Does Travel Insurance Cover Pre Existing Conditions?

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Most refused travel insurance claims come down to one question: did you already have this before you bought the policy? Insurers call it a pre existing condition, and it is the clause most people skip when they sign up.

Here is how it works, what my own cover does with it, and how to make sure a known condition does not turn into an unpaid hospital bill.

What counts as a pre existing condition?

Each insurer writes its own definition, but they tend to look at three things:

• Symptoms, advice or treatment in a set period before the policy starts. Often one or two years. If you saw a doctor about your knee last spring, the knee is pre existing.
• Chronic and congenital conditions. Asthma, diabetes, heart conditions and anything you were born with, whether or not it has bothered you lately.
• Conditions under investigation. If you are waiting for test results, the condition usually counts even without a diagnosis.

The UK government travel insurance guidance is blunt about it: buy cover that includes your existing physical and mental health conditions, including those under investigation, or you could be liable for the whole bill.

Why insurers exclude them

Travel health insurance is priced for the unexpected: a broken wrist, a fever, a scooter crash. A condition that is already there is not unexpected, so a cheap monthly policy cannot absorb it. That is not the insurer being mean. It is the difference between travel health insurance and international health insurance, and knowing which one you need saves a lot of pain.

How Genki handles pre existing conditions

I use Genki Traveler myself, and its rules are written in plain English. Under the current conditions you are not covered for a health condition if:

• you had symptoms, sought medical advice, received a diagnosis or had treatment for it within one year before your start date,
• it is a chronic or congenital condition you knew about at any time before your start date, or
• it was likely caused by an accident in the month before your start date.

Everything else is a new case and covered like any other, up to €1 million. Pregnancy is excluded, although a severe deterioration in your health or your baby’s is still treated.

If you live with a condition and want it covered, look at Genki Native instead. It is long term international health insurance, you answer a few health questions when you apply, and the insurer reviews pre existing conditions case by case. You can compare Genki Traveler and Genki Native and see which questions apply to you.

UK travellers in Europe

If you are a UK resident heading to the EU, apply for the free UK Global Health Insurance Card. The NHS says it covers necessary state healthcare, including routine care for long term and pre existing conditions, on the same basis as a local resident. It is not a replacement for travel insurance, but it fills exactly the gap most travel policies leave open.

Five ways to avoid a refused claim

1. Answer every application question honestly. Genki’s conditions, like most, let the insurer cancel cover or refuse to pay if you hide a known risk.
2. Get niggles checked before you buy. A doctor’s visit after you sign up cannot start the clock again.
3. Pack enough medication and the prescription. A refill abroad for a known condition is rarely covered.
4. Start a new policy before the old one ends. A gap resets everything. My guide on buying travel insurance when you are already abroad explains the waiting periods.
5. Know the difference between flare ups and new problems. A new injury on top of an old condition is often still covered. Describe it accurately when you claim, as I explain in how to claim on travel insurance.

Be honest, then relax

A pre existing condition does not stop you travelling. It just decides which product you need. Declare it, pick the cover that includes it, and go. For the full picture, read my guide to insurance for digital nomads.

Photo by Laurynas Me on Unsplash.