Help with Travel Insurance. I have a pre existing illness.

[kathy1975]

I want to book a trip to the US, Canada, and a cruise to Alaska, but I am having trouble getting travel insurance because of a pre existing illness. I had a heart attack last November and now have a stent.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Did you have a question? Are you looking for recommendations of insurance companies?

 

[kathy1975]

Did you have a question? Are you looking for recommendations of insurance companies?

I would like some recommendations. I spent today trying to find a company but was not eligible with any due to my pre existing illness, a heart attack las November.

 

[coriander]

InsureAndGo are worth investigating. I had a mitral valve repair years ago and had no issues getting cover.
I'm not sure how they'll handle my multiple myeloma going forwards.

 

[Steady]

Welcome aboard kathy197, there are posts here on travel insurance you could look through

 

[tgh]

Hi Kathy.. Insurance companies decide upon insurability based on generic questions that may or may not give a true indication of the risk they are covering.
Have you been rejected already …by who?
They are in the business of selling insurance and if you can provide evidence of a stable health profile you should be able to obtain a policy ; perhaps a personal approach is required.
Otoh , if you are a genuinely risky proposition , then finding a policy without fudging your condition may be difficult.
It's not difficult to fool the insurer when buying but a quite different game when making a claim.
Good luck

 

[kathy1975]

InsureAndGo are worth investigating. I had a mitral valve repair years ago and had no issues getting cover.
I'm not sure how they'll handle my multiple myeloma going forwards.

Hi Kathy.. Insurance companies decide upon insurability based on generic questions that may or may not give a true indication of the risk they are covering.
Have you been rejected already …by who?
They are in the business of selling insurance and if you can provide evidence of a stable health profile you should be able to obtain a policy ; perhaps a personal approach is required.
Otoh , if you are a genuinely risky proposition , then finding a policy without fudging your condition may be difficult.
It's not difficult to fool the insurer when buying but a quite different game when making a claim.
Good luck

Rejected by Alliance, Cover More, One Cover TID, Travel Virgin, Insure & Go, Insurance for Seniors.

They rejected me.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Unfortunately it might be the case that it is just too soon to travel and be covered? You have two choices... either postpone your travel, or travel and take the risk. Insurance should still cover you for any item that is not related to the heart attack (accidents etc). I guess it depends on your doctor's advice on whether you might get any complications.

 

[sinophile888]

I have recently had some trouble with TI as I have a pre-existing heart condition, but haven't had a heart attack. I usually use Insureandgo but have also used Defence Health Travel Insurance. If one has Health Insurance with Defence Health, one also gets a discount. We did try to make a small claim with Defence Health recently, but the paperwork was ridiculous, so we didn't pursue the claim.
In 2015, I tried all these companies before I found Insureandgo.
Allianz
Apia
Boomers
BUPA
Columbus
COTA
Covermore
Insure4less
National Seniors
RACQ
Southern Cross
Suncorp
Suresave
travelinsurancedirect
Worldcare
I have recently tried the following with no luck.
Tick Travel
Southern Cross
Australian Seniors
1Cover travel
Fast cover
Columbus
The recent issue I have had with Insureandgo is that I want to get insurance for a cruise which doesn't leave Australian waters. The good news is that my policy cost is the same whether I have pre-existing conditions or not. This is because all health costs are covered by Medicare and private health insurance, if you have any. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be covered if I had to cancel the cruise due to a pre-existing condition. So it's not really the policy I need.
I continue to trawl the internet looking for options.

 

[Pushka]

I was going to suggest Insure and Go as they cover me worldwide for an annual policy for $1200 with a pre existing condition that renders me more liable to blood clots including strokes. I haven’t had a stroke but have had an unprovoked DVT. I’d try Defence Health too as they cover my niece who has significant pre existing issues.

 

[Pushka]

I have recently had some trouble with TI as I have a pre-existing heart condition, but haven't had a heart attack. I usually use Insureandgo but have also used Defence Health Travel Insurance. If one has Health Insurance with Defence Health, one also gets a discount. We did try to make a small claim with Defence Health recently, but the paperwork was ridiculous, so we didn't pursue the claim.
In 2015, I tried all these companies before I found Insureandgo.
Allianz
Apia
Boomers
BUPA
Columbus
COTA
Covermore
Insure4less
National Seniors
RACQ
Southern Cross
Suncorp
Suresave
travelinsurancedirect
Worldcare
I have recently tried the following with no luck.
Tick Travel
Southern Cross
Australian Seniors
1Cover travel
Fast cover
Columbus
The recent issue I have had with Insureandgo is that I want to get insurance for a cruise which doesn't leave Australian waters. The good news is that my policy cost is the same whether I have pre-existing conditions or not. This is because all health costs are covered by Medicare and private health insurance, if you have any. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be covered if I had to cancel the cruise due to a pre-existing condition. So it's not really the policy I need.
I continue to trawl the internet looking for options.

Doesn’t their Annual cover provide cover for cruises? I know mine does.

 

[sinophile888]

Doesn’t their Annual cover provide cover for cruises? I know mine does.

Thanks for that suggestion. I'm not sure about annual cover; I'll look into it with insureandgo. I have booked three Australia only cruises as I am still not allowed to fly.

 

[Renato1]

I think you can get all the health insurance that you want, it's just that you won't be covered for anything to do with your heart/heart operation. Last year when I was declaring pre-existing conditions for free travel insurance with a CBA credit card, I put in that I had had a back operation - and was charged an extra $500 which I paid. Then I thought about it, and rang them back asking why I was paying so much money when my specialist said I was fine.

She replied, that it was no problem, that she'd cancel the policy, and that I should fill out a new one out leaving the back operation out - though if something did happen to my back, I wouldn't be covered.

Only problem is, you want to go to the USA, where if something goes wrong you can wind up financially ruined.

My suggestion - if you can't find that travel insurance - would be to travel to the 11 countries where we have reciprocal health care agreements, and wait until you can finally get insurance for the USA.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - medical care when you travel to another country - Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - Services Australia

To be covered under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia, you’ll need to meet the agreement conditions.

www.humanservices.gov.au

Regards,
Renato

 

[Pushka]

I think you can get all the health insurance that you want, it's just that you won't be covered for anything to do with your heart/heart operation. Last year when I was declaring pre-existing conditions for free travel insurance with a CBA credit card, I put in that I had had a back operation - and was charged an extra $500 which I paid. Then I thought about it, and rang them back asking why I was paying so much money when my specialist said I was fine.

She replied, that it was no problem, that she'd cancel the policy, and that I should fill out a new one out leaving the back operation out - though if something did happen to my back, I wouldn't be covered.

Only problem is, you want to go to the USA, where if something goes wrong you can wind up financially ruined.

My suggestion - if you can't find that travel insurance - would be to travel to the 11 countries where we have reciprocal health care agreements, and wait until you can finally get insurance for the USA.

Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - medical care when you travel to another country - Reciprocal Health Care Agreements - Services Australia

To be covered under a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) with Australia, you’ll need to meet the agreement conditions.

www.humanservices.gov.au

Regards,
Renato

Renato, if they won’t cover for heart issues and youve got a stent inserted last year then anything that goes wrong, other than accident will be put down to heart issues. And even a fall could date back to a heart issue.

 

[Renato1]

Renato, if they won’t cover for heart issues and youve got a stent inserted last year then anything that goes wrong, other than accident will be put down to heart issues. And even a fall could date back to a heart issue.

I'd have thought one would still be covered for unrelated issues like kidney stones, gall stones, impinged spinal nerve, collapsed spinal disc, and for the more likely things like damage to body parts from a traffic accident, and damage from assault and battery to the human anatomy.
Regards,
Renato

 

[Pushka]

I'd have thought one would still be covered for unrelated issues like kidney stones, gall stones, impinged spinal nerve, collapsed spinal disc, damage to body parts from a traffic accident, damage to body parts from assault and battery etc.
Regards,
Renato

They will try pin anything on a pre existing if they can. Link them up somehow. Remember we are dealing with an insurance company here. As you say there will be obvious issues you would be covered for but any ‘actions’ on your part may provide them with an out. But if say travelling in a taxi and it collided with another car you’d be fine. If you were driving and had an accident then I suspect they will say that the heart was somehow involved - eg tiredness yada yada.

 

[Anna]

An insurer would find it difficult to attribute a claim to a pre existing condition if the traveller's medical report submitted with the claim specifically said 'the traveller's problem of xyz injury from the mva (or insert relevant health problem that is being claimed for) is unrelated to the traveller's pre existing condition of (name of pre existing condition)'. You just need to ask your doctor to make that statement in the report. Assuming the doctor agrees that the pre existing condition had nothing to do with it, s/he should not have a problem putting that in (at least I have never had a problem getting them to include it). Then you have the insurer on the back foot of needing to get a specific report to the contrary if they want to refuse the claim - most times they would not bother if they know you already have a medical expert on your side (depending on the size of your claim I guess).

If you put in a claim without your own medical report and you leave it up to the insurer's doctors then you would be at their mercy. So get the ducks in a row before submitting the claim.

Also, even with a pre existing health condition you can still get a travel insurance policy that covers lost luggage, delayed bags and other non-health related things.

 

[Pushka]

An insurer would find it difficult to attribute a claim to a pre existing condition if the traveller's medical report submitted with the claim specifically said 'the traveller's problem of xyz injury from the mva (or insert relevant health problem that is being claimed for) is unrelated to the traveller's pre existing condition of (name of pre existing condition)'. You just need to ask your doctor to make that statement in the report. Assuming the doctor agrees that the pre existing condition had nothing to do with it, s/he should not have a problem putting that in (at least I have never had a problem getting them to include it). Then you have the insurer on the back foot of needing to get a specific report to the contrary if they want to refuse the claim - most times they would not bother if they know you already have a medical expert on your side (depending on the size of your claim I guess).

If you put in a claim without your own medical report and you leave it up to the insurer's doctors then you would be at their mercy. So get the ducks in a row before submitting the claim.

Also, even with a pre existing health condition you can still get a travel insurance policy that covers lost luggage, delayed bags and other non-health related things.

That sounds like a good plan but it relies on the Dr agreeing there was no relationship which they may not be prepared to do. And would likely be a prolonged process to get to that point. While I’ve claimed on baggage etc the main ones I’d want to be covered for relates to medical issues as those are the ones to send you bankrupt.

 

[Julesmac]

Well my wise old dad who was in insurance all his life used to say - if you can't afford to insure it, you can't afford it. We travelled to NZ some time after my husband had his heart attack and stents, it took me ages and costs heaps but we used CoverMore. Naturally we had an incident on the plane over, ambos carted him off and a night in hospital, thankfully not heart issues but severe dehydration. Throughout the whole process the company was fabulous, could not have been more helpful and supportive. Super treatment. Unfortunately we can't travel any more as my husband has since had cancer so with all them there issues there's simply no way we could afford cover

 

[Pushka]

We had a fabulous experience with TID perhaps 8 years ago for an accident but recently have heard of more complaints since then.