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How Travel Medical Insurance Helps Travelers With Pre-Existing Conditions

18 december 2023

How Travel Medical Insurance Helps Travelers With Pre-Existing Conditions


Travel medical insurance at https://auras.insure/ provides additional coverage in case of emergencies that fall outside of your primary health plan's coverage. Look for policies with pre-existing condition waivers.

To qualify for a pre-existing condition waiver, your condition must have been stable during your policy's look back period - usually 60-180 days prior to purchasing the plan.

Pre-existing condition waivers

Travel medical insurance plans typically allow travelers to select a pre-existing condition waiver option, which enables them to recoup some of the cost should they need to cancel or reduce their trip due to an underlying pre-existing condition covered under their policy.

However, to qualify for the waiver you'll first have to meet certain eligibility requirements. These usually include purchasing your travel plan within a certain period after making your initial trip deposit (timing varies by company), insuring for all of the costs involved with your trip, and being medically fit at time of purchase; this also extends to any family members insured through that policy.

Imagine booking nonrefundable flights to Hawaii in May but experiencing an asthma flare-up by June. Your doctor writes you a note clearing you to travel but your insurance company denies your claim since the condition wasn't preexisting when purchasing your trip and occurred within their look-back period.

Coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions

Prior to the Affordable Care Act's major reforms, virtually any health issue was considered pre-existing condition - from chronic illnesses like asthma or diabetes, to episodic issues like migraine headaches or even something resolved like reconstructive knee surgeries.

Qualified travelers can select plans that cover pre-existing conditions by opting for plans with pre-existing conditions waiver options, which eliminates the normal waiting period in their policy and allows them to claim expenses related to pre-existing conditions as soon as their policy takes effect.

Without travel medical insurance coverage, you could incur high out-of-pocket costs and have difficulty navigating a foreign health care system. But by purchasing a plan that includes preexisting condition coverage, you'll be better prepared for unexpected challenges that might arise during your trip.

Coverage for emergency medical evacuation

Emergency medical evacuation benefits provide vital assistance if you become seriously ill or injured while travelling, by transporting you directly to a hospital for proper medical attention. This type of coverage typically comes included with comprehensive travel insurance plans or can be added on as a standalone policy.

Medical transportation typically occurs by air ambulance, which consists of a small airplane or helicopter equipped with medical staff and enough space for one individual as well as their luggage. In some instances, this benefit also covers round trip flights for companions to accompany you from home to hospital and back again.

Medjet membership programs offer enhanced evacuation coverage at a reasonable flat fee, filling the gap left by health, travel and platinum credit cards by providing bedside-to-bedside air medical transport between hospitals both domestically and internationally, repatriation of mortal remains as well as repatriation services.

Coverage for emergency medical expenses

When medical issues arise while traveling, travelers can often be left paying out-of-pocket expenses and navigating a foreign healthcare system on their own, which places their finances and health at greater risk.

Travel insurance plans typically cover emergency medical expenses that would otherwise fall outside the scope of your current health plan, such as ambulance service, x-rays and doctor or hospital bills. Such expenses can quickly add up if you need to remain hospitalized for an extended period of time.

Comprehensive travel medical insurance policies utilize an in-depth process to identify pre-existing conditions. Most comprehensive plans look back 60 to 180 days prior to policy purchase in order to determine this distinction; any significant health changes or modifications in prescription medication could qualify as pre-existing conditions and could use their pre-existing condition waiver coverage to cover expenses associated with those circumstances.