Travel Insurance Help - Warfarin

Mother is 74 yrs and booked to go on summer cruise - has just been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, been to Warfarin clinic and now in a real state. She is worried about frequent blood tests, Vitamin K exposure etc ..... she is now waiting to see a cardio specialist as she would rather be prescribed one of the newer drugs that don't need such strict testing, but I'm not so sure as there is no reversal if gets bleed. Obviously have to get meds stabilised asap, but as she is fit and well otherwise, she is having difficulty accepting change needs to be made.

Does anyone have any recommendations of Medical insurance policies that cover over 70 yrs with pre-existing med conditions please, which we can try?

The following recent thread on insurance might be of help:

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1972693

I am only 65 and have been on several cruises the last 2 years which needed me to have blood tests. The ship has doctors and nurses and no problem doing the test. I don't know about insurance but should be no worry for treatment.

Mother is 74 yrs and booked to go on summer cruise - has just been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, been to Warfarin clinic and now in a real state. She is worried about frequent blood tests, Vitamin K exposure etc ..... she is now waiting to see a cardio specialist as she would rather be prescribed one of the newer drugs that don't need such strict testing, but I'm not so sure as there is no reversal if gets bleed. Obviously have to get meds stabilised asap, but as she is fit and well otherwise, she is having difficulty accepting change needs to be made.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations of Medical insurance policies that cover over 70 yrs with pre-existing med conditions please, which we can try?

Are you in the UK?

If so I can help you as this happened to my husband last year.

Thank you all for responding, yes I am in the UK any help will be greatly appreciated.

When we took out insurance recently for a cruise my OH was waiting for a CT scan. The insurers would not cover anything in relation to the scan. Fortunately nothing negative showed up. I would say to push to make sure your mother is seen by a cardiologist before her trip. At least things will be clearer then. If things are slow, you could try phoning the consultant's secretary to ask when your mother is likely to be seen and explain the worry factor/agitation etc. Good luck.

Thank you, cardio appointment is the end of April, but we are going to call for a private appointment. She doesn't want to go on warfarin as scared of how invasive it seems but two gp's have said it's the right treatment rather than the new alternatives. She is so frightened (also has early stages of dementia) and just wants to get cruising again. She is booked to go in the summer - as only confirmed with AF in last few weeks and we want to get the medical insurance sorted be it for warfarin or one of the alternatives. So far we only have to mention over 70 yrs and warfarin and it's a no.

I have the same problem. If your mother is traveling with someone she can take a portable INR a(measure warfarin effectiveness)machine and test for herself. It's like doing your own blood glucose test with a home unit.

Not having a medical degree this is NOT a medical diagnosis, it is however a personal experience

I am female of course and 88 years of age, I have had AFib for at over 16 years. At first I also had Warfarin prescribed, but the constant (sometimes every week test were vey troublesome) 12 years ago I decided life was going to be too short to do this, I stopped taking Warfarin. Yes my cardio doctor warns me every visit , but a general doctor agrees with me, so here I am . I would suggest that you obtain a PRIVATE opinion for your mother . My logic is if Warfarin will kill rats I do not want it in my body. I am always concerned when I hear of some "necessary " drug that causes far worse possible effects than the original trouble.

I travel SOLO, I cruise at least once a year. Have 22 day trip booked for July on QM2

As I have said I do not have a medical degree, but my body is mine, and I do not want to take an unpredictable drug. Of course I take care of my eating and drinking, and yes I do have to have a wheelchair to go through airports, boarding or disembarking , as I do have trouble walking long distances with luggage. but I will live my life as fully as possible.

I send my best wishes to you and your mother , but AFib can be "lived with" very successfully .

Thank you, cardio appointment is the end of April, but we are going to call for a private appointment. She doesn't want to go on warfarin as scared of how invasive it seems but two gp's have said it's the right treatment rather than the new alternatives. She is so frightened (also has early stages of dementia) and just wants to get cruising again. She is booked to go in the summer - as only confirmed with AF in last few weeks and we want to get the medical insurance sorted be it for warfarin or one of the alternatives. So far we only have to mention over 70 yrs and warfarin and it's a no.

Many people with AFIB use the blood thinner Xarelto instead of Warfarin. No testing required with Xarelto. Good luck.

thank you everyone for taking the time to comment.

Jimsgirl - thank you for your real and encouraging words, mother feels the same about the rat poison and just doesn't want it. We have seen two docs now who all push warfarin and we can't help feel is it perhaps because its the cheapest option to prescribe. We have made an appointment with a private consultant and see what he says. Hope you have a fantastic time on QM2.

mudscraper - thank you very much, the alternative in the UK is dabigatran (pradaxa) and then xarelto (rivaroxaban) but the docs we have seen won't prescribe these as they are "new" drugs with bleeding issues, but with no daily testing we hope our consultant will have more empathy.

Soc1965 - would be very grateful if you could share any insurance info as it may lead us in the right direction, thank you.

I am 63 and was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation last June. I did not get on with Warfarin as I had quite a few side effects. The Insurance Companies would not insure me until I had seen the Cardiologist. To speed things up I made an appointment privately. The EP I saw had no problem with instructing my GP to put me on Pradaxa, arranged a cardioversion for the following week, and the Insurance Company (through Bank Account) arranged Worldwide Cover as soon as I had the cardioversion for an extra £150 (Annual ). I am sure that once your Mother has seen the Cardio she will not have a problem.

) 12 years ago I decided life was going to be too short to do this, I stopped taking Warfarin. .

Not an option for those like me with replacement heart valves. Without a blood thinning drug the valve is wide open to blood clotting. I made the decision early on after my op to investing in an inr testing device (Coaguchech XS) and now never have a lab test.

Failing that, on a cruise you have to use the medical centre with all the costs involved, and inr levels change very rapidly when on board in my experience. It's doubtful if insurance would cover that.

For the cost of a few days of cruising this has served me well for 13 years, and I have the added benefit of being in charge to some extent with my medical condition.

David.

Not an option for those like me with replacement heart valves. Without a blood thinning drug the valve is wide open to blood clotting. I made the decision early on after my op to investing in an inr testing device (Coaguchech XS) and now never have a lab test.

 

Failing that, on a cruise you have to use the medical centre with all the costs involved, and inr levels change very rapidly when on board in my experience. It's doubtful if insurance would cover that.

 

For the cost of a few days of cruising this has served me well for 13 years, and I have the added benefit of being in charge to some extent with my medical condition.

 

David.

CoaguChek system had given me a phone number to call in to report my test results when I was visiting in the UK (I live in the USA); possibly this could apply for most ports, too. Additionally, you could directly phone and speak with your own cardiologist, who is familiar with your condition and in a position to advise you directly. Hope this helps!

CoaguChek system had given me a phone number to call in to report my test results when I was visiting in the UK (I live in the USA); possibly this could apply for most ports, too. Additionally, you could directly phone and speak with your own cardiologist, who is familiar with your condition and in a position to advise you directly. Hope this helps!

The idea of self testing is that you don't need professional advice. My doctor told me at the start that the self tester knows his body better than anyone. It doesn't take long to fine tune doseage for yourself. I have done this for 14 years.

And the feeling that you are in control is priceless.

David.

I agree Balf re being in charge.

Several years ago I was told I had to have ops on my valves, but as with other things in life, there is a time when age means that the remedy is "overkill"

It is a choice only I (or you) can make. I chose not to have the operation, due to my senior age. There are times when I have to take additional care (bedrest for instance even on a cruise) but on the whole I manage.

I do agree that medical care varies as the doctors are not Cunard employees, but on just for that trip. The cost is very high also and not covered usually by insurance.

I hope that the mother of the OP manages to get her problems sorted out and can enjoy the cruise.

Does anyone know if insurance is a condition of travel with Cunard.

What would happen if you arrived at the ship with no insurance?

I am being asked ridiculous amounts for just a few weeks insurance.:mad:

Yes you do need travel insurance with Cunard. You need to fill the details of it in your Voyage Personaliser.

As a start, try Staysure or Age UK. I have friends insured with them and I know they insure people up to at least 80.

Does anyone know if insurance is a condition of travel with Cunard.

What would happen if you arrived at the ship with no insurance?

 

I am being asked ridiculous amounts for just a few weeks insurance.:mad:

For bookings made in the US, Cunard recommends travel insurance but it is not mandatory. Reference: http://www.cunard.com/frequent-questions/

I've only booked in the US, but I do buy travel insurance anyway - happily, I've never had a reason to use it :)

For UK passengers it's mandatory. The following is extracted from the UK website ...

Will I need travel insurance?

Yes, it is a condition of the contract that you obtain travel insurance to cover the risk of you needing medical care on board or in a foreign country. Your insurance must include cover for all pre-existing medical conditions and must cover emergency evacuations from the ship, shore hospital medical costs, and repatriation costs. It should have a limit of not less than £2 million. You should ensure that you have adequate travel insurance at time of booking.

We have chosen Holiday Extras as our preferred travel insurance provider and Holiday Extras can offer a comprehensive travel insurance policy that will cover you for cancellation, medical expenses, personal belongings, missed cruise departure, unused shore excursions, cabin confinement and cruse itinerary changes, as well as covering 97% of all customers with pre-existing medical conditions.

Holiday Extras insurance meets our requirements set out in the terms and conditions of the booking. You'll find further details in our brochure and you can obtain a quote and full terms and conditions via our dedicated Holiday Extras page or by calling 0800 093 3070, quoting reference WC444.

If you choose a different insurer you will need to ensure the policy covers you on a worldwide basis for all medical costs you may incur due to pre-existing conditions or otherwise, as set out above.

You can access further information via the 'Preparing to Go' section of your Voyage Personaliser.

What happens if I do not have travel insurance?

You will not be able to travel without travel insurance. Please ensure you can obtain travel insurance before you book your holiday. It is a condition of the contract that you obtain travel insurance to cover the risk of you needing medical care on board or in a foreign country.

Please also see: Is there a charge to cancel my booking?

I suspect this is probably because in other countries people probably have medical insurance anyway - especially the U.S. of course, as the rest of the world know our NHS look after us when we are ill without charge....:rolleyes:

However, I would love to know how many passengers do not have the required insurance! Quite a few I would guess!

I tried a quote from Cunard for our last but one cruise. What a joke the price was, as I recall about £350 (with pre-existing medical conditions). Shopping around on the comparison sites etc I got it for around £80 or so.

They say it's mandatory but they have no way of checking. You enter your policy's detailing in your cruise personaliser but there's nothing to stop you entering any old name/policy number etc. I reckon plenty of people would do that.

Having said that, I have always taken insurance (obviously), because the risk is far too great not to.

Hello everybody - just to let you know that we managed to get medical insurance from Cunard/Holiday Extras Latitude travel insurance (for realistic prices for those with pre-exisiting medical conditions). Give them a go, link via Cunard website ask us a question.

Mother did not want to go on Warfarin fullstop but eventually she got the non-invasive Dabigatran (Pradaxa) which seems to be going well and she is already looking forward to her next Cunard cruise.

Mother is 74 yrs and booked to go on summer cruise - has just been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, been to Warfarin clinic and now in a real state. She is worried about frequent blood tests, Vitamin K exposure etc ..... she is now waiting to see a cardio specialist as she would rather be prescribed one of the newer drugs that don't need such strict testing, but I'm not so sure as there is no reversal if gets bleed. Obviously have to get meds stabilised asap, but as she is fit and well otherwise, she is having difficulty accepting change needs to be made.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations of Medical insurance policies that cover over 70 yrs with pre-existing med conditions please, which we can try?

For what it's worth here's my advice. I've been on Warfarin for 15 years and very soon after my valve replacement I knew I needed to get some control over the testing regime. I bought a blood testing device (Cagucheck, but there are others) and it was the best investment ever I think. There will be medical charges on board for the testing and prescribing and the INR tests will be done on a machine like mine. £50 plus for the consultation plus extras and your mother has a start towards the full cost, though it's not the cost for me, it's being in control and saving 15 years and counting of those trips to the clinic.

David.

I tried a quote from Cunard for our last but one cruise. What a joke the price was, as I recall about £350 (with pre-existing medical conditions). Shopping around on the comparison sites etc I got it for around £80 or so.

 

They say it's mandatory but they have no way of checking. You enter your policy's detailing in your cruise personaliser but there's nothing to stop you entering any old name/policy number etc. I reckon plenty of people would do that.

 

Having said that, I have always taken insurance (obviously), because the risk is far too great not to.

Depends on the pre existing conditions,I would settle for that quote and boy have I shopped around.

How much would Jim's Girl's repatriation have cost I wonder.

David.