It’s just over 3 weeks until I leave the UK… I keep asking myself, am I ready?!?
Well, in terms of getting accommodation sorted, buying a suitcase and booking my flights… yes. In that respect, I’m ready to leave.
Whilst I’ve got a lot of the initial steps including accommodation covered (I’m lucky that my school is providing accommodation for me), I’m still in what feels like a sea of different insurance companies; ones that can’t cover my laptop, ones that charge me loads for my medical condition, ones that won’t cover my insulin pump, ones that don’t allow me to come back to the UK… It seems that throwing a medical condition and a mac into the equation make life a lot more difficult!
My University recommends 3 different insurance providers:
1. http://www.yearabroadinsurance.com
3. http://www.direct-travel.co.uk
I’ve spent the last few days researching them individually and weighing up their pros and cons with regards to the situation I’m in.
On a basic level, I need a policy that will cover me for my Type 1 diabetes, will cover my insulin pump (which is worth approx. £3000), will cover my mac and will allow me to come back to the UK for 3 weeks at Christmas. A lot of factors, huh?
Firstly, I took a look at yearabroadinsurance.com. I loved their policy as it doesn’t matter that I have a medical condition, they won’t charge me any extra for it. To be honest, the logic behind charging me for my medical condition really aggravates me, I’m gonna have to pay to insure something that I never even wanted in the first place?! But unfortunately, it has to be done and yearabroadinsurance.com were the only company that didn’t charge extra.
However, yearabroadinsurance.com won’t cover my laptop or my insulin pump. They’ll cover individual items valued at up to £350 but for anything over that, I’d have to pay 35% of the claim… Let’s be honest, paying 35% of a £3000 insulin pump is ridiculous. So unfortunately, it’s time to say bye-bye and farewell to yearabroadinsurance.com. It was a nice idea but unfortunately they don’t really cater to insulin pump users.
Then I had a look at Endsleigh. Gosh, I found Endsleigh confusing. I gave them a rang to ask them about their different policies (they seem to have loads!) and after a discussion with a man whose ‘son had type 1 diabetes’, I was told that they wouldn’t be able to cover my insulin pump abroad. The conversation itself didn’t get off to a good start when the man told me that us ‘diabetics are always changing their insulins’… The guy seemed clueless.
Endsleigh is highly recommended amongst students and the University seems to always be putting forward their name, so I’m very disappointed that they can’t cover my pump. Not being able to cover my pump instantly means that this insurance provider is a big, fat no-no. For a company that’s meant to be one of the most reputable insurance providers for students, I had to bite my tongue when I was told they couldn’t cover the insulin pump and when the words ‘ridiculous’, ‘discriminatory’ and ‘useless’ came to mind. It’s again one of those moments where having a medical condition sucks. However, I’m not the first person to go on a year abroad, nor will I be the last, so I decided I just had to put Endsleigh behind me and keep on searching.
Finally I rang direct travel. My parents always used direct travel when I was younger on holidays, so I hoped that they would be able to cater to disabled students and could cover my mac.
Direct Travel have good customer service. I have to say, having had customer service training through my job and having experienced the likes of Endsleigh, Direct Travel wins on the customer service front. The guy asked me to explain my situation (pump, mac, Christmas trip back to the UK…) and went from there.
His recommendation was that I take out two separate policies, one for Belgium and one for Spain as the back packer insurance would only allow me to come back to the UK for 14 days at a time. More expensive, yes. But if that’s what I’ve got to do, that’s where my student loan will be going. He then told me that unfortunately they wouldn’t be able to cover my mac, but he gave me a list of options to look at including gadget insurance… Something I didn’t even know existed!
Finally, I brought up the pump. After questioning me on exactly what the pump was for and clarifying that it was given to me by the hospital and I didn’t buy it myself, he told me that it would be covered on the medical expenses side and not as personal belongings. Direct Travel can cover my pump!
Hurrah, a guy that’s willing to help!
Now, I know they’ll charge me extra for my medical condition and I don’t agree with that whole idea. However, it’s the only company so far that can for the most part cover me and has offered solutions to anything that they can’t cover me for… It’s a relief to know that it is actually possible.
I’ll talk it through with my parents and get them to have a look at the policy before I agree to anything; I’d just rather have another set of (more experienced) eyes read it before I pay them anything. Overall, it looks like my best option is to go for Direct Travel for Belgium and Spain individually and to then get separate laptop cover. Apparently Endsleigh does alright laptop insurance, but I’ll definitely have to shop around before I say yes.
If you’re going on a year abroad with a disability/medical condition, shop around. Don’t just stick to the well known companies (like Endsleigh) and do your research. Don’t be afraid to give the guy or girl on the other end of the phone a bit of a grilling about their policy, you’re entitled to do so if you’re considering paying them!
I wrote out a list of everything I needed answering and jotted down what they told me as I went along. Even though my insurance will cost slightly more than your average student without a medical condition/disability, I know it’s essential.
I hope that this is of use to those with Type 1 diabetes (or any medical condition for that matter!) who are also feeling overwhelmed with the amount of issues insurance seems to bring up. As with everything so far in relation to the year abroad, do your research and be prepared to consider all possibilities before agreeing to anything.
Ma vie en Belgique <3 