At Bought By Many we can cover you for advanced stages of COPD under our Urgent Medical Travel insurance.
If you suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), you will need to declare it as a medical condition when applying for travel insurance. This is because your symptoms may worsen whilst away, requiring treatment.
Online quote forms can be long and feel intrusive, not taking into account your present medical state.
If your symptoms are more advanced, obtaining a quote may be harder. You may be advised to call the insurer, leaving you frustrated and despondent.
We obtained quotes through four travel insurers and one comparison site to see whether they would cover COPD. All insurers specialised in either COPD, breathing-related issues or pre-existing medical conditions. The quotes were for a more advanced stage of COPD.
Three out of five quotes couldn’t be completed online, as we were asked to call the insurer to provide more information. This was after we had already completed multiple questions.
The fourth insurer, Saga did provide us with a quote, however this cost around £650. It included £10m of medical expenses, cancellation cover up to £10,000 and baggage cover up to £5,000.
Saga are listed on our Best Travel Insurance for Medical Conditions list.
The fifth insurer M&S who are also listed on our Best Travel Insurance for Medical Conditions list, would cover a trip to France, however, they excluded COPD from cover.
In all quotes we stated that we were on three to five medications, we had had two or more hospital admissions in last year, we could not walk 200 yards without resting, we had begun using oxygen in the last 12 months, and we were still smoking.
About Bought By Many’s Travel insurance
Bought By Many's Urgent Medical Travel insurance will cover you for any condition as long as your Doctor agrees you’re fit to travel, and you haven’t received a terminal prognosis of under 6 months.
The policy is designed to cover you for urgent treatment you may need whilst on holiday. It doesn’t cover baggage or cancellation, as these are not medical related.
There are no long medical questionnaires to complete – in fact you only need to answer four questions. And cover is for travel in Europe.
Need-to-knows
- You’re covered for up to £500,000 of urgent medical expenses
- We’ll cover the cost of transporting you home for emergency treatment
- We’ll pay up to £5,000 for one person to join you if you become unwell. Or help cover their costs if they’re with you. So that you can get the support you need.
Other need to knows are:
- If your doctor agrees you’re fit to travel then you’re good to go. Your doctor won’t need to complete any forms
- The cover can be bought up to 30 days before the trip
- We can cover a trip of up to 28 days
- The insurance won’t cover sea or ocean cruises, but it will cover river cruises
- There’s an excess of £300 on any claim
- Holiday cancellation and loss of baggage is not included in the cover
Will moderate COPD cost a lot more on holiday insurance?
Yes it can. Although this is dependent on what is considered ‘moderate’. We obtained a quote for someone with a less severe form of COPD, going to France for one week and the price was £214.10.
This was based on that person using one to two medicines, having had one hospital admission in the last year, who can walk 200m yards, gets mildly short of breath but doesn’t need to rest, needs oxygen for a flight only, and gave up smoking 1 to 10 years ago.
Can you fly on a plane with COPD?
Yes you can. However a person with COPD may be at risk of suffering from lower blood oxygen levels during the flight. This is due to the cabin pressure and oxygen levels within the cabin.
In this case, you may need to bring oxygen with you. We would recommend you get advice from your doctor.
It's a good idea to speak to your airline before you book your flights, to check their policy on carrying and using oxygen on the flight.
One budget airline we looked at does allow the use of oxygen on board, however you’re limited on the size of the cylinders.
You would also need to have a medical certificate stating you’re fit to fly, and that the oxygen is needed for medical reasons.
The same budget airline allows you to bring oxygen concentrators on board, both mains or battery powered.
On board you would need to ensure you use the concentrator as a battery powered device.
Going on holiday with COPD
If you’re going on holiday and you suffer from COPD, consider whether your chosen destination may affect your COPD.
The altitude, air quality, temperature and terrain may all impact on your ability to breath easily.
The ability to get around easily, via private or public transport should also be considered.
When travelling, ensure that you bring enough oxygen with you if needed, and ensure you know where you can obtain more oxygen.
Having COPD shouldn’t stop you from enjoying life – even at a more advanced stage. By planning ahead, and purchasing the correct insurance, you can holiday with peace of mind, that you’re covered.
All prices were correct in May of 2018.