When you have an existing medical condition then you know how difficult it is to find travel insurance, as most of the travel insurance policies will exclude you out right as a big risk to insurer.
A medical condition, no matter how minor that causes you to seek medical, advice, care or treatment or any condition which you have that requires the taking of prescribed medication can be described as a pre-existing medical condition.
Insurance companies see people who have pre-existing medical conditions as a high-risk group, and who are more likely to claim for an illness whilst they are on holiday, for this reason a person with a pre-existing medical condition is more likely to have to pay a higher insurance premium for their travel insurance policy compare to a person with out.
In most cases if the person who is purchasing the travel insurance policy has a pre-existing medical condition or a member of the group they are purchasing the insurance for has, they will need to contact the insurance company's medical screening line.
When you are talking to the medical screening for the insurance company, you need to tell them about all of your previous medical conditions even if it was a minor condition which occurred some years ago. It is not always a guarantee that a person with a pre-existing medical condition will be charged a higher premium for their travel insurance policy.
Declaration of your pre-existing medical conditions are not the only factors which insurance companies look at when deciding if they are going to provide an insurance policy. They also take into consideration the place you will be traveling to. If for example you were planning to travel to the United States, Canada, the Caribbean or Cyprus, the countries will determine whether they will offer you a travel insurance policy or not as these countries have some of the most expensive medical care in the world.
Below are the possible options the insurance company can take once it assesses the medical declarations you have made:-
- · They can offer you a standard travel insurance policy, depending on the severity or type of your condition.
- · If your illness is related to your pre-existing medical condition then you would have to pay the costs relating to that illness. The pre-existing medical condition or conditions will be excluded from the travel insurance policy.
- · The company offers you the travel insurance policy but you would need to pay a higher premium for the policy in line with the associated risk, which the insurance company sees.
- · The company offers you the travel insurance policy but impose restrictions, exclusions, special terms or higher excess payment for the policy.
- · The company may decline to insure you.
