AustraliaCan I Travel with An Existing Medical Condition?
A recent study by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed 47 per cent of Australians have one or more chronic conditions so, before travelling, you should consider speaking to your GP to discuss with whether or not travelling with an existing medical condition is the right thing for you.
Having travel insurance cover for pre-existing medical conditions is also very important to consider when travelling.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Existing Medical Conditions?
Yes, there are travel insurance products that can cover existing medical conditions, but it’s important to disclose any EMCs before purchasing travel insurance to ensure you can have cover in the event something goes wrong with your existing condition(s) before you travel (in the case of having to cancel a trip) or while you’re away.
Why is it Important to Disclose Pre-Existing Health Conditions?
If you don’t declare your pre-existing medical conditions to your travel insurance provider, you risk being left out-of-pocket should the unexpected occur.
At Cover-More, claims which in any way relate to, or are exacerbated by, an Existing Medical Condition or related new infections are specifically excluded from our travel insurance policies unless your EMC is approved by us prior to travel and where required, any additional premium is paid.
If you choose to declare some conditions and not others, or choose not to declare any conditions, you run the risk of a claim being denied by us. This means if you need to cancel your trip there would not be any cover for any prepaid travel costs that you can’t get a refund on, or you would have to pay the cost of your medical treatment and/or other associated costs if illness or a mishap occurred while travelling.
Does Cover-More Travel Insurance Cover Existing Medical Conditions?
Yes, we can provide cover for many existing medical conditions to help keep you travelling.
If you have an Existing Medical Condition (EMC) and, for example, take medication to keep that condition in check, it doesn’t mean you can’t purchase our travel insurance with medical conditions cover.
It does, however, mean you should tell us about all your EMCs, including anything for which medication is prescribed so we can complete an online health assessment. If your EMC is approved following the health assessment, we can offer you cover.
Which Existing Medical Conditions Does Cover-More Automatically Include?
We automatically include the existing medical conditions listed in the table below provided that at the time you take out your policy:
- all your existing medical conditions are on this list;
- you have not been hospitalised or required treatment by a medical practitioner in the last 12 months for any of the listed conditions;
- you are not under investigation for any of the listed conditions;
- you are not awaiting investigation, surgery, treatment, or procedures for any of the listed conditions; and
- your condition meets the criteria outlined in the PDS.
This means the conditions we automatically include (shown below) only apply if you do not have other existing medical conditions beyond those on this list.
If your existing medical condition falls outside the criteria under the conditions we automatically cover in the PDS, we may still be able to cover you for an additional premium, subject to the outcome of a short medical assessment. You can get a quote online to complete the online medical assessment.
Conditions we automatically cover* in our Cover-More travel insurance plans:
| Condition | Criteria |
|---|---|
| Acne | No additional criteria |
| ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) | No additional criteria. |
| Allergy | In the last 6 months, you haven’t required treatment by a medical practitioner for this condition. You have no known respiratory conditions (e.g. Asthma). |
| Anxiety | You have not been diagnosed with Depression in the last 3 years. In the last 12 months, your prescribed medication hasn’t changed. You are not currently waiting to see a mental health clinician (e.g. psychologist or psychiatrist). You have not previously been required to cancel or curtail your travel plans due to your anxiety. |
| Asthma | You are less than 60 years of age when You purchase the policy. In the last 12 months, you haven’t had an Asthma exacerbation requiring treatment by a medical practitioner. You have been a non-smoker for at least the last 18 months. You don’t need prescribed oxygen outside of a hospital. You don’t have a chronic lung condition or disease (whether chronic or otherwise) including Chronic Bronchitis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Emphysema or Pulmonary Fibrosis. |
| Bell’s Palsy | No additional criteria. |
| Bunions | No additional criteria. |
| Carpal Tunnel Syndrome | No additional criteria. |
| Cataracts Glaucoma |
In the last 90 days, you haven’t had an operation for this condition. You have no ongoing complications of this condition. |
| Coeliac Disease | No additional criteria. |
| Congenital Blindness | No additional criteria. |
| Congenital Deafness | No additional criteria. |
| Depression | You have not been hospitalised for this condition in the last 2 years. In the last 12 months, your prescribed medication hasn’t changed. You are not currently waiting to see a mental health clinician (e.g. psychologist or psychiatrist). You have not previously been required to cancel or curtail your travel plans due to your Depression. |
| Ear Grommets | You don’t have an ear infection. |
| Epilepsy | You don’t have an underlying medical condition (e.g. previous head trauma, Brain Tumour or Stroke). |
| Gastric Reflux | Your Gastric Reflux doesn’t relate to an underlying diagnosis (e.g. Hernia/Gastric Ulcer). |
| Goitre | No additional criteria. |
| Graves’ Disease | No additional criteria. |
| Gout | No additional criteria. |
| Hiatus Hernia | No additional criteria. |
| Hip Replacement Knee Replacement Shoulder Replacement Hip Resurfacing |
The procedure was performed more than 12 months ago and less than 10 years ago. You haven’t had any post-operative complications related to that surgery. Post-operative complications include joint dislocation and infection. |
| Hypercholesterolaemia (High Cholesterol) | You don’t have a known heart or cardiovascular condition. |
| Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) | You don’t have a known heart or cardiovascular condition. You don’t have Diabetes (Type I or Type II). Your Hypertension is stable and managed by your medical practitioner. In the last 12 months, your prescribed blood pressure medication hasn’t changed. You aren’t suffering symptoms of Hypertension. You aren’t having investigations related to blood pressure. |
| Migraine | No additional criteria. |
|
Peptic Ulcer Gastric Ulcer |
In the last 12 months, the Peptic/Gastric Ulcer has been stable. |
| Plantar Fasciitis | No additional criteria. |
| Raynaud’s Disease | No additional criteria. |
| Skin Cancer | Your Skin Cancer isn’t a Melanoma. You haven’t had chemotherapy or radiotherapy for this condition. Your Skin Cancer does not require any follow-up treatment e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy or further excision. |
| Stenosing Tenosynovitis (Trigger Finger) | No additional criteria. |
| Urinary Incontinence | No additional criteria. |
| Underactive Thyroid Overactive Thyroid |
The cause of your Underactive/Overactive Thyroid wasn’t a tumour. |
*Additional criteria applies to this condition for automatic coverage to apply. Please see the PDS for full details.
Which Existing Medical Conditions Does Cover-More Need to Assess?
Please tell us about all your existing medical conditions.
Once we know what your pre-existing medical conditions are, we may be able to cover them for an extra premium.
You can then choose whether to pay the required extra premium and add the cover to your policy – or you can choose not to get cover for your existing medical conditions.
