What Medical Conditions are typically Covered by Travel Insurance?

When it comes to travel insurance claims, medical claims are one of the largest expenses that insurance companies face.  The sheer cost of medical emergencies which insurance companies have to pay out each year, has been known to reach astronomical amounts of money.  This is one of the reasons as to why many insurance companies will provide customers with insurance cover of up to around 10 million pounds for anything from emergency repatriation to hospital treatment.  If you do however, have a pre-existing medical condition then the rules for obtaining travel insurance are altered somewhat. 

What is pre-existing medical insurance cover for?

Pre-existing medical travel insurance cover is specifically aimed at any person who has a pre-existing medical condition.  This could be classed as anything from cancer or a heart attack, to something that is felt to have been less serious that happened some years previous.  It is important that at the time of applying for travel insurance, you inform the company of any medical conditions which are either resolved or unresolved, even if you feel the complaint to be minor.  If you fail to tell the insurer of anything, this could later have an impact when it comes to claiming. 

Can I get this sort of cover from any travel insurer?

The question as to whether or not your insurance provider will offer you cover for pre-existing medical conditions, is entirely up to the company itself.  You may find that you have to shop around for an insurer which will cover for pre-existing medical conditions.  It is important that you are aware of the fact that you could pay more in terms of insurance premium payments if you do have a pre-existing medical complaint.  

Which medical conditions should I disclose to the insurance provider?

It is worthwhile telling the insurance company of all medical complaints, even if you regard them as minor.  This way you are covered all ways round.  

Once you have told your travel insurer of your health complaints, they will then decipher as to what your risk factor is.  If they consider you to be of high risk then you will probably need to change your level of travel insurance cover, which will mean that you will probably pay more on your insurance as you will be expected to increase your level of cover.