Covering conditions
Ahead of National Epilepsy Week, which takes place from 14 to 20 May, medical insurance comparison site MedicalTravelCompared.co.uk has highlighted the need for those travelling with the condition to declare it as a pre-existing medical condition when buying travel insurance cover.
Vicki Moses, a travel insurance analyst at the site, warned that seizures and other epilepsy related complications on holiday can be traumatic, and medical treatment abroad can be very costly: “Epilepsy is considered to be a pre-existing medical condition so is excluded under the standard cover most travel insurance policies provide. It is, therefore, essential that you fully disclose your epilepsy, along with all your medical conditions, even if the insurer doesn’t ask about it specifically.”
Moses went on to say that travellers can then make sure they get a policy that includes cover for epilepsy so that they can have access to a 24-hour medical emergency assistance line to call upon in case of a crisis, or replace lost or stolen medication that they rely on to keep their condition stable if the unthinkable happens when they are on holiday. “Expenses for ambulance and hospital admission costs, as well as repatriation back to the UK, tend to be included under the medical expenses section of a policy,” she added, “and if your epilepsy prevents you from travelling you can also claim for cancellation or curtailment of the trip.”