A leading cancer charity has petitioned the Government to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against people with cancer by frequently charging them too much for travel insurance, which is often complex and costly to secure.
For insurers, people with or who have had cancer are a bigger risk. Many require a doctor’s letter that confirms fitness to travel, and some – according to the charity Cancer Research – will only cover for emergency treatment unrelated to the diagnosed cancer. The type of cancer can also have a bearing on the cost of a policy, as well as the stage, treatment, prognosis and follow-up care. Because of the high cost of medical care in the US, the charity points out that “it’s hard to get cover if you’re planning a holiday there”.
UK-based Maggie’s has delivered a letter to the for business and trade secretary that highlights particularly egregious cases of insurers overcharging people with cancer, and has asked parliamentarians to meet and discuss the matter.
In the document, Maggie’s acknowledges that “there are companies who are acting in good faith, providing reasonable quotes, and upskilling their staff to enable them to deal with people living with cancer sympathetically”, but also raises concerns of companies that do the opposite.
“We sadly have too many examples of those who are not,” Maggie’s writes.
The letter delivered to the Government office features a variety of stories told to Maggie’s in confidence.
“One person had [insurance] quotes that ranged from £760 to £3,000 for a trip to France, while another couple in Glasgow were quoted £1,200 for a trip to Spain but were then able to buy insurance for £200 elsewhere,” it says.
The charity has criticised this unscrupulous practise by a minority of insurance firms: “Too often this means people with cancer, and their families, give up on the dream of a holiday when they often need one the most.
“And with more people living with cancer than ever before, including a growing number of young people, this is impacting on an increasing number of individuals and families.”
‘I felt like I wasn’t worth insuring’
Maggie’s provides drop-in centres across the UK and abroad which aim to help anyone who has been affected by cancer. One frequent visitor to a London centre is Victoria Secretan.
Now in her seventies, Ms Secretan was diagnosed with cancer last year. Her attempts to find affordable travel insurance are all too familiar to Maggie’s.
“After my diagnosis, I planned to spend two weeks in my home in France, which I’ve owned for around 30 years,” she told i, “After ringing around insurance companies, I got some ridiculous quotes. One was £3,500.”
Ms Secretan was horrified, given that one in two people will get cancer at some point in their lifetime.
“We all know that holidays are good for us,” she says. “When I spoke to my consultant and asked her if it was alright for me to go to France, she said, ‘Yes. We want you to live. We want you to have a good time.’ But, then you get slapped down with this negativity from insurers.”
She added that the many questions asked by insurance companies before confirming a policy are “very distressing and repetitive” and made her feel “like I wasn’t worth insuring because I wasn’t going to last very long”.
She also lacked confidence in the policies that were available to her: “I’m sure some companies would find any way not to pay out on a claim. They might say, ‘Oh, she fell in a river and broke her ankle because the cancer treatment was making her feel dizzy.”
Against the advice of a broker from the British Insurance Brokers Association, Ms Secretan decided to take out insurance with no medical cover before her last trip to France. While risky, she was adamant she needed a holiday. The premium was much lower, but the lack of medical insurance was a concern.
While every UK citizen is entitled to a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) – which replaced the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) after Brexit and covers state-provided medically necessary healthcare in the EU and some other countries – its scope is not comprehensive enough for many people, especially those who have or have had cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, the EHIC and GHIC won’t always cover the full cost of treatment.
The charity also warns that it won’t cover the cost of getting you home in an emergency and say it’s important to have the right travel insurance even when travelling in the EU.
“If an increasing number people decides against insurance cover, there’s a new market for insurance,” she explains. “Over the years, cancer treatment has changed radically and longevity is so much better than it was, so it seems irrational to be charging this amount of money to potential customers.”
She suggests that if insurance companies offered sensible excess rates for people undergoing cancer treatments, for example, an additional £100, they would fulfil a social responsibility alongside their profit margin.
The right to be forgotten
It’s a sentiment shared by Maggie’s, too.
“People living with cancer are routinely discriminated against over holiday insurance, and are often quoted thousands of pounds and often sacrificing a much-needed break as a result,” Maggie’s chief executive Dame Laura Lee told i.
She’s calling on Keir Starmer to oversee this change: “During the election campaign the Prime Minister promised to ensure that the Financial Conduct Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority are robustly regulating insurance companies to ensure they are treating customers fairly. Maggie’s wants the Government to deliver on this and meet with us to help find solutions to the problem.”
In its letter to the Department for Business and Trade, the charity is also calling on the Government to look at introducing legislation on a “Right to Be Forgotten” in the UK.
That request comes following a new study in The Lancet Oncology medical journal which shows that many people who have been successfully treated for cancer are often discriminated against in accessing financial services, including loans, mortgages, health and travel insurance even when they are well.
Current laws in the UK state that people who are “cancer free” must declare their previous cancer diagnosis to financial institutions in order to successfully access financial products.
“We have written to the Prime Minister asking him to work with Maggie’s to tackle this discrimination, and ‘Right to Be Forgotten’ is something we are calling on the Government to look at as part of the solution,” Dame Lee added.
Falling between the cracks
There are further pitfalls on the road to securing travel insurance. In some instances, a comprehensive list of cancer types is not listed, putting suitable policies out of reach, or making them very expensive.
Daisy*, who has recovered from rare olfactory neuroblastoma, told i that she has been unable to find this type of cancer listed by insurers, which often list only the neuroblastoma brain tumour. She was unable to renew her existing travel insurance policy and now goes through an insurance broker.
Others waiting for a diagnosis, biopsy results or treatment can also find it difficult to take out travel insurance, or again might find they are quoted high prices for a policy.
*name has been changed on request