Pre-Existing Disease Coverage in Travel Insurance

What is a PED in Travel Insurance?

Pre-existing condition or PED is any health condition, ailment, or injury for which you have had:

• Signs or symptoms before your journey
• Received medical advice
• Received a diagnosis or a treatment

If any of the above conditions occurred within 48 months before the start of your policy, then it will be considered a pre-existing health condition.

Can You Buy Travel Insurance if you have a PED?

Definitely. Anyone can buy travel insurance even if they have a pre-existing condition (PED). But this process demands full transparency and careful selection of plans. Having a chronic health condition like hypertension or diabetes does not disqualify you from getting insurance coverage benefits, but you must declare them during the application process.

While standard policies strictly exclude pre-existing diseases from the coverage, some comprehensive travel insurance policies cover PEDs either for acute onset or life-threatening conditions. Some plans also offer specialised coverage through travel insurance add-ons, designed to cover the declared pre-existing health conditions.

How is PED Covered by Travel Insurance

Most travel insurers only cover a PED and related medical expenses only in case of a life-threatening condition. Any treatment which is required to stabilise you is covered by your policy. However, once you're stable and fit to travel, any further restorative or rehabilitation treatment will not be covered by travel insurance.

Different policies may have specialised coverage, for example:

• Student travel insurance plans offer a 'Complete PED' add-on, which covers non-life-threatening flare-ups as well as routine visits related to the declared (stable) PEDs.
• Senior citizen travel insurance plans have a strict sub-limit for PEDs, regardless of the policy's total sum insured.

Exclusions under Pre-Existing Disease Coverage

Pre-existing conditions are additional risks that an insurer takes on to provide you with support abroad. However, there are some exclusions that you must be aware of to avoid a claim rejection later:

• Planned Treatment: Medical tourism, or travelling solely to get treated for a health condition, is not covered by any insurer in India.
• Medication Refills: Your PED-covered travel insurance policy won't cover your regular supply of medication such as inhalers, blood pressure medicines or insulin.
• Non-Emergency Care: Your policy won't cover any treatment that isn't urgent or can be delayed until you return to India.
• Non-Disclosure: If you don't fully disclose any existing health conditions like diabetes, thyroid or hypertension, your claim can be rejected even if you got treated for a life-threatening emergency.

Claiming for PED under Travel Insurance: Things to Remember

To ensure your experience is smooth, you must provide the following:

• APS: Or Attending Physician's Statement is a crucial part of claiming for a PED-related event. The foreign doctor you take treatment from must certify that your condition was an acute onset or a life-saving event.
• Stability History: Indian travel insurance policies need medical records from your Indian doctor to confirm that your condition was stable/under control before your trip started.
• Discharge Summary: You must also provide a detailed discharge summary, listing the exact time your symptoms started and the steps taken for your emergency stabilisation.