Travel insurance that covers mental health problems

Some of the best travel insurance policies that cover mental health conditions:

• Staysure Comprehensive
• M&S Travel
• All Clear Gold - Mental Illness Travel Insurance
• Free Spirit Super – Mental Health Travel Insurance
• Blue Bear – Silver
• Active Minds - Travel Cover

In recognition of World Mental Health Day 2017, Bought By Many has investigated the availability of travel insurance that covers mental health conditions.

We looked at a number of travel insurance providers that offer to cover pre-existing medical conditions. We used our list of the best insurance for pre-existing medical conditions as a starting point and did additional research, including collecting quotes from 10 travel insurance providers.

Bought By Many members can get a 20% discount with Free Spirit travel insurance here.

Read on to learn more about:

• Will travel insurance providers cover mental health problems?

• How much does travel insurance that covers pre-existing mental health problems cost?

• Mental health travel insurance reviews

• Is there specialist travel insurance that covers mental health conditions?

Will travel insurance providers cover mental health problems?

Many travel insurers do not cover mental health conditions and many of the ones that do charge higher premiums.

It's not a good idea to hide your condition because if something does happen while you’re away your claim won't be accepted and your policy could be cancelled.

The mental health charity Mind recommends that you explore various providers and make sure they truly offer what they claim they do before getting a quote from each insurer you’re considering.

Shopping around can help you find the best price for your condition. Insurers can have different terms and prices for certain conditions so you may find a range of quotes.

This is exactly what we did. We went through our list of the best travel insurance policies for pre-existing medical conditions, identified the ones best for mental health illness and got test quotes.

We included some insurers who are affiliated with mental health charities or offer tailor-made products for people with mental health conditions.

How much does travel insurance that covers mental health problems cost?

All quotes are for a single trip policy, for a 35-year-old woman, with Type 1 bipolar disorder and on medication, going on a 7-day holiday in Spain in November 2017 and should only be used as a guide. Prices for other mental health issues will vary.

Mental health travel insurance reviews

Some of the prices quoted in our table are significantly higher than the costs of standard travel insurance while others are closer to what travel insurance without medical conditions would cost.

For example, a person with the same details as our test quote but without any medical conditions would receive a price of under £20 from M&S. It's likely that quotes from other companies with lower cover limits would be under £10.

Bear in mind that some cheaper policies have excesses that you'll have to cover if you claim.

The insurers we've listed below have tailored policies for people with medical conditions.

• FreeSpirit offers cover with £5m and £10m for medical emergency, £1,000 (Super lever) and £2,000 (Super Duper level) of cover for loss/damage of medical aids and £250 and £500, respectively, for loss/damage of prescribed medication. FreeSpirit covers a wide range of mental health conditions and includes additional cover for sports and activities. There is no age limit.
• AllClear says all its policies will cover mental health conditions and will consider all mental problems. It offers up to £15m of medical emergency cover and has a 24-hour medical line. There is no age limit. We were quoted prices from around £42.

  Getting a quote from AllClear took less than 4 minutes and was straightforward.

• Staysure has a 24-hour medical line. Getting a quote took about 5 minutes.

  When you get a quote you first see prices for travel cover before you enter information about your conditions. You then have to go through the medical declaration before you can see your final price.

  Some insurers use this quote structure, which allows customers to see how much more they’re paying as a result of a medical condition.

  Staysure doesn’t cover people over 85 on their single trip policies and people over 75 on its annual trip policies.

• M&S Travel offers the ability to choose your baggage cover and choose between £50 or £100 for your excess. Getting a quote was quick and easy.
• Bluebear has a separate medical screening process. You can't declare a condition alongside getting a quote. They recommend that you contact their travel administration facilities over the phone (020 3829 3846). When you call an automated message recommends using their online system for medical declaration which can be found at www.bluebear.medonline.co.uk.

  Before, once you'd completed your medical screening questionnaire and had been approved you had to go through the standard quote process and use your medical questionnaire number to allow the system to return quotes that will cover your medical condition. However, when we got a quote in April 2018, we were shown a price immediately after completing the medical questionnaire at www.bluebear.medonline.co.uk.

  The medical declaration process includes questions about your weight and height, any medication you’re taking and any current medical conditions.

• Cover2Go used to have the same procedure as BlueBear, but have now changed that and you can declare a condition when you get your quote and the price of your premium will be calculated with your condition in mind.

Most of these providers are listed in our review of the best travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions, which delves into travel cover providers that offer policies for pre-existing medical conditions but does not focus on mental health, which is why some insurers like AtiveMinds, do not feature in the list.

Is there specialist travel insurance that covers mental health conditions?

Mental health charity Mind has collated a list of travel insurance providers that claim to offer specialist mental illness travel cover.

A lot of the insurers on Mind’s list offer travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions and say they cover mental health conditions. A much smaller number of insurers offer dedicated mental illness travel insurance.

Only three insurers on Mind’s list offer specialist policies for people with mental health conditions. These are AllClear, FreeSpirit and Goodtogo.

FreeSpirit and ActiveMinds work with Bipolaruk.org to provide travel cover for people with bipolar disorder. Bipolaruk.org offers codes for special schemes with these insurers - MDF for ActiveMinds and MAN1156 for FreeSpirit.

ActiveMinds is devoted to finding cover for people with mental health conditions. It has a form on its website but does not generate a price. Instead, once you’ve supplied all your details they get in touch with you to quote you a price. You can also contact them over the phone (01274 518 393).

Conclusion

Our list shouldn’t be treated as exhaustive because there are many other insurers out there that offer cover for pre-existing medical conditions. We have selected a sample to give you a good idea of the price range and of the limits and protection you can get.

Although it is difficult or expensive to get a quote for some conditions, we hope the list we've provided should give people more options.

Make sure to check each provider you’re considering before purchasing as some may only cover certain mental health conditions. In addition, even if the condition you’re suffering from has been listed, your particular circumstances could affect your eligibility. If in doubt, contact the providers.

To learn more about travel insurance that covers pre-existing medical conditions read our guide to getting medical condition travel insurance. We have also written a piece about travel insurance that covers depression.

Mental illness should not stop you from travelling. In fact, according to Psychcentral.com, travel can have a favourable effect on your mental health.