Travel Insurance Expert and Head of Communications
Last updatedNovember 27 2025
9 min read
Travel insurance for medical conditions provides specific cover when you’re living with pre-existing health conditions. That’s one less thing to think about when planning your next holiday!
What is travel insurance for medical conditions, and why do you need it?
Travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions is a specific type of travel insurance that covers your pre-existing health condition while you’re abroad.
If you’re travelling without insurance, or haven’t declared all your pre-existing conditions, you might find that you’re out of pocket should anything happen while you’re away.
The UK Government estimates 10 Brits are hospitalised abroad every day. While medical travel insurance is something we all hope we won’t need to use, it’s there for us in an emergency.
Travelling to the US? Medical cover is extremely expensive there. In the US, a night in a hospital can cost $10K dollars!
Pre-existing conditions are more common than you think. If you have conditions like asthma, diabetes or a heart condition, you’ll need travel insurance that covers these conditions.
While all travel insurance should cover medical emergencies, medical travel insurance specifically covers you if you have a medical emergency related to your pre-existing health conditions.
Pre-existing medical conditions describe any illness or condition that has occurred before you take out an insurance policy, ranging from asthma to cancer. Your policy won’t always cover you for existing medical conditions as standard, however, and you’ll need to declare them when you buy your policy.
At InsureandGo, we’ll consider all existing health conditions and offer a medical travel insurance policy that suits you.
Plus our annual European holiday insurance even includes some countries outside of Europe! You’ll be covered for countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, Madeira, the Azores and more. See below for the full list
What’s not covered?
We strive to provide as much cover as possible. However, there are some situations that no travel insurance will cover. For example:
You cannot cover events or reasons to claim that took place before you booked the trip or purchased insurance. Insurance exists to cover unexpected events outside of the insured’s control
Claims which are less than the excess for that section of cover. For example, you cannot claim a £40 lost item if your baggage excess is £60
All of our travel insurance policies include cover for cancellation of your trip, but there may be some exclusions. For example, you won’t be covered to cancel if you simply decide not to go
We will consider all pre-existing medical conditions, find out more about medical travel insurance. The excess and the amount of cover available will vary depending on the level of travel insurance you buy. To check the policy exclusions and what is and isn’t included, take a look at our policy wording.
Which pre-existing medical conditions are covered?
We consider all pre-existing medical conditions, and many are covered as standard, depending on your answers during the medical screening.
If your condition isn’t listed here, don’t worry. We assess each condition individually. Just let us know when you get a quote, and we’ll do our best to find the right cover for you.
The best pre-existing medical condition travel insurance for your trip
Don’t let a pre-existing condition get in the way of your perfect holiday. You can cover your pre-existing medical conditions with a travel insurance policy that suits the needs of your holiday.
Cruise insurance: A must-have for anyone who is heading off on a cruise, as it covers cruise-specific problems, like a missed departure or cabin confinement.
How to book medical travel insurance for pre-existing conditions
There’s plenty to do when booking a holiday, so we make getting medical travel insurance policy as easy as possible.
1 . Let us know about your trip
We need to know a bit about your trip, who you want to cover and when you want the policy to start. We will also ask you about any pre-existing medical conditions so we can provide you with the right level of cover.
It’s quick and easy to give us this information, either online or by calling our team:
Once we have all the details we need, we will send you your quote. At this stage, you can go ahead and buy your policy, or save the quote for the future.
Our experts say…
“Getting holiday insurance which covers your pre-existing medical conditions lets you focus on enjoying your holiday. If anything goes wrong, you’ll have access to a 24/7 medical assistance helpline and cover for your medical costs, including repatriation. You’ll even have cover if you need to cancel your holiday due to your medical conditions.”
“So easy and quick to get travel insurance for my mum who has medical conditions that we wanted covering. The staff were really helpful and assuring. Def highly recommend to anyone looking for very reasonably priced travel insurance.”
How much medical cover do I need for travel insurance?
The amount of cover you will need depends on where you are going and a number of other factors. Medical costs overseas can often reach tens of thousands of pounds, even for relatively simple procedures. With this in mind, you should always look for travel insurance with as much medical cover as you can find.
Do I have to declare medical conditions for travel insurance?
Yes, you will need to declare any pre-existing medical conditions that fit into your medical warranty when you take out a travel insurance policy.
When you get a quote for your travel insurance, we’ll ask you about your previous and current state of health. There are a few easy-to-answer questions that lead to a medical screening process where you’ll need to declare pre-existing medical conditions. This includes recurring illnesses or injuries, ongoing or lifelong conditions, previous surgeries and any conditions you are living with.
We’ll then use this information to work out the cost of your insurance.
You must declare all pre-existing medical conditions before you buy your policy.
Does travel insurance for medical conditions cost more?
It can do. If you have a pre-existing condition, we’ll need to ask you a few questions about it to make sure we offer you a quote that covers all your medical conditions.
What happens if my medical situation changes after I get my travel insurance?
Changes in your medical condition could affect your policy. For example, if you have a new health concern after taking out insurance, you’ll need to tell us about this change. In many circumstances, you may find this won’t affect your insurance, but you must check with us first.
Changes in your medical condition could affect your policy. For example, if you have a new health concern after taking out insurance, you’ll need to tell us about this change. In many circumstances, you may find this won’t affect your insurance, but you must check with us first.
While no policy can cover every eventuality, we’ll still often provide cover for issues relating to or arising from a declared condition. If you’ve got insurance with InsureandGo and your situation changes, you should contact us as soon as possible.
Is pregnancy a medical condition for travel insurance?
We do not consider pregnancy or childbirth to be an illness or injury.
Cover is automatically provided under section 1 (Cancellation), section 2 (Curtailment) and section 6 (Medical emergency expenses) for complications of pregnancy and childbirth which existed at the time of taking out this policy or developed at a later stage, provided your doctor and midwife are aware of your travel plans and that you are not travelling against medical advice. Childbirth in or after the 32nd week for a single pregnancy (or 24th week for a multiple pregnancy) is not a complication and is not covered under any section of this policy.
Do I need medical condition travel insurance if I have a GHIC?
A GHIC, formerly known as the EHIC is a medical card that can be used in most of the EU. It entitles you to free or reduced-cost medical treatment while in Europe.
However, the EHIC/GHIC card does not entitle you to free private healthcare. It’s not an alternative to medical travel insurance and does not cover the cost of travel if you need to return home because of an accident or illness.
Who can buy an InsureandGo pre-existing medical conditions insurance policy?
All our medical travel insurance policies are available to UK residents. This means:
Someone who has been living in the UK or the Channel Islands for at least six of the last 12 months
