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Pre-existing genetic health condition and travel insurance


INCHARGE
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I have had 3 open heart surgeries in the last 35 years for Aortic Aneurysms. I have another Aneurysm. I always purchase travel insurance thru the cruise line, but I have always stepped out of faith that I would be ok. Now that I am older, I started thinking about the “what if..” I called a known company that offers multiple different insurances. I was told that to cover myself, get a letter from my doctor saying I am clear to travel, which I did. She said this letter would cover me, even though the cruise is not until September. Has anyone with pre-existing condition ever had to use the insurance? Did you get the letter from your doctor before your cruise? Thank You.

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You need to comply with specific insurance guidelines for pre existing conditions. Having a "notice" from a MD isn't going to cover anything with some policies.

You are so right. I wish the different plans could be in terms easily understood. I realize that It has to be insurance with a Pre-existing waiver, but I am going to check with the guidelines. This is all so confusing, because different states and different countries you live in can have different guidelines. The letter is just extra, I guess. Thanks.

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Before your condition/s are accepted and a policy issued, the insurer needs to know your not travelling against medical advice..

So providing the letter outlines you are not travelling against medical advise and your medical history is accepted, you’ll be set to go...

- many insurers will ask if you are undergoing treatment, expecting treatment and if you have had medical attention within a set period of time.. (eg: 6 or 12 months).

 

 

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If a medical claim is triggered whilst abroad, the GP will be expected to provide a detailed medical history about you..

If the insurer is able to link the medical event abroad to a pre- existing/condition, that has not been covered, you may find your claim is declined.

 

 

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From why you have outlined, it would seem you need to ask if your current aneurysm can be covered. Particularly as you have a strong history of them that required surgery.

 

 

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You need to comply with specific insurance guidelines for pre existing conditions. Having a "notice" from a MD isn't going to cover anything with some policies.
The policies that I have purchase specifically mention fit to travel at the time of booking (or of buying the policy) so it makes sense that they asked the OP to obtain the letter stating fitness for travel. Sounds like those are the correct instructions for the situation.

 

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A member suggested thT I post this here as well. Thank You for any help.

 

I have had 3 open heart surgeries in the last 35 years for Aortic Aneurysms. I have another Aneurysm. I always purchase travel insurance thru the cruise line, but I have always stepped out of faith that I would be ok. Now that I am older, I started thinking about the “what if..” I called a known company that offers multiple different insurances. I was told that to cover myself, get a letter from my doctor saying I am clear to travel, which I did. She said this letter would cover me, even though the cruise is not until September. Has anyone with pre-existing condition ever had to use the insurance? Did you get the letter from your doctor before your cruise? Thank You.

 

The coverage terms described by Welland may be those that are common in the UK.

 

However, you seem to be based in the USA, and travel insurance seems to differ considerably from country to country (also slightly from state to state, within the USA).

 

You should contact an insurer or a travel insurance broker (we use www.TripInsuranceStore,com) and discuss your situation.

 

We get policies that do *not* exclude any pre-existing medical conditions. However, we must be "fit to travel" on the day that the insurance is started. And the insurance must be started within 20 days of paying the *first* deposit (refundable or not). Some other companies may require it sooner such as within 10 days of first payment.

There is another company to use if we've missed this window.

 

Steve, at TripInsuranceStore, can answer questions about how to handle any medical changes between starting the coverage and departure date.

 

One nice thing about having the waiver of exclusion for pre-existing conditions is that it can speed up a claim based upon medical condition. That is because it wouldn't matter if it was related to a pre-existing condition or not, so there is no need for the insurer to poke around in previous medical records, etc.

 

We've had a few claims, all paid with no nonsense, and the two large claims were for medical issues. In neither case did the insurer ask for any information about whether there was any pre-existing condition that might have been related. (And in our case, the insurer *might* have found something in the medical history that they found to be "related" to the medical history. But because we had that waiver, there simply was no issue about that.)

 

One comment Welland made does hold in the USA too: You cannot be traveling against medical advice (no surprise there!).

 

But Steve (owner of TripInsuranceStore) would be the one to discuss all of this with.

 

Once you are set up with coverage, you can relax.

 

You might also want to consider MedJetAssist. It's a different policy/different insurer, and it only kicks in once someone is admitted to a hospital as an inpatient. Then, it would arrange to get you to a hospital of your choosing in the USA (your home country, right?).

There is no need for beancounters to get involved, and no need for any local medical team to declare themselves unable to care properly for you.

You must be at least 150 miles from home.

We get the annual policy, so we are covered overseas, and also for all business/family travel within the states (but at least 150 miles from home).

 

Good luck, and hope you can enjoy many happy travels!

 

And do check with Steve or someone similar. You don't want to rely upon anonymous posters on an internet Forum like this. ;)

And yes, we would suggest getting a letter at the start. We've done this, after needing to wait for a medical condition to heal, one that caused an insured trip to be cancelled. Once the physician said DH was "good to travel anywhere", we made a deposit on another trip, started the insurance, AND got a letter from the physician stating that DH was fit to travel.

(Fortunately, he hasn't had another medical emergency causing a trip to be cancelled or interrupted... although *I* did! :( )

 

GC

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I totally understand your concern and confusion. I have the same issue right now. I was diagnosed with cancer last year and spent 8 months in treatment. I am now cancer free but wanted really specific info from insurance about when I can travel, etc. They are not very forthcoming and won't be as specific as I would like. I have out of country medical coverage through my benefits at work. What they tell me is that I can start to travel 90 days after the doctor says I am fit to travel provided there are no new or worsened symptoms, and no upcoming diagnostic tests. What they won't say is what is considered a diagnostic test, of course I will have ongoing mammograms, bone tests etc. My doctors say those are routine tests. They also won't say what would happen if I did need to use the insurance and it was somehow related to my pre-existing condition. They just respond by saying they review each claim on a case by case basis.

 

As for the cancellation insurance, there are many companies that offer cancel for any reason and I have that coverage on my credit card anyway. Be sure to check your credit card for insurance as it is free and no sense in paying for a policy if you get it for free through your credit card company.

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Thank You both for your detailed and thoughtful replies. This is why i opened up about this. I was praying to hear from someone who has actually experienced the effects of having to use the insurance. Thanks again.

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Thank You both for your detailed and thoughtful replies. This is why i opened up about this. I was praying to hear from someone who has actually experienced the effects of having to use the insurance. Thanks again.

 

Cruisin 4 Ever raised a good point, but again, that might be specific to some non-USA insurance.

I've not heard of any "can't travel for 90 days after the 'OK to travel'", but I'm certainly NOT an expert on all USA-based policy terms. (And again, they can vary from state to state, even with the same insurer.)

 

I just glad that we have the types of policies here in the USA that we do have, without the pre-approvals of medical status, or the 90 days waiting... again - for at least *some* policies.

 

It makes sense, from the insurers perspective in that the vast majority of policies will *not* result in a claim, and many claims are not due to medical issues (e.g., cancelled flights, theft of passport, or whatever). So they'd need to vet a huge number of applications, most of which will not ever be used.

 

So do check carefully the terms of whichever policy/policies you are considering (and then select) to make SURE that they handle this medical situation in a way that works for you.

 

But another protection is, as mentioned, the Cancel For Any Reason [CFAR] additional coverage (extra charge, but can be worth it, especially in certain circumstances). That's what it sounds like: You can cancel for ANY reason including "I changed my mind"! Usually, however, that only pays 75% for third-party policies. But it certainly better than losing all of it...

We get that extra coverage these days primarily because very elderly MIL could get sick (or worse) at any time. A serious illness/etc., would be covered under the regular coverage. However, IF she said something like, "I'm just not feeling well anymore", or such... at her age (approaching 100)... well... DH would NOT want to go, even though MIL would try to insist that we go. Another reason involves things like weather and political situations. Severe situations would be covered by regular insurance. However... things may be too dicey in our own minds, and maybe WE would decide it's "too dangerous" even if no evacuations have been ordered. While we have MIL to consider, the extra concerns are sort of freebies in terms of paying extra for CFAR.

One other nice thing about our policies (Travel Insured) is that they've added the CFAR type coverage for *interruption*, meaning one could "go home" mid-way, and get the 75% reimbursement for the portions missed. (NOTE: We have NOT used this, so we don't know just how they calculate the "portions missed", etc.)

 

Again, good luck, and hope your health allows many more travels.

 

GC

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( ... snip ... )

 

You should contact an insurer or a travel insurance broker (we use www.TripInsuranceStore,com) and discuss your situation.

 

( ... snip ... )

 

GC

 

Another endorsement for TripInsuranceStore -- Very easy to work with, they've seen/heard everything and know how to deal with it, and will steer you in the right direction with options that fit your specific circumstances. I have a couple of pre-existing conditions that can raise some eyebrows, and I was able to get very reasonably priced trip insurance. I thought for sure I'd have to have the pricier "cancel for any reason" insurance, but it turns out I didn't need it. Very happy with them and will use them for all future cruises.

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

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I totally understand your concern and confusion. I have the same issue right now. I was diagnosed with cancer last year and spent 8 months in treatment. I am now cancer free but wanted really specific info from insurance about when I can travel, etc. They are not very forthcoming and won't be as specific as I would like. I have out of country medical coverage through my benefits at work. What they tell me is that I can start to travel 90 days after the doctor says I am fit to travel provided there are no new or worsened symptoms, and no upcoming diagnostic tests. What they won't say is what is considered a diagnostic test, of course I will have ongoing mammograms, bone tests etc. My doctors say those are routine tests. They also won't say what would happen if I did need to use the insurance and it was somehow related to my pre-existing condition. They just respond by saying they review each claim on a case by case basis.

 

 

 

With preexisting coverage- STABILITY is the key. It's not the actual tests that matter- it's the results. Change- is the problem. With many policies, ANY adverse, change within a certain window of time, and all the linked conditions, are not going to be covered. So, an abnormal, test, change/addition in medication is going to exclude your coverage.

 

Excellent advice- to speak directly to an insurance agent and get the accurate answers for your questions and find insurance for your needs. All kinds of options out there.

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