What is a pre-existing medical condition?
In general terms (actual definitions vary between insurers), a pre-existing medical condition (PEC) is any illness, condition or injury that you're aware of, or should be aware of, and have recently received a medical examination, consultation, treatment, investigation and/or medication for.
What are some examples of pre-existing medical conditions?
The definitions of pre-existing conditions vary between insurance providers, but examples could include:
- Allergies
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Eczema
- Gallstones
- Heart, vascular and lung illnesses
- Hernias
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Type 2 diabetes
Do I need to tell my insurer about any pre-existing medical conditions?
It's always advisable to talk to your insurer about any pre-existing medical condition.
Some travel insurers automatically include coverage for certain medical conditions as part of a policy. Others may only cover them if you haven't needed treatment within a certain time period, or if you declare the condition first. Others may not cover medical conditions at all.
Even if you don't need medical cover for these conditions, failing to declare them could allow an insurer to cancel your entire policy if they decide they wouldn't have insured you at all had they known.
Always review the policy's Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) to understand which medical conditions are covered before finalising your purchase.
You should confirm any price and policy inclusions directly with the provider before making a purchase decision.
What does a pre-existing medical condition do to my travel insurance?
This will depend on the condition and the insurer. Some insurers will simply give you the green light and it won't be an issue. Some will bump up your premiums a little to factor in any increased risk that you might require medical attention while overseas.
And in some cases, depending on what your pre-existing medical condition is, you might be denied cover for it altogether. However, that doesn't necessarily mean you can't still get a travel insurance policy, for all the other stuff that can go wrong on holiday. The policy will just exclude cover related to your PEC.
It's also worth noting that some insurers may give you the option to exclude cover for your PECs, or pay an extra premium to include them.
What happens if I don't disclose my pre-existing medical condition?
If anything (relating to your PEC) was to happen, your insurer is unlikely to cover any related costs.
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