Breast cancer sufferers have faced massive travel insurance premiums for years, with the cost of cover for a European weekend break sometimes running into hundreds of pounds.

In the UK, more than 44,000 women have the condition diagnosed every year. Many have been forced to abandon holiday plans, or travel without cover, because of the high cost of insurance – or were refused a quote altogether. Macmillan Cancer Support, the charity, says that many women also find the questions from insurers insensitive, while Breast Cancer Care, another charity, says that one in every five calls it receives is about travel insurance.

However, a new travel policy, insurepink, which started at the beginning of this month, could mean an end to punitive insurance costs for breast cancer patients. It also promises to be more tactful and understanding than mainstream insurers.

Until now, premiums have been high because insurers classify sufferers as high risk. The cost of their home or car cover might not increase, but travel policies take into account preexisting medical conditions because insurers regard these as evidence that a claim for medical care will be more likely on holiday.

However, the insurer behind insurepink says that people who have had cancer diagnosed are not necessarily high risk, and that it can offer cheaper cover simply by asking questions that most other insurers do not.

Fiona MacRae, 45, a former breast cancer sufferer, designed the new policy with Equity Insurance Group after she was quoted a premium of more than £300 to cover a week’s holiday in France with her family, months after receiving treatment. She says: “Even if you have been out of treatment for five years, you can still get whacked on premiums. They say that cancer is high risk for travel insurance but it is not really, not like life cover. You are just going on holiday.

“At the moment, insurers have a broad-brush approach. But cancer is an umbrella term for 200 diseases that all react differently. Insurers need to assess risk more specifically, and price accordingly.”

The sensitive nature of the medical questions means that searching for a travel policy can also be unpleasant, Ms MacRae says. “No one wants to discuss personal questions with a kid in a call centre. It can be demoralising.”

And the questions are not appropriate for accurately determining risk, she says. For instance, most insurers ask “how many times have you visited the doctor in the past year”, to determine the likelihood of needing medical attention while away. “Of course they have been to the doctor,” says Ms MacRae. “Going to the doctor a lot could mean they are less likely to need care on holiday, because they are actively being looked after.”

Insurepink, which is donating £1 of every policy to the Pink Ribbon Foundation, the breast cancer charity, has dropped questions that it says are unhelpful and introduced new ones based on medication. “You can tell more from people’s prescriptions than anything else,” says Fiona.

It is not just breast cancer sufferers who stand to benefit from the new approach. Equity Insurance Group is looking at extending the policy to sufferers of other cancers, such as men with prostate cancer. Neil Utley, the group’s chief executive, says: “We are investigating areas of the market poorly served by fair pricing.”

The insurance industry is discussing how to improve cover for those with preexisting medical conditions. Jonathan French, of the Association of British Insurers, says: “When applying for travel insurance, people are obliged to disclose preexisting conditions, or the policy is invalid. We are trying to make things better... but it is important to note that people can get cover. There are plenty of specialist providers. The difficulty has been people not knowing their options.”

Mr French recommends that anyone suffering from a preexisting condition should contact charities to find out which insurers specialise in cover. The websites of Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancerbackup include sections on the financial consequences of the disease.

Contact: www.insurepink.co.uk

Giving them a break

Costs with insurepink, for:

A woman aged 35, who had breast cancer diagnosed in January 2007, with no metastases. Had chemotherapy, lumpectomy and radiotherapy by June 2007. Is on tamoxifen. Travelling to Australia for nine days – £31.44

A woman, 43, whose cancer was diagnosed three years ago, and spread to more than four lymph nodes. Had chemotherapy, mastectomy and radiotherapy. Has Herceptin infusions. Travelling to the US for five days. No cover for cancellation or curtailment because of this condition, but full cover abroad – £46.70

A woman, 64, whose cancer was diagnosed ten years ago. Six months ago bony metastases found in her spine. Is on three different medications. Travelling to Thailand for 15 days – £97.98

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