Travel insurance and pre-existing conditions

[Ozy71]

We have 2 cruises booked next year and we have travel insurance to cover them. However today I have been diagnosed with a condition that might mean we have to cancel the bookings on the Doctors advice. Even though I took the insurance out before we had any idea of the issue, I am a little concerned. Does anyone have any experience of the similar circumstances.

[Elorac123]

15 hours ago, Ozy71 said:

We have 2 cruises booked next year and we have travel insurance to cover them. However today I have been diagnosed with a condition that might mean we have to cancel the bookings on the Doctors advice. Even though I took the insurance out before we had any idea of the issue, I am a little concerned. Does anyone have any experience of the similar circumstances.

Best advice is what your doctor told you,

If you were to go and needed to claim your doctor would have to sign the paperwork on your claim 

eg: when was the claim and diagnosed with this condition ?

Cheers Carole

[Pushka]

On 12/10/2018 at 6:53 PM, Ozy71 said:

We have 2 cruises booked next year and we have travel insurance to cover them. However today I have been diagnosed with a condition that might mean we have to cancel the bookings on the Doctors advice. Even though I took the insurance out before we had any idea of the issue, I am a little concerned. Does anyone have any experience of the similar circumstances.

 

If you had no symptoms when you took out the insurance policy then you will be fine and your claim will be paid if the Doctor says you can’t travel. 

[Ozy71]

7 hours ago, Pushka said:

 

If you had no symptoms when you took out the insurance policy then you will be fine and your claim will be paid if the Doctor says you can’t travel. 

Thanks, I got the courage up to ring the Insurance company up yesterday and they confirmed that is the case. We breath a little easily now. thank you very much

[Elorac123]

1 hour ago, Ozy71 said:

Thanks, I got the courage up to ring the Insurance company up yesterday and they confirmed that is the case. We breath a little easily now. thank you very much

So then that means if a person in good health takes out travel insurance on booking tomorrow for a trip 6-12 months away and before travel date gets diagnosed for a illness /disease that is not on the list of cover and the doctor advises you it’s not a good idea to travel

You did  need to terminate/cancel your trip the insurance would cover you !!

Have you ever seen a claim form?

i would need that in writing in triplicate 

Cheers Carole

[Ozy71]

2 hours ago, Elorac123 said:

So then that means if a person in good health takes out travel insurance on booking tomorrow for a trip 6-12 months away and before travel date gets diagnosed for a illness /disease that is not on the list of cover and the doctor advises you it’s not a good idea to travel

You did  need to terminate/cancel your trip the insurance would cover you !!

Have you ever seen a claim form?

i would need that in writing in triplicate 

Cheers Carole

I can only go with what the insurance company has told me and no, we have never claimed before and hope not this time.

 

[Pushka]

On 12/13/2018 at 6:58 AM, Elorac123 said:

So then that means if a person in good health takes out travel insurance on booking tomorrow for a trip 6-12 months away and before travel date gets diagnosed for a illness /disease that is not on the list of cover and the doctor advises you it’s not a good idea to travel

You did  need to terminate/cancel your trip the insurance would cover you !!

Have you ever seen a claim form?

i would need that in writing in triplicate 

Cheers Carole

 

Ok I’m not at all sure what you are asking but I have been in situations where I’ve claimed for medical. 

 

1.  Booked trip and purchased travel insurance. Three months before the trip I ruptured a disc in my spine and the neurosurgeon said I could not travel or would end up in a wheelchair over there or back home. Catastrophic he called that. The insurance company paid up in fulll and at the time of the proposed trip I was in hospital having surgery. This was a few years ago. 

 

2.  Booked a huge trip to Alaska and had taken our annual travel insurance. Trip was in May. In February I was in hospital as I had developed a DVT in my neck. I did not want to travel as we were travelling to remote places in Alaska. I contacted the Insurance Company (TID Insurance) and because I developed the DVT well after I’d taken out the insurance and had no symptoms at the time, and unless the Doctors said I could not travel, I was able to travel and I would be completely covered if something went wrong. But I did have to tell the insurance company. In the end I did not travel as the specialist said No, and all expenses were refunded. This was three years ago. 

 

Now i insure with Insure and go as I need cover for pre existing conditions so I am covered for all this as I disclose them when taking out cover. 

 

Im not sure why you are so worried about why the OP said they would be covered because their reasons are exactly why one should take out travel Insurance. It’s the whole point why you take out insurance as soon as you starting forking out a lot of money so you are protected. 

Edited December 13, 2018 by Pushka

[Elorac123]

 

Im not sure why you are so worried about why the OP said they would be covered because their reasons are exactly why one should take out travel Insurance. It’s the whole point why you take out insurance as soon as you starting forking out a lot of money so you are protected. 

?????.???

I know why we have insurance !!,if you have it and have disclosed any ailments and you need to cancel you are refunded as you was.

All I was trying to say was if you are traveling with a ailment you have not disclosed there could be a problem.

i hope the OP does not have to claim and enjoys her cruise,she asked for advice and I gave mine and I will respond no more to this thread

 Cheers Carole

 

 

 

[Pushka]

2 hours ago, Elorac123 said:

 

Im not sure why you are so worried about why the OP said they would be covered because their reasons are exactly why one should take out travel Insurance. It’s the whole point why you take out insurance as soon as you starting forking out a lot of money so you are protected. 

?????.???

I know why we have insurance !!,if you have it and have disclosed any ailments and you need to cancel you are refunded as you was.

All I was trying to say was if you are traveling with a ailment you have not disclosed there could be a problem.

i hope the OP does not have to claim and enjoys her cruise,she asked for advice and I gave mine and I will respond no more to this thread

 Cheers Carole

 

 

 

 

Ok. I still don’t understand your first post and the OP interpreted it the same way as I did.  And I don’t understand your triplicate comment given your most recent post. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by Pushka

[Tara Jane]

I took out insurance with southern cross for a European trip  8 months later.   The following month I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Insurance company tried to reefuse the claim saying it was pre exisitng.  As I had no symptoms, was not overdue for a mammogram etc there was no way for me to know of its existence.   Fortunately my wonderful Gp fought hard for me and eventually about 9 months later they paid up.  Total was about $1200 which is small in comparison to what it could have been as  I was able to get part refunds on flights and accommodation.  I firmly believe the insurance company just wanted to wear me down so I gave up the battle, as I was already battling for my life.  This was 7 years ago.

Last September I again had to cancel a trip to USA/Canada 9 days before travel due to a blood clot.   Insurance was through my ANZ credit card QBE/Allianz.   $6000 and was in my bank account within 9 days of on line lodgement of the claim.  Could have helped that it was at the time when the royal commission into banks and insurance companies was getting a lot of media attention.

 

Edited December 26, 2018 by Tara Jane
add

[NSWP]

I got knocked back again last week by Allianz, trying to get cover via my ANZ Platinum Visa CC card.   Allianz would not wear pre existing conditions for Feb/March/April 2020 - trip to Asia, couple of lengthy cruises and Singapore stay.  So went with NRMA-Covermore again, on line assessment, , all ok.  $900 for the two of us for 54 days,  not too bad, bearing in mind we are Dinosaurs.

Edited December 26, 2018 by NSWP

[Tara Jane]

Good for you NSWP but sad to hear about the rejection again.  I cancelled my ANZ card as it was due for the annual fee and as I only had the card for the travel insurance which Allianz wont cover me for there was no point having the extra credit card.  I did the same for Westpac when they also changed to Allianz.  I now only have CBA underwritten by Zurich who also wont cover my PE and 28 degrees.

I'm just back from a 14 day cruise around NZ and used Tick who covered my PE total cost $105 ish could have been $106 but definately no more, for me only.   Hubby is ok with CBA card as no PE.

Have insured next years Japan to Alaska/Vancouver trip 29 days with TIC (travel insurance cover), just over $400 for me only but expected that as USA involved.    RACV/Covermore were almost $800 for same cover and that included my gold membership discount.   TIC are underwritten by QBE who in the past had accepted my PE and have always been easier to deal with..

Edited December 27, 2018 by Tara Jane
correction

[Brisbane41]

If the Doctor says you cannot go then you would have to follow their advice, if they advise you not to go then it comes down to your discretion.

 

Either way travel insurance for medical conditions is expensive and sometimes not worth it. I have family members who are very wealthy and do not take out insurance for medical as they have the money to pay for incidentals as they arrive, even an evacuation. They pay for basic insurance to meet the booking requirements, but take a chance on the other conditions. Then again when you have several million to your name that is a luxury you can afford. They calculated it was not economically viable to have insurance as the incidentals and medical expenses that came up would be cheaper than the insurance policy.

[NSWP]

28 minutes ago, Brisbane41 said:

If the Doctor says you cannot go then you would have to follow their advice, if they advise you not to go then it comes down to your discretion.

 

Either way travel insurance for medical conditions is expensive and sometimes not worth it. I have family members who are very wealthy and do not take out insurance for medical as they have the money to pay for incidentals as they arrive, even an evacuation. They pay for basic insurance to meet the booking requirements, but take a chance on the other conditions. Then again when you have several million to your name that is a luxury you can afford. They calculated it was not economically viable to have insurance as the incidentals and medical expenses that came up would be cheaper than the insurance policy.

I cannot work that one out, i.e. cost of medical treatment for overseas visitors in the US of A is horrendous.  How could those costs be cheaper than a $1200 policy (with declared pre existing heart condition)  for 2 with unlimited cancellation and medical costs, to USA, which is we have for upcoming Noordam/Hawaii trip.

[Suzi66]

I collected the documents for our cruise coming in the next couple of weeks from the TA last week and had to sign a waiver saying that I had no insurance or had organised my own.  (I'd organised my own through Australia Post as the company that the TA used had knocked me back several cruises back because I had epilepsy, although my form of epilepsy is not what anyone else other than neurologists and people that have my form of epilepsy would recognise it as that.  It is muscle tremors only).  Last April I was told by the TA that they had relaxed the pre-existing conditions and so we tried them again and it was fine.  But as I discovered last week something had been stuffed up with the payment and we weren't covered for our B2B cruise this Feb/Mar and I have just had to redo it.
OMG!  Trying to explain that I had a brain operation in 2009 which was the result of a malformation of blood vessels and caused 2 strokes.  No idea! (and they won't cover the strokes even though the cause has now gone unless I pay extra).  Kept asking me if the AVM was in my heart - no it was in my brain.
Do I use any aid to walk? - a walking stick was my answer.  Can you walk without it was the next question.  *****!
And the amount of questions about if anything was in the last year.  What part of 2009 didn't you understand when I told you in the first place.

I will be doing it all online with Australia Post in future as they are very straight forward and I don't have to keep repeating myself.  Cheaper as well.

[Brisbane41]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

I cannot work that one out, i.e. cost of medical treatment for overseas visitors in the US of A is horrendous.  How could those costs be cheaper than a $1200 policy (with declared pre existing heart condition)  for 2 with unlimited cancellation and medical costs, to USA, which is we have for upcoming Noordam/Hawaii trip.

They have not been to USA with pre-existing medical conditions. Only Australia and New Zealand based cruises. They wanted to travel and knew it was safe and affordable close to Australia and New Zealand and were satisfied for just that.

 

Anyway I am boycotting America until 2024 at the very least, with an imbecile in charge of the place the thought of going there to me is just crazy.