[lizzy]

Honourable, knowledgeable and experienced members of ukb.

Basically I was wondering if anyone has a good (possibly in depth) knowledge of the evil that is insurance policies. I am going in June to Font then Chamonix, hoping to do some bouldering and sport routes. I need some travel insurance, pretty normal. However, I had an operation in September to remove a cyst (a mediastinal teratoma) in my chest and reading through insurance policies, regarding people to be insured, this came up, which could cause some problems...

As far as I know, the following apply:
- Nobody is waiting for an operation, hospital consultation (other than for regular check-ups), or other hospital treatment or investigations.
- Nobody has received treatment, other than regular medication, in the last 12 months for:
any form of cancer, leukaemia or tumour;
- Nobody has been seen by a specialist in the last three months (other than for regular check-ups) or been admitted to a hospital overnight.

Am I going to have problems getting insurance? (I'm thinking v. likely unless I give them half of my student loan). It was a tumour (but a benign cyst?), pretty much completely removed, I am having a chest X-ray and seeing my surgeon every 6 months for a few years (a regular check up?) and being seen by a cardiologist every year.

I'm phoning up the BMC insurance people tomorrow.... 

Alternatives: Go without insurance, pack an extensive first aid kit, pray to the Gods that nothing goes wrong and if it does that Sam has actually learnt something so far in his medical degree.

Any help/ideas would be appreciated.

[account_inactive]

Check out this thread

http://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,8519.0.html

[lizzy]

Thanks Dylan. I think they've changed their options though, I just called them up (couldn't get online to work?) and they said that they "only cover climbing at a climbing wall". 

[account_inactive]

That's weird.  I used them at the beginning of the year.  Never mind, good luck with the search

[slackline]

BMC membership is only ~£15 at the moment making their options marginally more attractive than when it was £26

[jb]

Would definitely recommend Snowcard: http://www.snowcard.co.uk/pages/index.asp

They seem to have very senior people in the company answering calls and they have always given me a straight answer to any question over the phone. I don't know whether they're the cheapest but their customer service is excellent so def worth a look. Also heard about someone who was covered by them when he hurt himself badly and needed a helicoptor rescue in the alps. Apparently they sorted the whole thing no problems.

Jules.

[lizzy]

Thanks Jules. I'll give them a try tomorrow. 

[dave]

although this is not a climbing-related anecdote, my shortie spannered her wrist snowboarding in the chamonix valley recently and snowcard were fine, everything sorted out OK, they were phoning up the hospital to square everything away etc. Well I say snowcard, the company that actually provides their insurance, and thus who you end up dealing with when you phone the 24hour emergency number is a firm called Fortis, who again were fine and we've had no problems. if you've got a question the snowcard biatches in the office seem to know shit, give em a phone.

[lizzy]

I managed to get insurance in the end, went with BMC for the ease of it, apparently 3 months after an op seems to be the magic amount of time for them not to think you're going to break on them, so I'm ok . Cheers for the help though guys.