Travel insurance can be beneficial when you are miles away from home. It is designed to help those who love to visit far off places in many ways such as reimbursing expenses if a trip needs to be cancelled on short notice or paying for medical care if you become injured while on holiday.
There are several policies available that are designed to meet your own insurance needs, for those who travel for business frequently, and for those who are over the age of 65 and have made traveling a new hobby during their retirement years.
Why Everyone Needs Medical Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is ideal for anyone to have because you never know when you may be involved in an accident or when you may become ill and require emergency assistance. However, it is possible to find a quality insurance plan for individuals who already have pre-existing medical conditions.
Many people may believe that because they have health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, or heart disease, it would be difficult for them to get good travel insurance plans. But that is not the case. It turns out that there are several companies out there that cater to avid travellers who have established health concerns. You just need to know where to find them.
What Does Pre-Existing Traveller’s Insurance Cover?
Technically, most traveller’s insurance policies do not cover any pre-existing medical conditions. Instead, they provide coverage in the form of what is known as an exclusion waiver since travel insurance policies automatically exclude coverage for pre-existing health conditions.
Travel insurance policies don’t cover the costs for existing health problems. These could be anything from a disease or illness that occurred before the planned date of your trip or one for which you received a diagnosis from a medical professional.
There are several traveller’s insurance policies that will reimburse medical fees in relation to a pre-existing health condition if you have a waiver. Choosing a plan that offers pre-existing condition coverage means that the medical coverage provided by your policy will be in effect, thanks to the exclusion waiver.
Where to Find Traveller’s Insurance When You Have a Pre-Existing Condition
If you are trying to get coverage and are struggling due to your age or your medical history, you need to visit a website such as Medical Travel Compared that compares travel insurance plans based on pre-existing medical conditions. When planning a trip and looking up traveller’s insurance plans, it can be frustrating when you are faced with high premiums and plans that don’t meet your own specific needs. However, when you find a company that focuses on medical travel insurance, you will have a better chance at finding exactly what you need.
What Is Defined as a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?
Even though the specifics regarding pre-existing medical conditions will vary from one insurance policy to the next, the basic definition is that it is any type of medical condition that manifested on its own, became acute, or showed symptoms that would have caused one to seek diagnosis, treatment, or care. It could also cause the individual to seek medical advice, a diagnosis, care, or treatment if recommended by his or her own or another physician. It can also be defined as a condition that requires an individual to take prescribed drugs or medication unless the condition for which the medication is taken remains controlled without any change in the prescription during the 60, 90, or 180-day lookback period prior to the day that you purchase an insurance policy. The condition does not have to be diagnosed.
Understanding the Look Back Time and Medical Stability
There is a specific period that can help determine whether your insurance company will define your current health condition as pre-existing. If they find that you were considered healthy during that time, known as the “look-back” period, then your health issue may not be considered pre-existing.
Your health condition may not be considered pre-existing if you have had no changes in your symptoms and no changes in the medication that you take as prescribed by your doctor during the time determined by your insurance company. You will need to be healthy at the time of your travel insurance plan purchase if you must file a claim.
The “look-back” period will vary from one policy to the next. It is typically between 60 to 180 days. If you had a serious health issue that came up during that time, it would be considered an established condition. This is also the case if you had signs, you were treated by a doctor, or your prescribed medication was switched to something different.
What Are Examples of Possible Pre-Existing Health Conditions?
If you have heart disease and have been under the care of a physician or you were prescribed medicine for your heart but you haven’t had any issues over the past few years and there has not been any change to the medicine that was prescribed by your family doctor, this may not be considered a prior-existing medical problem by your insurance company because you were stable during the “look-back” time.
However, if you have cancer and you are doing well enough to travel but you take medication each day for your condition, you have seen the doctor within the past 60 days, and the doctor has put you on new medication, then this would be considered a pre-existing health problem because you would not be considered stable medically since the changes occurred within two months of your trip.
Be Sure to Get in Touch with a Reliable Traveller’s Insurance Company Today
If you have any type of health problem, it is important to learn all the details about traveller’s insurance while you are making plans for your next holiday. Be sure to consult with a travel agent or other traveller’s insurance expert to learn more about the terms and conditions. One of their representatives will be pleased to help you find the right solution for your insurance needs. Doing so could help you save on costly medical expenses while you are away from home.
