Travel insurance for people with HIV

This page reflects the personal finance market in the UK.

Can I get travel insurance with HIV?

Yes. Most people living with HIV should be able to get travel insurance and be covered for HIV-related claims, especially if you are stable on effective HIV treatment.

However, you will usually need to mention your HIV status when applying for insurance and you should check your policy carefully.

If you know that you have HIV, this is normally classed as a ‘pre-existing condition’ – in other words, an illness that a person already has or has had in the past. Some general travel insurance policies exclude ‘pre-existing medical conditions’ such as HIV, but there are specialised policies that offer this cover.

Do you have to declare HIV for travel insurance?

Yes, you usually do. Travel insurance will not usually cover any claim relating to HIV if you were asked whether you had HIV and you did not mention your HIV status.

If you choose travel insurance which does not cover pre-existing conditions and you fall ill while you’re abroad, you may have trouble claiming medical expenses even if your illness isn’t related to HIV. Some people have gone through lengthy battles to prove this, and insurers have tried to refuse the claim.

Withholding information about your HIV status or lying in your application may also result in having your policy cancelled. This means you could waste money on a policy that does not pay out when you make a claim.

There are some insurance providers which do not always require HIV to be listed as a pre-exiting condition. There is more information about two of these towards the end of this page.

However, these policies may be more expensive than policies from other insurance providers. They could be more expensive to buy, or they might have a higher excess. The excess is the amount you have to pay out of your own pocket before the insurance provider will cover the remaining cost of a claim.

What information will I need to give my insurer?

When you list HIV as a pre-existing condition, you might be asked for more information, such as:

• whether you have started a new antiretroviral medication in the last three months
• if you are planning to change your medication
• your latest CD4 count (if known)
• your latest viral load (if known)
• if you’ve been advised to start antiretroviral treatment but chosen not to.

People who are stable on antiretroviral therapy, with an undetectable viral load, and a CD4 count over 350, and without other health problems, are often able to obtain travel insurance with only small additional costs.

However, if your medical situation is not stable, if you are waiting for test results, or if you have recently been admitted to hospital, there may be extra costs, or it may not be so easy to get cover. 

Will other health conditions affect my insurance?

If you have another pre-existing condition, like diabetes, asthma or heart disease, this will probably have a greater impact on cost than well-controlled HIV. If you have several health conditions, insurance may be significantly more expensive.

You may be asked detailed questions about each of your pre-existing medical conditions – both those related to HIV and those that have nothing to do with it. You may need to give information on health problems you had several years ago.

It's important to declare all health conditions and medications when asked, even those that might seem minor or unrelated to HIV. If you don't declare something relevant, your claim could be refused or your policy cancelled.

What cover should I get when traveling?

It’s important to check that your policy provides enough cover. A good travel insurance policy should provide cover for:

• cancelling your trip or cutting it short
• medical expenses
• the cost being flown back to the UK if you’re unwell (this is called ‘repatriation’)
• accidental loss or damage to your personal possessions, including your medication
• loss or theft of money
• legal expenses and personal-liability cover if you injure someone else.

Experts recommend having cover for £2 million medical expenses, £2 million personal liability, £2000 cancellation cover and £1500 baggage cover.

What if I have travel insurance with my bank?

Travel insurance is sometimes offered as a 'free' extra with a credit card or bank account. It's important to check the terms and conditions as pre-existing conditions may be excluded.

Where to start looking

Price comparison websites are a good place to start, especially if you are stable on treatment with an undetectable viral load. An online search for “travel insurance comparison medical conditions” will identify suitable websites.

Alternatively, you can find a list of companies that specifically offer cover to people with pre-existing conditions on the Money Helper website.

It is always wise to shop around for a range of quotes and select the insurer which best meets your needs.

While we cannot provide recommendations for any particular provider, two companies which do not usually require HIV to be declared as a pre-existing condition are listed below. Most specialist providers can cover HIV, but still require you to declare it. These two companies take a different approach.

It's So Easy Travel Insurance

Website: www.itssoeasytravelinsurance.com

Phone: 01223 785 513

This policy automatically covers HIV, without any extra cost. If your medication has not been changed in any way in the last four weeks you do not have to mention HIV.

HIV isn’t mentioned on any policy documentation, except in the policy terms and conditions where HIV is listed as one of many automatically covered conditions.

However, if your medication has changed in the last four weeks, you will need to say you have HIV. You will then be asked further questions about:

• your viral load
• your CD4 count
• changes to your medication in the past six months.

Your answers to these questions might change whether you can get cover or how much it costs.

Emerald Life

Website: www.emeraldlife.co.uk/travel-insurance

Phone: 0330 113 7109

Emerald Life does not require you to declare HIV as a pre-existing medical condition if you meet all of the following criteria:

• Your latest viral load is less than 50 or undetectable.
• Your CD4 count is over 350 (or your doctor says CD4 testing is not necessary).
• You have been stable on medication for the previous three months.
• No additional or changed medication is planned.

If you don’t meet these criteria you will need to say you have HIV, and it might change whether you can get cover or how much it costs.

Travel checklist

Before you travel, make sure you have:

• your insurance policy number
• the insurer’s support line number and email address
• instructions of what to do if something happens on your trip

The Global Health Insurance Card

If you're going to an EU country, Switzerland or Australia, it’s also worth getting the Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), which is issued by the UK government.

It makes sure UK residents can access emergency treatment and other medical care that cannot reasonably wait until you come back to the UK (this is called "medically necessary healthcare"). This includes medically necessary treatment for a pre-existing condition.

With this card, you should receive the same kind of healthcare from state facilities that a resident of the country would receive. In some countries, this will be free, but in other countries, you may need to make a payment.

But there are limits to what this card covers, and having a GHIC is not the same as having travel insurance. The government advises that anyone travelling overseas should take out travel insurance that will cover you for all accidents and illness.

You can apply for a Global Health Insurance Card here.

Other considerations

Some countries such as the United Arab Emirates restrict entry based on HIV status. This could mean that accessing medical care in these countries is more difficult or may cause legal issues. There is more information about travel restrictions for people with HIV on another page.