - Travel information presentation (.pdf) updated version

Livewires Group - Travel Insurance leaflet (.pdf) updated version

Travel Insurance - Examine the detail!

We always look forward to the holiday season with great anticipation and excitement. Whether it is the sunshine of The Algarve or Australia or the snow in Austria the prospect of some time away from our routine keeps us going.

Very occasionally we can have our holiday plans thrown into disarray even before we set foot on the plane, or unforeseen events after we arrive can result in unfortunate injuries.

It is at times like these when Travel Insurance can provide vital assistance particularly as you may be thousands of miles from home and not able to call on support of your family and friends.

For these reasons it is always worthwhile researching the various aspects of cover available under any travel insurance policy you may be considering to ensure it meets with your specific requirements. Three of the areas worthwhile examining are Medical Expenses, Cancellation and Curtailment.

1. Medical Expenses cover is provided under most Travel Insurance policies although it is very important to note that some policies provide no cover at all for claims, which could be related to pre-existing medical conditions. Some insurers may provide unrestricted cover for a limited range of pre-existing medical conditions but these are usually the less serious illnesses. If an insurer is to provide cover for any pre-existing conditions they have to be declared to the company when taking the policy out and it may be the case that an additional premium has to be paid. If you develop a medical condition at any stage after you take out a policy then you should advise you insurer immediately.
   
   It is also important to not that if a family member has a pre-existing medical condition and you cancel your trip because of this then no cover would operate as the condition was known about at the time of booking.
   
   In the event of an incident abroad it is extremely important to notify the insurer's claim line as soon as possible. In many cases the nature of the injuries and the trauma of the situation can understandably result in a short delay but in general the earlier contact is made the easier it is to resolve any claim that might arise. Medical Expenses cover is only designed to pay for necessary and emergency treatment. There have been cases not referred to the insurer's claim line where insurers have refused to pay because treatment could have waited until the customer arrived home.
   
   
2. Cancellation cover in a Travel policy is usually quite limited. The typical policy will cover cancellation before leaving home, due to illness of yourself and your travelling companions subject to condition on pre-existing medical condition. The cover will also provide for cancellation due to redundancy or jury service. However, it will not pay for cancellation due to your tour operator going out of business or if they choose to cancel part of your trip.
   
   
3. Curtailment cover is perhaps the least understood part of the travel policy and this section of the policy can lead to more disappointment than all the other sections added together. If you intend to curtail your trip you must contact the 24 hour emergency number. Don't just book a ticket and return home! If the insurer has not been advised and agreed to your course of action then they may not pay your claim. This section of the policy is mainly designed to pay only the additiona costs you incur in curtailing your trip due to illness or death of a close relative at home. In addition the cover is not designed to pay compensation and this in itself can lead to annoyance.

Unfortunate events which occur when you are away from home and supposed to be enjoying life can be very traumatic and upsetting so it is worthwhile taking time to review your cover long before you leave so you can be confident that should things go awry then you can take the necessary steps to mitigate the problems. Contacting an Insurance Professional who is prepared to provide you with advice will help you select the right policy for you particularly if you require cover for pre-existing medical conditions.

Note: This information has been provided by a local company where your requirements can be discussed on the phone or face to face if required. Always better than Internet or long distance call.

MedicAlert® bracelets and other patient ID materials can be ordered from the MedicAlert Foundation at www.medicalert.org

Guidant ICD patients can order a Medical Device Identification (ID) Card or Travel Card at www.guidant.com

Guidant - Travelling with a Cardiac Device

Medtronic - Travelling with confidence

British Heart Foundation - General questions - see Pacemakers for information on Airport security systems

More information on holiday Insurance

British Heart Foundation - General questions including Insurance for heart patients and holidays, air travel and insurance

MSN - Holiday Money - Heart patients and travel insurance