Broker Brands has launched a travel policy that provides full medical and repatriation cover for people abroad suffering from serious illnesses.

The wholesale broker said the cover can also apply to people with terminal illnesses providing the prognosis is longer than four months.

A growing number of seriously ill people find holiday insurance either difficult to obtain or prohibitively expensive, according to Peter Hayman, chairman of the Association of Travel Insurance Intermediaries.

And he added, many others with less serious ailments such as asthma and diabetes find they lack cover because of industry-wide exclusion clauses relating to pre-existing medical conditions.

Broker Brands has helped reverse this trend with this new policy.

It has enabled a significant number of people with critical conditions to holiday abroad.

Among them was a women with terminal breast cancer given six months to live who obtained cover to take her two sons on holiday in America for a premium of £1,000.

Brokers Brands' lowest quote has been £45 and the highest £8,000.

The policy has no clause excluding pre-existing medical conditions.

But in common with other critical illness travel policies, customers have to agree to a questionnaire to tailor the policy to their needs.

John Britton, sales manager at Broker Brands, said the policy offers an opportunity to participate in a market with huge growth prospects.

Peter Hayman's firm offers a similar scheme and Hamilton Barr's Freespirit policy has been available for five years.


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