Travel Insurance Diabetes
Don’t let diabetes stop you from holidaying. Compare with Savvy and find cheap travel insurance that will cover you.
Fact checked
Managing your diabetes can be a daily grind, whether it’s monitoring your diet or keeping on top of your insulin injections. If you’re planning a holiday, it’s vital you find a travel insurance policy that covers your diabetes in case anything happens. Luckily, Savvy can lend a hand.
By comparing with us, you can narrow your options to make it easier to find a travel insurance policy that covers diabetes, weigh up the pros and cons of different offers and lock in the best one for your needs. Don’t let being a diabetic hold you back: compare with Savvy today.
Can I purchase travel insurance that covers diabetes?
Most travel insurance policies cover Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as part of their automatically included pre-existing conditions. You will mainly be considering coverage for diabetes if you’re travelling overseas, as you won’t need this coverage on a domestic travel insurance policy. Any medical-related costs while travelling on Australian soil will be borne by Medicare or your private health provider.
Most travel insurance companies require you to go through a medical assessment if you need to declare your diabetes. This includes answering a few questions over the phone about your condition or completing an online questionnaire. Insurance companies employ medical professionals who assess your case and recommend whether or not you can receive coverage for your pre-existing condition.
What are some of the conditions of diabetes travel insurance cover?
While people who suffer from diabetes can get coverage for their pre-existing condition under most travel insurance policies, you’ll need to meet some conditions to avoid paying a higher premium.
Providers usually require diabetics to meet the following so you can be covered automatically for any medical costs related to either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes:
- Diagnosis: one of the conditions insurers place on you taking out coverage is that your diabetes was diagnosed a certain period before you purchased the policy. Depending on your chosen provider, this timeframe ranges between six and 12 months.
- No complications: to get coverage at no extra cost, you must prove your diabetes hasn’t caused complications such as issues with your kidneys, eyes, nerves or vascular system.
- Age: many insurance providers will only provide you automatic coverage if you’re under 50 or 60 years old, so it pays to check the fine print if you’re reaching middle age.
- Suffering other conditions: you can get additional coverage if you don’t suffer from cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, hyperlipidaemia or hypercholesterolaemia.
If you fall outside these requirements, you may need to pay a higher premium on your travel insurance to get coverage for your diabetes. While forking out more money can seem unnecessary, so are the out-of-the-pocket costs of hospital stays or medical treatment if you suffer any kind of illness, whether it’s a heart attack, stroke or chest pain related to your diabetes while you’re holidaying overseas.
Types of travel insurance
Why compare travel insurance with Savvy?
Why compare hotels with Savvy?
Search over 28 million hotels
You can quickly search more than 28 million hotels worldwide when you make your hotel bookings here through Savvy
No reservation fees
What you see is what you pay – there’s no reservation fee or administration fees when you book here through Savvy online
24/7 support available
Enjoy 24/7 support with a Customer Experience Team available to assist you in more than 40 languages
Top tips for travelling with diabetes
Get a check-up
It’s worth making a trip to your GP before you head off on your highly-anticipated holiday. They’ll be able to give you an update on your condition and advise you of any risks while travelling. Medical professionals in Australia can also type out a letter detailing your condition, any medication you take and devices you use to manage your diabetes which you’ll need to provide to Customs officials. Pack extra medication
Pack extra medication
Work out how much medication you’ll need for your whole holiday and make you have additional scripts if you lose any on your travels or your return to Australia is unexpectedly delayed. Getting prescription pills while you’re overseas can be tricky, so it pays to be well organised. Keep the essentials at-hand
Keep the essentials at hand
Make sure you carry all your essentials in your carry-on luggage so it’s close by while you’re in the air. For example, if you’re flying to India on a long-haul flight, pack your medication and testing devices into your handheld luggage so you can easily access them. You can get a National Diabetes Services Scheme (NDSS) card which authorities accept as proof you need to carry such devices and medication to manage your illness.
Know what you can carry
Whether you’re flying to Turkey or taking a trip to Bali, most airlines will only let you travel with 100ml of liquid onboard your flight. People who have diabetes and need to carry their insulin are exempt from this restriction, but they’ll need to check it in at the security checkpoint and present proof of their diabetes.
Frequently asked diabetes travel insurance questions
Helpful travel insurance guides
Explore your travel insurance options for your next destination
Disclaimer:
We do not compare all travel insurance brands currently operating in the market. Any advice presented above or on other pages is general in nature and does not consider your personal or business objectives, needs or finances. It’s always important to consider whether advice is suitable for you before purchasing an insurance policy.
Savvy earns a commission from our partners each time a customer buys a travel insurance policy via our website. We don’t arrange for products to be purchased from these brands directly, as all purchases are conducted via their websites.
Before purchasing your policy, we recommend you refer to the provider’s PDS for any further information on the terms, inclusions and exclusions.