FAQ - Medical Issues

A: The rates changes happens almost every year for insurance companies as they evaluate their claim ratio in respect to total premium generated in a year, so many prefer to buy the travel insurance early to save money. Also another thing is, people consider buying before their birthday to get the premium based on their younger age. Please do remember that buying early cannot lock your health status for the insurance. If in case you see some health changes, then you need to inform the insurance company to review your policy and to adjust the premium accordingly. If you are not informing your insurance company, then you might end up with lower coverage or in some cases no coverage at all. Though you have bought the insurance well in advance, if you notice any changes in your health or any queries concerning the changes, it is better to read your policy and contact your insurance company or call your travel insurance agent asap.

A: If you have not diagnosed yet, it doesn't mean that the specific medical condition doesn't exist to you. The condition has already started showing you the symptoms and hence will be defined as a pre-existing condition. The wording on pre-existing conditions will be different for each and every insurance company. Generally, all pre-existing conditions will be excluded except the ones that have been stable for a certain stability period before your trip. The insurance company will give you the detailed explanation of stability period and also the time period that applies to it. Certain conditions will be excluded by the company if it is reasonable to assume that the medical attention could be required. Before traveling, it is really important that you need to read your policy documents thoroughly to achieve a better awareness of any exclusions that applies. The hospitalization expenses might not be covered on your trip if the pre-existing symptoms are related to the reason of your medical attention.

A: The medical questionnaire provided by the insurance company to classify your medical condition, will differ from one company to another. If you are not sure or getting doubts while answering the questionnaire, it is better to speak to your doctor to find the appropriate answers. Be aware that your coverage may get reduced or cancelled altogether, if you provide incorrect answers to classify it as a lower risk condition.

You can choose the below mentioned steps to avoid visiting your doctor

1) Choose a different company's medical questionnaire which you can understand and answer them easily.

2) If you are not sure of a question then answer them by erring on the side of caution which would define you as a higher medical risk. In this case, your coverage will be valid and premium will be higher also be assured that your answers are appropriate.

A: Travel insurance will cover the unexpected loss that you face while travelling. In case you have a pre-existing medical condition which cause you to seek medical attention or to claim for any interruption or cancellation of the trip then these conditions might not be covered. However before your insurance date, if your pre-existing condition is stable over a certain period of time then Insurance Company may consider for covering the per-existing condition. This 'stable period' varies slightly from one company to another. Each company has their own medical questionnaire and you need to fill in the answers, here the stable period may vary from 120 to 365 days depending on the company. Certain conditions, even if they are stable for a longer period, like Cardiovascular, lung disease, diabetes or cerebral vascular will be excluded. The terms of policy of the each supervisa insurance canadiancompany provides all these definitions clearly.

A: Pre-existing condition is an illness or medical condition for which you have taken treatment before the effective date of coverage of your new plan. Generally the insurance company will look back for 4months to 1 year but some conditions might demand entire lifetime too. Some pre-existing condition will be excluded from the coverage if it is not stable for a certain period of time. Before you go about finalisinga travel insurance plan that best suits you, its necessary to compare the coverage and definitions.