Travel Insurance for Pre-Existing Conditions

What are Pre-Existing Conditions?

While travel insurance companies offer coverage for sudden medical expenses, trip delays, personal liability, etc, you might sometimes need extra coverage for an existing disease. A pre-existing condition or pre-existing diseases (PED) refers to the symptoms or conditions which were treated or diagnosed before the beginning of your international trip or before the policy start date.

In most cases, any health conditions that were diagnosed 48 months or less time ago will be considered a pre-existing disease. Diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, heart disease, thyroid, asthma, etc, are termed as PEDs. Hence, you must look for PED travel insurance to secure your foreign trip. Now, whether or not travel insurance covers pre-existing conditions differs with travel insurance plans and their providers.

Is Declaring PED to the Insurer Necessary?

Yes, it is extremely important to declare any PED to your insurer so as to compare and buy the best travel insurance for pre-existing conditions.

Imagine that your father and mother are travelling from India to visit you in the US. You didn't know that your father was treated for high blood pressure a few months ago, though he was not at risk of a heart attack, he discontinued medication before the vacation.

During the trip, he was diagnosed with heart problems, but your travel health insurance claim was denied. Your insurer examined your pre-existing medical conditions and analysed that the medical emergency was due to the heart symptoms (high BP) that he faced before the trip.

A lot of families commit this mistake and assume that nothing will go wrong during a short visit. Nor do they imagine that their health condition will deteriorate or recur during the trip.

This is where declaring your PED becomes important. Especially if you have something chronic, you must choose a travel insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage, and for this, a declaration is necessary.

Are Pre-Existing Diseases Covered by Travel Insurance?

Most travel insurance policies cover pre-existing illness or any condition under the following two conditions:

• Life-Threatening Situations: Mostly, travel health insurance policy covers medical expenses arising due to a pre-existing condition only if it is a life-threatening situation.
• PED Add-On : The best way to cover PEDs and get travel insurance with pre-existing disease coverage is by buying an add-on to cover your PEDs.

However, you need to inform the insurer about any PEDs in advance and check the policy documents to see if it can be included as an add-on to your travel insurance policy.

Travel insurance companies do not approve claims if the insured person cancels the trip or seeks medical treatment during the trip due to any pre-existing medical illnesses or complications. Travel insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions is only offered under add-ons or specific plans made to cover these conditions.

When to Buy Travel Insurance with PED Cover?

It is your responsibility to keep tabs on your health so that you can have a fulfilling and stress-free life. Especially before going abroad, you must ensure that you are in good health so that you can have a good experience without the stress of unexpected health issues. For this, you need to confirm if you are in good health. You should also check if you have undergone any medical tests or made any changes to your medical prescription before your trip.

Before buying a travel insurance covering pre-existing conditions, you first need to understand PEDs. A PED or pre-existing medical conditions can be:

• Any condition you have undergone treatment for or are still getting treated for
• Any condition for which you're taking medicines
• Any health condition that you are already aware of

If you discover any condition that may pose a threat while travelling, then you will need to buy pre-existing coverage add-on with a travel insurance policy.

If you suffer from more than one pre-existing condition, buy a policy with no restrictions or capping, as many insurers like to limit their coverage only to 1 PED.

Is Travelling Without a PED Cover Worth It?

If you already have a diagnosed health condition, travelling without travel insurance with PED cover is a risky decision. Medical expenses are soaring high outside India, and it is always better to be covered and have travel insurance for pre-existing conditions during your international trip.

If you are travelling without adequate backup, you might end up disrupting your trip budget and face a medical emergency alone outside your home country, that too without proper coverage. You must always look for a travel health insurance plan that covers you for your pre-existing conditions .

Priya and Aasish were on their honeymoon in Thailand. On the third day, Priya started feeling minor chest pains after which she was taken to the hospital. She was on medication when they finalised their trip.

Luckily, Priya bought a travel plan with a pre-existing disease cover before heading abroad. Unfortunately, she fell sick there but since her travel insurance company was aware of her pre-existing medical condition, she was able to file a claim.

Had she not done so , her claim would have been denied at the time of her emergency abroad. Thus, it's very important to buy the best travel insurance with PED coverage, especially if you have existing health issues.

Wrapping it Up

You shouldn't leave your underlying conditions to luck, as your insurer will not entertain any claims caused by them. Your international trip and pre-existing conditions can go well together if you pick the best travel medical insurance plan for yourself.

Your travel insurer will give you an option to assess your medical history during verification to check for any previous or related health conditions. This is your chance to declare any health conditions so that you are not disappointed later.

If the insurer finds that your previous medical conditions have a connection with the claim you have filed, and you haven't declared them, then your claim will be denied. However, you will avoid a lot of disappointment and expense if you have bought international travel insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage.