Travel Insurance for Heart Failure

What is heart failure?

Heart failure doesn’t mean the heart has failed completely or completely stopped working. It means that the heart doesn't pump blood around the body as well as it should, because the muscle has become weak or stuff. It sits within our wider group of heart conditions and often follows a heart attack, long-term high blood pressure, or a problem such as cardiomyopathy.

Typical symptoms are breathlessness, tiredness, and swollen ankles or legs. It’s a long-term condition, but with the right medicines many people keep their symptoms steady for years. The NHS heart failure page goes through the causes and treatments.

Why do I need to declare heart failure for travel insurance?

Heart failure is a long-term, pre-existing medical condition, and it gets a close look when you’re screened. Fluid can build up quickly, breathlessness can get worse in heat or at altitude, and issues away from home may mean a stay in hospital or an early return to the UK.

That’s why it has to be on your policy. If it isn’t declared and you need treatment or cancel because of it, any related claim could be refused, or the payout cut.

You won’t need to declare every medical condition you’ve ever had or been diagnosed with, only those that fall into the initial set of medical questions.

Can I get travel insurance with heart failure?

Many people with heart failure can find cover. Whether it’s offered depends on your screening result, and people whose symptoms are settled and who haven’t needed emergency care lately generally find it easier. If your condition has changed recently, the outcome may be different from when things were steady.

What we’ll ask about your heart failure

Our online medical screening is quick and straightforward. You’ll answer a handful of questions about your heart failure, about other symptoms, and whether you’ve been in hospital recently. Once this condition is done, carry on and declare any other relevant pre-existing medical conditions.

When the medical declaration is complete, you’ll move on to the quote page. Where your heart failure and any other conditions are coverable, a list of quotes appears, with the cost of covering your medical already built into the premium. If cover isn’t possible, you’ll find out before you proceed.

If your health changes before travelling

Heart failure can shift quickly. If, before your trip, you have a stay in hospital, your water tablets change, you’re referred to a specialist, or you receive a new diagnosis, you must let us know. We may have to review your cover and refer your medical details to the underwriters, and sometimes we may not be able to continue with cover even if you already have a policy. If changes in your medical go unreported, a future claim can be affected or denied.

What can heart failure travel insurance cover?

Once heart failure is declared and covered, a sudden worsening abroad can be treated as a medical emergency under the policy. If you became very breathless on holiday in Florida and needed admitting, the hospital bills can be covered, and so can repatriation back to the UK with medical help if doctors advise it. Everything is subject to the policy terms, exclusions, limits and excess.

It can help before departure, too. If your heart failure flares up and your doctor says you shouldn’t travel, you may be able to recover prepaid costs through cancellation cover.

Planned treatment abroad isn’t covered, and neither is anything linked to a condition you left off the screening.

Will heart failure affect the cost of travel insurance?

Heart failure may add to the price of a policy. The exact difference depends on what you tell us through online screening, which may ask about how your heart failure is treated and how well controlled your symptoms are. Your age, where you're going, and the length of the trip are factored in as well. The quote shows the full cost before you pay anything.

Single trip or annual cover with heart failure

Single trip insurance covers one journey and suits most people who go away once a year. If you take several breaks, annual travel insurance covers them all under one policy. Whether it’s offered with heart failure depends on your screening.

Travelling with heart failure: practical tips

The suggestions below are general and separate from what your policy covers.

Flying can be harder with heart failure because cabin air holds less oxygen. If you’re breathless at rest or with light activity, ask your heart team whether flying is sensible and whether you might need in-flight oxygen. Airlines usually need notice to arrange it.

Ankles often swell on long journeys. Walk the aisle when you can, keep your legs moving and wear loose shoes. Weigh yourself as you normally would if your scales travel with you, or ask the hotel. A sudden gain in weight can be an early sign of fluid building up.

Heat is worth planning around. Hot weather can leave you dehydrated if you take diuretics, yet you may also be on a fluid limit. Talk to your heart failure nurse about how to balance this somewhere hot. Salty restaurant food can also catch you out, so ask for dishes without added salt.

Diuretics mean frequent toilet trips. Some people time their dose around travel days, but only change your routine on advice from your nurse or GP.

1. book airport assistance so you aren’t walking long distances
2. choose accommodation with a lift and a short walk to the restaurant
3. carry your medicines and a list of them in your hand luggage

How to get a quote

Start with where and when you’re going, then complete the heart failure questions and any others that apply. You’ll see the cost straight away.

Get a Quote

Other Useful Heart Pages

• Angina Travel Insurance
• Aortic Valve Disease Travel Insurance
• Arrhythmia Travel Insurance
• Atrial Fibrillation Travel Insurance
• Cardiomyopathy Travel Insurance
• Congenital Heart Disease Travel Insurance
• Coronary Heart Disease Travel Insurance
• Endocarditis Travel Insurance
• Heart Attack Travel Insurance
• Heart Conditions Travel Insurance
• Heart Failure Travel Insurance
• Heart Valve Disease Travel Insurance
• Pericarditis Travel Insurance
• Supraventricular Tachycardia Travel Insurance

Don't worry if your condition is not listed above - we cover plenty more medical conditions.
* Please note that cover will vary depending on individual medical screenings.