Cancer patients 'priced out' of holidays, charity warns

Cancer patients are being "priced out" of overseas holidays due to "extremely unfair" travel insurance costs, a charity has warned.

Maggie's cancer support charity said patients and those with a history of the disease were "frequently" being quoted premiums of thousands of pounds, while some were being refused cover altogether.

Its chief executive Dame Laura Lee said: "We know how stressful a cancer diagnosis can be, and the last thing people should have to think about is inflated insurance costs."

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said the "significant costs" associated with emergency treatment abroad for pre-existing medical conditions were taken into account when offering cover.

In a statement, Dame Laura emphasised the "emotional distress" caused by "barriers" to obtaining travel insurance for people with cancer.

She said: "Travelling and taking holidays can be so important for someone's wellbeing and recovery, and it is extremely unfair that people with cancer are being priced out of the opportunity to visit family and friends abroad or simply explore the world."

Maggie's has called on the Treasury, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and insurers to jointly develop recommendations to ensure cancer patients are "treated more fairly" by providers.

Josh Cull, 28, told BBC Breakfast he went through "a year of hell" in 2021 after being treated for a brain tumour which affected his eyesight and ability to walk.

"I then decided, you know what, I'm going to live some life now," he said.

But while searching for insurance for a trip to South East Asia with his fiancée and brother, Mr Cull said the lowest quote he could find was £3,000, which he described as "completely unaffordable".

"[That was] despite being two-and-a-half years clean, no recurring conditions. I was completely healthy," he said.

Mr Cull said he decided to travel without insurance, having had most of his savings "wiped out" by his time off work for treatment.

"I [didn't] want it to stop me living my life," he said, adding that he instead took other more "affordable" precautions ahead of the trip, such as getting "extra vaccines".

A spokesperson for the ABI said in a statement that it "remained committed" to supporting customers who have or have had cancer.

A 2018 report by the FCA warned that cancer patients were struggling to find affordable travel insurance, even long after their treatment had ended.

A Treasury spokesperson said: "Under Financial Conduct Authority rules, travel insurers must offer products that provide a fair value and, when charging a significantly higher premium based on pre-existing medical conditions, signpost consumers to providers who may be better placed to provide cover."