Travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions

A pre‑existing medical condition is any illness, injury, or health condition that existed, showed symptoms, required treatment or needed medication before you purchased your travel insurance policy.

There are many ways in which insurers may classify a health issue as a pre-existing medical condition, such as:

• Conditions that have resulted in you being hospitalised or having surgery in the previous 24 months (this time period will vary between insurers).
• Conditions that have required you to seek professional medical advice.
• Conditions that have resulted in you taking medication.
• Conditions where you have displayed symptoms but not yet received professional medical advice or been treated, are still under investigation or where you are waiting for a specialist opinion.
• Conditions that are described as chronic or ongoing medical or dental conditions (including mental illnesses).
• Conditions that affect you with any other ongoing issues or chronic illnesses that have been diagnosed.

You should take out travel insurance for your pre-existing medical conditions to have peace of mind about what you’ll be covered if you need to make a claim for these conditions. You especially don’t want to impact your long-term financial well-being because of your condition or have your medical claims rejected because you weren’t covered.

Before your trip, consider getting a medical check-up, so that not only would you know if you’re fit to travel, but you also know what you need to disclose to your travel insurer. Failure to disclose information on any condition could invalidate future claims related to that condition.

Cover for many conditions may also depend on whether you have needed medical treatment within a certain period (e.g. 12 months) before a relevant date. This date can vary between policies and insurers; for example, for a single trip policy, it’s counted from the start date listed on your certificate of insurance, whereas for an annual multi-trip policy, it’s counted from the issue date of your travel insurance.

To find out exactly what you may or may not be covered for, make sure to read through the policy Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).

Travel insurance typically includes cover for overseas medical treatment, emergency assistance, trip cancellations and travel delays due to unexpected events and loss or damage to luggage, depending on the level of cover you choose. However, what travel insurance does and doesn’t include will vary between insurance providers and policies.

As well as cover for certain pre-existing medical conditions, you may have general travel insurance benefits such as:

• Emergency assistance and medical transport or repatriation
• Overseas hospital fees and medical treatment
• Trip cancellations and travel delays
• Lost deposits
• Curtailment cover (for accommodation and booked services if you need to cut your trip short)
• Stolen, lost and damaged luggage and property
• Personal liability.

Adding cover for pre-existing health conditions means you may be covered for the costs of overseas emergency medical and hospital services related to these conditions. This can be especially helpful if you’re in a country with expensive healthcare.

It’s always best to disclose any conditions you have to your insurer so you can be given relevant and accurate advice and recommendations.

Some travel insurance policies automatically cover certain common pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, epilepsy and coeliac disease if they have been stable and have not required recent treatment, hospitalisation or medication changes within a specified time period. This period is usually 12 months, although it can be up to three years with some insurers. It’s also usually required that there is no planned surgery or treatment required for the condition in the immediate future.

Many travel insurance policies include a certain number of pre-existing medical conditions automatically if they meet this criteria, while other conditions are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

The included conditions vary depending on your insurer and policy, but may include:

• Acne
• Allergies
• Asthma (if you don’t have a lung disease and are under 60)
• Cataracts
• Coeliac disease
• Congenital blindness
• Congenital deafness
• Epilepsy (if you haven’t had a seizure within a certain timeframe)
• Gastric reflux
• Hiatus hernia
• High cholesterol/hypercholesterolaemia
• Hypertension and high blood pressure (if you don’t have other heart conditions)
• Menopause (provided you don’t have osteoporosis).

This is not a complete list, so you should be sure to read your policy’s PDS to find out all the automatic inclusions and full details on your insurer’s eligibility criteria. It’s also important to read the Target Market Determination (TMD) to establish whether the policy is right for you.

Yes, cover for pre‑existing medical conditions often results in higher premiums or stricter eligibility criteria, depending on the condition’s severity and the insurer’s underwriting rules.

Some conditions that can often be covered for an additional premium include (but aren’t limited to):

• Heart conditions (coronary angiography, using a pacemaker)
• Stroke
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Lung disease
• Diabetes
• Mental health conditions
• Conditions where you’ve had surgery in the past 12 months or 24 months, depending on the insurer.

Note: A medical assessment and disclosure of your condition doesn’t require your insurer to give you cover. Pre-existing conditions are individually assessed, and cover can depend on what your medical condition is, its severity and your insurer’s policy.

Travel insurance commonly excludes pre‑existing medical conditions that require ongoing treatment, involve terminal illness, require continuous oxygen or have required recent hospitalisation or surgery, although exclusions vary by insurer.

Conditions commonly excluded include:

• Conditions from alcohol or drug dependency
• Conditions for which you’re awaiting any type of treatment or medical procedures
• Conditions where you’ve received treatment from a medical practitioner, had surgery or required hospitalisations within a specific time frame of buying your policy (this varies between conditions and insurers)
• Terminal illnesses
• Conditions or illnesses requiring continual oxygen supply
• Diseases such as chronic lung disease or cardiovascular disease
• Types of cancer
• Congestive heart failure
• Conditions where you are experiencing recurring pain.

It is recommended that people with these conditions may still take out general travel insurance but any claims arising from or connected to these medical issues will not be paid.

It’s important to note that regardless of whether your medical condition is included in your insurance, you may not be covered if you’re travelling against medical advice. Keep in mind also that different insurers may have different exclusions, so always read the PDS of any policy you’re considering for further information.

Insurers assess pre‑existing medical conditions based on your medical history, recent treatment, medication changes, and the stability of the condition.

Assessment may consider:

• Whether you’ve been hospitalised or had surgery recently
• Whether your medication has changed
• Whether further treatment or surgery is planned
• How long the condition has been stable.

Most insurers assess conditions on a case‑by‑case basis through a medical screening process.

Yes, you should still invest in travel insurance if you’re planning a trip overseas even if your pre-existing condition can’t be covered. That’s because a travel insurance policy can still give you important protection overseas in case of things like theft or damaged luggage, as well as illnesses, injuries or cancellations (that are unrelated to your pre-existing conditions).

No, most insurers do not allow you to add cover for pre-existing medical conditions after you have left Australia. However, if you’ve forgotten to take out travel insurance before departing for your trip, certain insurance providers may be able to help you out – although this might come with conditions and at a higher price.

In addition, if you do purchase cover while overseas, you may need to wait 48 to 72 hours before your coverage begins. That’s why it’s highly recommended you take out travel insurance in the early planning stages of your trip to make sure you have all the bases covered, especially if you have a pre-existing medical condition which may affect your travel insurance policy.

Yes, pregnancy is often automatically covered through travel insurance – but only under certain circumstances. For example, you may be covered up to a certain number of weeks (usually 23) for a single uncomplicated pregnancy.

Although pregnancy costs from unexpected medical complications will be covered, most policies will come with specific terms, conditions and exclusions and do not cover childbirth and expenses related to the healthcare of a newborn.

You should generally be covered for:

• Changing your travel plans, which may include flight and accommodation cancellation costs or additional travel (if your doctor advises that you aren’t able to fly).
• Unexpected pregnancy complications for a limited period (e.g. up to 23 weeks for many policies, but this cover varies between insurers).
• Overseas medical care and medical treatment for some illnesses or injuries related to your pregnancy.

Read the PDS of your policy for more details on getting travel insurance for pregnancy.

Yes, there are lots of insurers who will provide travel insurance for seniors with pre-existing medical conditions, though most insurers have age limits. These age limits can vary between different insurers – some may be as low as 65 and others may be up to 80 years of age.

While there aren’t many exclusions specific to seniors, you may want to check the medical condition exclusion list in your policy’s PDS; you might find that some common, age-related conditions, such as dementia, may not be covered.

Yes, credit card travel insurance can include cover for pre-existing medical conditions, but this is not guaranteed. Some insurers may offer cover for some conditions for an additional premium; however, you may have to directly contact your insurance company to ask for this cover.