Travel Insurance Pre-Existing Conditions Coverage - How It Works


What is a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?

When a trip cancellation travel insurance company refers to a "Pre-Existing Condition", they are talking about medical conditions that exist in the Lookback Period that immediately preceeds the travel insurance purchase date.

Simply put, a Pre-Existing Condition is any medically documented condition (no matter how minor) an Insured Person, Traveling Companion or Family Member has been treated for, consulted with or received advice on. This includes any adjustments or changes in any prescription drugs or medication during the Lookback Period. The condition has to be medically stable.

Medically Stable also includes the idea that nothing is foreseen or expected to "be a turn for the worse". In other words if you're given a week to live and you want to buy travel insurance for a cruise next month, you can't cover the Pre-Existing Condition. It's like wanting to buy Fire Insurance when your house is on fire.

Here's some actual policy wording:

"Any injury, illness, sickness or medical condition of an Insured or Family Member which either manifests itself or exists during the Lookback Period immediately preceding the day you buy Travel Insurance, unless the condition is controlled through the taking of prescription drugs or medication and remains controlled throughout the Lookback Period. A pre-existing condition has manifested itself when medical care, treatment or diagnosis has been given."

What this means is starting today, if during the Lookback Period:

  • You, a traveling companion or a family member, has any injury, illness, disease, sickness or medical condition and
  • Has been diagnosed, treated for it, had any prescription changes (increase or decrease), been advised to be treated, had symptoms of it, hopitalized, saw a medical professional for it, etc.
  • Then that person has a Pre-Existing Condition as defined by a Travel Insurance policy. Note: If that person has a medical condition that's farther in the past than the Lookback Period, they don't have a Pre-Existing Condition.

Why is this important?

You can cancel or interrupt your trip or receive medical treatment even if you have a Pre-Existing Condition - if you follow the rules.

Trip cancellation travel insurance excludes claims due to pre-existing medical conditions. Some travel insurance plans will waive the pre-existing condition exclusion at no extra charge if you get your travel insurance in the first 10, 14 or 21 days after your first trip payment date (before the end of these 10, 14 or 21 days).

Any payment on your trip is considered the first payment. This includes the tax you pay when you redeem frequent flyer tickets, refundable deposits or even a trip planning consultation fee if that fee is later credited toward your trip costs.

You'll protect yourself if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip or receive medical treatment because of that pre-existing medical condition. There are three primary rules to keep in mind:

  • You have to insure your trip's full prepaid, non-refundable cost and
  • person with the medical condition has to be medically stable when you get your insurance and
  • You must get your travel insurance in the first 10, 14 or 21 days after your first trip payment date

If you're past the first 10, 14 or 21 days you will be governed by the "Lookback Period".

What's the bottom line?

If Pre-Existing Conditions are a concern for you or your traveling companions, you have to buy your trip cancellation travel insurance within the deadlines.

Steve Dasseos is the CEO of TripInsuranceStore.com. You can compare travel insurance policies at this website. Contact Steve here.





Latest News:



Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news
Futures flat; Lehman buyout news, data awaited (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors awaited news on the fate of Lehman Brothers after a slide in its stock this week heightened fears over whether the investment bank can survive. Myanmar's Suu Kyi to get family letters, news mags (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has managed to wring small concessions from the ruling generals in the form of letters from her family and some international news magazines, her lawyer said on Friday. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (CBS News)
A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel 's current news flow, was picked up by a Google (NSDQ: GOOG) News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. After a lot of buck ... JCDecaux in talks for News Outdoor Group in Russia (AP via Yahoo! News)
French outdoor advertising firm JCDecaux SA said Thursday it is negotiating to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp. News Corp tightens grip on Premiere with new CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News)
Rupert Murdoch tightened his grip on German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere by appointing News Corp executive Mark Williams as CEO in a move to get the company back on track. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. Help News pick Stadium's greatest moment (New York Daily News)
The News is marking the countdown to the final game at The House That Ruth Built by reflecting on Yankee Stadium's greatest moments - and we're asking you - the reader - to help us pick out the best of the best. JCDecaux and News Corp. in talks to combine outdoor ad groups (International Herald Tribune)
The News Corp. chief executive, Rupert Murdoch, has recently expressed nervousness about investments in Russia, where News Outdoor generated the bulk of its revenue last year. SEC Looks Into UAL Stock Scare; Implications For Online News? (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance)
A ton of digits have been devoted to this in other spots but the SEC's decision to investigate takes it to another level. The backstory: a six-year-old news story about UAL declaring bankruptcy made it into the Tribune-owned Sun-Sentinel's current news flow, was picked up by a Google News bot and, via a reporter for a newsletter, made it onto Bloomberg News. JCDecaux in talks to buy News Corp. billboard unit (AP via Yahoo! Finance)
In a deal that would create the world's largest outdoor advertising company, French conglomerate JCDecaux SA said Thursday that it is in talks to buy Russian rival News Outdoor Group from global media company News Corp.

Site: news - Google News
News Analysis A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the CIA - New York Times

BBC News

News Analysis A Difficult Road Awaits Panetta at the CIA
New York Times, United States - 6 hours ago
The latest on the presidential transition and other political news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion. For Leon E. Panetta, ...
Video: Analyst Weighs in on Obama's CIA Pick AssociatedPress
News roundup: Israel presses on in Gaza; Obama tries to reassure GOP USA Today
Hotspots: Breaking news from around the world Chicago Sun-Times
Huffington Post - The Associated Press
all 2,546 news articles
Amid Sales Slump, Chico's Taps New CEO - Wall Street Journal

Amid Sales Slump, Chico's Taps New CEO
Wall Street Journal - 4 hours ago
The announcement came as Spotlight Capital Management LLC, a New York hedge fund that has been pressing the board to name a new CEO since last March, ...
Palm's new Pre smartphone gets lots of good buzz - USA Today

Telegraph.co.uk

Palm's new Pre smartphone gets lots of good buzz
USA Today - 6 hours ago
The answer depends on how well consumers receive the slick new Palm Pre smartphone the company introduced Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las ...
Video: Daily Debrief: Palm launches new OS, phone CNET News
Palm unveils new smart phone, operating system The Associated Press
Palm strikes back with new OS, pré handset at CES Ars Technica
San Francisco Chronicle - TG Daily
all 459 news articles
New Browns coach Mangini says Jets were 1st class - Newsday

Washington Post

New Browns coach Mangini says Jets were 1st class
Newsday, NY - 57 minutes ago
Mangini was introduced as the coach of the Cleveland Browns, and during his news conference at the team's headquarters, he addressed his departure from the ...
Browns Introduce New Head Coach 90.3 WCPN ideastreamŽ
Jury is still out on new Browns coach Eric Mangini Boston Herald
Cavs win and Browns have new coach Your Radio Place
AHN - WKYC-TV
all 1,566 news articles
Summary Of Thursday News From International Consumer Electronics Show - CNNMoney.com

Summary Of Thursday News From International Consumer Electronics Show
CNNMoney.com - 12 hours ago
The company's Sling Media Inc. unit unveiled SlingGuide, a new Web-based way to find, watch and record your favorite television programming from anywhere. ...
Video: Loaded: Happy New Year! CBS
News of home theater tech from LG comes streaming in CNET News
Consumer Electronics Show: Some New Things NBC Los Angeles
abc7.com - IT PRO
all 1,093 news articles
Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals - CNET News

Telegraph.co.uk

Ballmer touts Windows 7 beta, new deals
CNET News, CA - 22 hours ago
Microsoft will also announce new deals for Windows Live that will see Microsoft's search engine become the default on PCs from Dell as well as touting a ...
Microsoft's news at CES not so new Seattle Times
CES News: Ballmer Keynote Doesn?t Quite Fit The Bill Twice
Windows 7 Public Beta: First Impressions Washington Post
LiveSide - CRN - UK
all 1,182 news articles
Palm Unveils New 'Nova' Software, 'Palm Pre' Phone - CNNMoney.com

Palm Unveils New 'Nova' Software, 'Palm Pre' Phone
CNNMoney.com - 13 hours ago
LAS VEGAS -(Dow Jones)- Palm Inc. (PALM) on Thursday unveiled its long-awaited new software for touch screen smartphones and a new phone, as the ailing firm ...
Thrift stores exempted from new lead-testing law - Houston Chronicle

USA Today

Thrift stores exempted from new lead-testing law
Houston Chronicle, United States - 2 hours ago
A new ruling means thrift stores are not required to have toys tested for lead and chemicals. According to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, ...
New rules on toys could spell doom USA Today
Consignment owners say new law puts burden on them Frederick News Post (subscription)
More news on the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act Los Angeles Times
LocalNews8.com - KARE
all 129 news articles
New UN Gaza resolution proposed - Aljazeera.net

Washington Post

New UN Gaza resolution proposed
Aljazeera.net, Qatar - 15 hours ago
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, David Miliband, the British foreign minister, and Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister put the new ...
Video: UN Security Council approves ceasefire resolution AlJazeeraEnglish
AP Top News at 11:27 pm EST The Associated Press
News roundup: Lebanese rocket northern Israel; passengers ... USA Today
Times Online - Boston Herald
all 12,825 news articles
PR executive cites new evidence in bid for retrial - Los Angeles Times

PR executive cites new evidence in bid for retrial
Los Angeles Times, CA - 1 hour ago
John Stodder, sentenced to 15 months in prison for Fleishman-Hillard's overbilling of DWP, says a government witness wanted to protect her father from ...

MORE RESOURCES:
Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for insurance
NC insurance commissioner orders lower auto rates (AP via Yahoo! Finance)

North Carolina State Insurance Commissioner Jim Long on Thursday rejected an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Auto-insurance rates in N.C. ordered cut by 16.1 percent (Winston-Salem Journal)

N.C. Insurance Commissioner Jim Long rejected yesterday an industry request for an almost 13 percent increase in auto rates and has ordered a reduction instead. Survey: Insurance Industry Expects Subprime Issues to Negatively Impact 2009 Performance (Insurance Journal)

Insurance executives expect subprime and other credit issues to continue to have a significantly negative impact on the industry's financial performance in 2009, and they see credit and pricing risks Nevada Names Baker Acting Insurance Commissioner (Insurance Journal)

The Nevada Department of Business & Industry named Betty C. Baker acting commissioner of the Division of Insurance. Baker will oversee the Division while a replacement is sought for Alice Molasky-Arma Here's the lowdown on 'private' bank and broker insurance (USA Today)

Q: I've noticed several banks and brokerage firms claiming they have private insurance that protects accounts above the FDIC and SIPC limits. Should investors trust those promises? State unemployment insurance claims up (Macon Telegraph)

The Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday that 59,090 laid-off workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance benefits in August, an increase of 72.1 percent from August 2007, but a slight decrease from July to August this year. Fitch Ratings Gives Island Insurance an "Aq" (Insurance Journal)

Island Insurance Co. Ltd., Hawaii's largest locally owned and managed property and casualty insurance carrier, has reaffirmed its "Aq" rating for Quantitative Insurer Financial Strength (Q-IFS) by Fit Looking for Free or Low-cost Health Insurance? (Carteret County News-Times)

(ARA) - It's no secret that accessing health care is a challenge for the 47 million Americans who are uninsured. Lack of health insurance forces many Americans to choose the health care they receive based on what they can afford, not what they actually need. Uganda: Health Insurance May Face NSSF Fate (AllAfrica.com)

The government has finally resolved that all salaried workers and employers, will with effect from July 2009, be required to make compulsory contributions to the new National Social Health Insurance Scheme. The net inflow from life insurance companies into equity stood at Rs550bn till March 31, 2008 , foreign institutional ... (India Infoline)

The life insurance industry was the largest investor in the Indian equity markets, ahead of foreign institutional investors and mutual funds, according to the reports. Site: insurance - Google News
Obama Plan for Government Insurance Draws Criticism - Bloomberg

New York Times

Obama Plan for Government Insurance Draws Criticism
Bloomberg - 13 hours ago
8 (Bloomberg) -- President-elect Barack Obama?s plan for expanding government health insurance to compete with private coverage drew fire from a leading ...
Video: Ted Kennedy Speaks To CBS News CBS
US health care overhaul needn't break bank: study Reuters
Cuddly Welcome for Mr. Daschle New York Times
EurekAlert (press release) - SmartBrief
all 679 news articles
Insurance brokers EPIC and Arthur J. Gallagher settle lawsuit - Bizjournals.com

Insurance brokers EPIC and Arthur J. Gallagher settle lawsuit
Bizjournals.com, NC - 10 hours ago
Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, a San Mateo-based insurance brokerage and employee benefits consulting firm also known as EPIC, said late Thursday it ...
EPIC Announces Settlement with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Insurance Journal
Edgewood Partners Announces Settlement with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. MarketWatch (press release)
all 19 news articles
Insurance agent pleads guilty in mortgage fraud case - Bizjournals.com

Insurance agent pleads guilty in mortgage fraud case
Bizjournals.com, NC - 12 hours ago
A self-employed insurance agent admitted guilt for his role in a $12.6 million mortgage fraud scheme that encompassed 25 residential properties in Lee?s ...
Gladstone man admits role in Southland mortgage fraud case Kansas City Star
Man pleads guilty in $12.6 million mortgage fraud scam Kansas City Star
all 12 news articles
What you should know about flood insurance - Seattle Post Intelligencer

What you should know about flood insurance
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 3 hours ago
By DAN RICHMAN Here's some basic information about flood insurance provided by Mike Howard, a spokesman for the Bothell office of the Federal Emergency ...
Flood facts and coverage KGET 17
all 2 news articles
Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. approves rate increase - The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com

WWL

Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. approves rate increase
The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com, LA - 2 hours ago
By Rebecca Mowbray BATON ROUGE -- Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp. adopted a statewide average rate increase of 7 percent in a 5-1 vote Thursday, ...
Citizens insurance rates to rise 7 percent 2TheAdvocate
Task force lays out plans to reform Fla. Citizens Property Insurance SmartBrief
Task force: Hike rates for Citizens Bizjournals.com
Sarasota Herald-Tribune - KATC
all 58 news articles
Can Madoff payouts break the insurance bank? - San Francisco Chronicle

Can Madoff payouts break the insurance bank?
San Francisco Chronicle,  USA - Jan 7, 2009
But if clients of Bernie Madoff wipe out the insurance fund, will there be any protection for everyone else? In interviews and congressional testimony this ...
Video: Congress Sounds Off Against SEC in Madoff Affair AssociatedPress
Why financial experts and laymen keep falling for pyramid schemes Business Daily Africa
clients fear getting shut out of refunds Reuters
Calgary Herald - Washington Post
all 2,986 news articles
California Hosts Insurance Recovery Forum for Wildfire Survivors - Insurance Journal

California Hosts Insurance Recovery Forum for Wildfire Survivors
Insurance Journal, CA - 2 hours ago
California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner is hosting town hall-style Insurance Recovery Forums for survivors of the November 2008 wildfires. ...
Poizner announces sentencing of Sacramento woman SmartBrief
all 7 news articles
Troubled insurers put under control of Pa. agency - Forbes

Troubled insurers put under control of Pa. agency
Forbes, NY - 9 hours ago
AP , 01.08.09, 06:24 PM EST A pair of financially troubled Allentown companies that provide long-term care insurance are under control of the Pennsylvania ...
Long-Term Care Insurer Penn Treaty American Fails TheStreet.com
Penn Treaty Insurance Subsidiaries Enter Rehabilitation PR Newswire (press release)
Pa. Takes Long-Term Care Insurer Into Rehabilitation Trading Markets (press release)
all 21 news articles
Blue Shield of California Restores Insurance for Patients it Dropped - Wall Street Journal Blogs

dBTechno

Blue Shield of California Restores Insurance for Patients it Dropped
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - Jan 7, 2009
In a bid to put to rest legal troubles over a practice of canceling patients? health insurance policies after they got sick, Blue Shield of California has ...
Blue Shield settles with Insurance Department Bizjournals.com
High stakes in health battle Boston Globe
Blue Shield to restore coverage for dropped Californians Los Angeles Times
WKBW-TV - eMaxHealth.com
all 145 news articles
Employees Need Health Insurance, Not Cash - The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

The Star-Ledger - NJ.com

Employees Need Health Insurance, Not Cash
The Star-Ledger - NJ.com, NJ - 13 hours ago
As business owners have become saddled with double-digit increases each year for the cost of health insurance, workers are seeing diminished policies, ...
City gives raises in exchange for less costly health insurance Hudson Star Observer
How Will Health Care Reform Impact the Employer-Based System? Business Finance Magazine
Companies, workers should cooperate to lower costs Buffalo News
all 4 news articles
Home | Site Map | Resource Links