Medical insurance when meds change just before trip.

[Snowcat1]

My husband’s doctor just decease his blood pressure meds which my husband thought wouldn’t be a problem but it is with our insurer. Does anyone know of any insurance that will cover you if your meds change less than 3 months before your trip?

[deec]

my understanding is that if you have insurance that covers "pre-existing" conditions medication changes are not a problem.  That is why we always buy truip insurance immediately.  Perhaps coverage in Canada is different.

[CurlerRob]

4 hours ago, Snowcat1 said:

My husband’s doctor just decease his blood pressure meds which my husband thought wouldn’t be a problem but it is with our insurer. Does anyone know of any insurance that will cover you if your meds change less than 3 months before your trip?

 

I've had this exact thing happen to me a few years ago. My reduction in medication dosage was shortly before my trip, and caused the insurer to view my situation as an "unstable" pre-existing condition that would have voided my policy.

 

I wound up buying from Manulife - a policy called TravelEase that is specifically oriented at people who have situations that would fit the "instability" rules. It was more money (but not massively) and could only be purchased over the phone due to a lengthy set of medical questions, but it saved my trip.

 

I think it's ok to post the link for this: https://www.coverme.com/travel-insurance/travelling-canadians/travel-ease-for-medical-conditions.html?province=ON&agecode=1 

 

For your future use, if your original purchase did not cover pre-existing conditions, it is normally possible to buy additional coverage for them - but in my experience there will always be a time period during which ANY changes will cause you to be seen as "unstable" by the insurer - even if it's only a week.

 

My other observation is to be sure to read your policy very carefully - it is astonishing how little it takes to be seen as failing the stability test - med changes of any sort is just one example - others are if you are referred to a specialist, or there have been any tests, investigation or treatment recommended, but not yet complete, or any outstanding test results. Any of these things will also render you "unstable" and can result in a loss of coverage.

 

Hope it works out for you both! 🍺🥌

[CurlerRob]

2 hours ago, deec said:

my understanding is that if you have insurance that covers "pre-existing" conditions medication changes are not a problem.  That is why we always buy truip insurance immediately.  Perhaps coverage in Canada is different.

 

Dee, if this is the case for your underwriter, that's great - but if you have not done so, you may want to have a slog through the policy.

 

Most insurers will cover pre-existing conditions, but the issue is how far in advance of the trip they must be stable. The word "stable" will be in the definition section of the policy - and as you will see in my previous post, there's many ways to trip over the definition.

 

A recent policy I had included pre-existing coverage, but what it really did was shrink the stability period to 7 days prior to the trip. That's much better than 6 or 3 months, but not bulletproof - especially if outstanding test results will trigger the stability clause. Hope that helps. 🍺🥌

[Snowcat1]

Thank you very much CurlerRob. My husband was able to get insurance through ManuLife. You saved the vacation. 

[toolworker]

Insurers vary. I have had excellent experience with TravelGuard. Their definition of a pre-existing condition is:

 

"Pre-Existing Medical Condition means an Injury, Sickness or other condition of the Insured, Traveling Companion, Family Member, Host at Destination, Business Partner, Pet or Service Animal for which care, testing or treatment was given or recommended by a Physician, within the 180 day period immediately preceding
and including the purchase date of this plan."

 

Nothing about stable - the word doesn't appear in their policy. This exclusion is waived if the policy is purchased within 14 days of first deposit or payment and if all trip costs are covered.

 

You have to pay extra to include problems with your pet as a covered reason.

 

 

[CDNPolar]

Another Canadian here and I thought that I personally was the one that had to worry about pre-existing conditions, but now it is my other half as well.

 

Thankfully we are not travelling again where we will need cancelation or medical insurance until late this year, so it gives time to "digest" the policy language and really understand the stable period and pre-existing conditions.

 

The one piece that I have plaguing me is a procedure that has been recommended by a specialist, but my decision to do or not in the end.  I have decided not to go ahead, but this recommendation of the procedure is still on the books so to speak.  

 

For me, it is stable period, but also when an insurance company is digging for medical history, how far can they go back?

 

In my case the recommendation was there and I declined.  Does anyone know what is my standing in front of the insurance company in this situation?

 

Again - Canada.  Many US insurance requirements are very different.

[May B]

I have never been aware of a period of time prior to the travel date, only prior to the day trip insurance coverage is purchased.

 

The quote given by tool worker doesn’t include the one I’ve seen in other policies, something about, or which might have caused a reasonable person to seek medical care. 

[CurlerRob]

5 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

Another Canadian here and I thought that I personally was the one that had to worry about pre-existing conditions, but now it is my other half as well.

 

Thankfully we are not travelling again where we will need cancelation or medical insurance until late this year, so it gives time to "digest" the policy language and really understand the stable period and pre-existing conditions.

 

The one piece that I have plaguing me is a procedure that has been recommended by a specialist, but my decision to do or not in the end.  I have decided not to go ahead, but this recommendation of the procedure is still on the books so to speak.  

 

For me, it is stable period, but also when an insurance company is digging for medical history, how far can they go back?

 

In my case the recommendation was there and I declined.  Does anyone know what is my standing in front of the insurance company in this situation?

 

Again - Canada.  Many US insurance requirements are very different.

 

How far can a company go back if you file a claim? Most policies I've seen in Canada require you to provide consent that basically opens up your medical records without limitation - in other words, as far as they like. Here's a quote from the medical questionnaire from a recent policy:

 

I understand XXX Travel Insurance Company, its agents, third party administrators or its legal
representatives may investigate any claim. I authorize any hospital, physician, other medical
service provider, or any other organization or person that has any records or knowledge of me and
my health to release to third party administrators, XXX Travel Insurance Company and its
reinsurers any such information for the purpose of this application and contract and any
subsequent claim.

 

Secondly, your coverage regarding a pre-existing condition will also be a function of the individual required stability period and/or your waiver status (purchased or included). That applies every time we purchase. 

 

Your approach in reading the policy carefully is the only way to go - and if you're still troubled by a question, it's always worth calling the company and asking. Better to have maximum clarity in advance than later should you need to file a claim. 🍺🥌

[CurlerRob]

3 hours ago, May B said:

I have never been aware of a period of time prior to the travel date, only prior to the day trip insurance coverage is purchased.

 

The quote given by tool worker doesn’t include the one I’ve seen in other policies, something about, or which might have caused a reasonable person to seek medical care. 

 

This may be a US difference, but most insurers are also concerned with whether you have a change in your condition prior to your departure and have requirements around that. There's all kinds of different wording that is aimed at dealing with that risk - varies widely between companies, but always aimed at the same issue.

 

This is just one example - note the focus on departure date: Any sickness, injury or medical condition that is not stable in the six months prior to each departure date.

 

🍺🥌

[FoggyEthan]

6 hours ago, May B said:

I have never been aware of a period of time prior to the travel date, only prior to the day trip insurance coverage is purchased.

 

There is so much variation between policies that no generalization is safe to make, but... several have phrasing about a lookback period prior to the effective date of the coverage. e.g. 60 days or 180 days. But here's another catch that most people can't just figure out easily: the effective date is different for your cancellation vs interruption coverage.

 

Cancellation is effective from when you purchase the insurance. Interruption is effective from your date of departure. So the lookback range is different if we're talking about cancelling the trip vs interrupting the trip.

 

Mostly I'm thinking about policies that don't have the waiver for pre-existing conditions.

[mariners]

CDNPolar, I suggest you review your medical information with the insurance company to ensure that you will be covered under a specific insurance policy as Canada, and different provinces within Canada, can have nonidentical insurance even when buying from the same company.  As you live in Ontario, you might have different coverage because of TICO.  We don't have anything similar in the province where I live.

 

My experience included me getting a written letter from the specialist that was forwarded to the insurance company, and then getting written confirmation from the Insurance company that I would be covered in the event of ...  It was only after I had received the written confirmation from the insurance company that I paid for the policy.

 

I also learned that the person who is filling out the health questionnaire doesn't always record things correctly and I will no longer fill out any questionnaire over a phone call unless I can review it and sign it to ensure that the information is correct. 

 

We've also chosen to get a yearly Medjet membership.  There are other similar plans that can be purchased through other companies.  Something like that might also be worth researching.

 

 

 

[CDNPolar]

9 hours ago, mariners said:

CDNPolar, I suggest you review your medical information with the insurance company to ensure that you will be covered under a specific insurance policy as Canada, and different provinces within Canada, can have nonidentical insurance even when buying from the same company.  As you live in Ontario, you might have different coverage because of TICO.  We don't have anything similar in the province where I live.

 

My experience included me getting a written letter from the specialist that was forwarded to the insurance company, and then getting written confirmation from the Insurance company that I would be covered in the event of ...  It was only after I had received the written confirmation from the insurance company that I paid for the policy.

 

I also learned that the person who is filling out the health questionnaire doesn't always record things correctly and I will no longer fill out any questionnaire over a phone call unless I can review it and sign it to ensure that the information is correct. 

 

We've also chosen to get a yearly Medjet membership.  There are other similar plans that can be purchased through other companies.  Something like that might also be worth researching.

 

 

 

 

I have medical through my company as I am still working, and I travel internationally for my company.  I always ASSUMED that because this was company sponsored, and I have it because my company expects me to travel, that it would cover me regardless of pre-existing conditions. 

 

NO, it does not.

 

However, I have tried from this company - Canada Life - to get specific policy language on pre-existing conditions, stable periods, etc., and they cannot provide anything more than to essentially say that it varies case by case.  In my mind, it is a roulette game and there is no way to really know.

 

So, we do buy - sometimes - additional plans, especially cancellation insurance that do carry medical as well.

 

When travelling to Antarctica, I offered the insurance company a letter from my GP and Cardiologist that said I was stable and no med changes, and stable for travel, and they said that this bore no positive standing on any claim that it would be decided based on the circumstance at the time.

 

We are not travelling until late this year again, and I am going to do some real homework now.