Travel Insurance FAQ on Medical Issues

A: Pre-existing conditions are defined as any injury, sickness or medical condition, for which the insured has symptoms or consulted a physician, has been hospitalized or was prescribed medications within a certain period before the effective date of coverage. The insurance company will 'look back' only so far (usually 3 months to one year) but, depending on the condition, will look back over your entire lifetime. Any pre-existing condition that has not been stable for a certain period of time will typically be excluded from coverage. That's why it's important to be able to easily compare coverage and definitions before choosing the plan that works for you.

A: Travel insurance is meant to insure against the unexpected. If you have a medical condition that you could reasonably expect to cause you to seek medical attention or file a claim for trip cancellation or interruption benefits, you probably won't be covered if the reason for your claim stems from that pre-existing medical condition. However, the insurance company may cover a pre-existing condition if it has been stable over a certain period of time prior to your insurance coming into effect.

Each company may use a slightly different definition of 'stable'. Depending on the company and the answers you may need to provide on their medical questionnaire, the stable period may range from 90 to 365 days. Certain conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular, cerebral vascular, or lung disease may be excluded from coverage even though they have been stable for longer than 365 days. It depends on the definitions provided under the terms of the policy.

A: Each insurance company offers a different medical questionnaire to classify your medical risk. If you are not certain about how to answer the questions you are asked, you are advised to speak to your doctor and get some help in determining the appropriate answers. You have to be aware that if you answer incorrectly, you will be classified as a lower risk than you actually are, and your coverage may be reduced or voided altogether. You could choose to avoid visiting your doctor and instead:

• Choose another medical questionnaire from a different company that asks only questions that you understand the answers to.
• Answer the question you are unsure of by erring on the side of caution when answering the questions so that your answer is the one that would define you as a higher medical risk. Your premium will be higher, but you can rest assured that your answers were not inappropriately conservative, and your coverage will be valid. 

A: It's important to realize that just because a condition hasn't been diagnosed doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Any condition that has already started to exhibit symptoms will be defined as a pre-existing condition. All companies have different wording concerning pre-existing conditions. In general, they will exclude all pre-existing conditions unless those conditions have been stable for a certain 'stability period' before your trip. The company will define what they mean by stable, and what period of time applies for the 'stability period'.

The company will also exclude any conditions for which it would have been reasonable to assume medical attention could be required. That's why it's important to read your policy document before travelling so you are aware of any exclusions that might apply. If the pre-existing symptoms are found to be related to the reason you require medical attention on your trip, those hospitalization expenses won't be covered.

A: It's important to realize that just because a condition hasn't been diagnosed doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Any condition that has already started to exhibit symptoms will be defined as a pre-existing condition. All companies have different wording concerning pre-existing conditions. In general, they will exclude all pre-existing conditions unless those conditions have been stable for a certain 'stability period' before your trip. The company will define what they mean by stable, and what period of time applies for the 'stability period'.

The company will also exclude any conditions for which it would have been reasonable to assume medical attention could be required. That's why it's important to read your policy document before travelling so you are aware of any exclusions that might apply. If the pre-existing symptoms are found to be related to the reason you require medical attention on your trip, those hospitalization expenses won't be covered.