Travel insurance is coverage only for unexpected medical expenses while you are on a trip away from home. Some companies offer coverage for what they call "acute onset" of a pre-existing condition (excluding chronic or congenital disorders). This would be a life or life-style threatening situation that cannot wait to be taken care of when the trip is over.
It must be "acute" meaning that it came on suddenly and needs to be taken care of quickly (defined as within 24 hours of symptom onset). A "pre-existing condition" does not necessarily have to have been previously diagnosed. If it is reasonable to assume that this condition started in the patient before the start date of the insurance, then it will be considered pre-existing to the policy. Note that the exclusion for chronic (conditions that worsen over time) and congenital (conditions a person is born with) limit greatly the application of this exception.
If asthma is not considered chronic, then an emergency due to asthma could be covered by a policy which covers at least "acute onset" of pre-existing conditions. If a person requires regular medication and/or doctor visits for their asthma, this will NOT be covered and will have to be paid by the insured completely out of pocket.
Note that in the US, the same medications can differ widely in costs depending on the pharmacy you use and some medications (generally generics) for common illnesses can be purchased for $40 per month at the Walmart pharmacy (although there may be long wait times). Also, some drug companies have special "coupons" available online for some of their drugs. There are often "discount cards" available at pharmacies and other stores for prescriptions that are free to use.
These are all resources your visitor can use to avoid paying full price for costly required medications should they run out while they are in the US. Other countries may not require a prescription and may not be as costly to obtain. Having a prescription with you, however, may be a good idea to ease getting the medication and show authorities you are allowed to have it (in the case of regulated substances which can vary country to country).
No. When you purchase any of our travel insurance plans, they offer guaranteed coverage with no medical questions. However, be aware that they all exclude pre-existing medical conditions. So, please take any medications you use regularly or for flare ups of your conditions since these will not be covered by travel insurance.
As far as I know, arthritis cannot lead to a life-threatening situation, so will be excluded from coverage by short-term travel policies. If you are a frequent traveler and want major medical coverage in any country to which you travel, you can opt for global medical policies which will (after the first year, generally) cover all aspects of health costs.
You can Compare and buy Global health insurance policies. To apply for these policies, you will have to reveal your entire medical history and you are not guaranteed coverage. The application must go through underwriting and you can be approved, rejected, or approved with exclusions. In any case, you can opt out of the policy 10 days from your approval for no cost to you or simply reject the exclusions they require on the policy.
Note that these policies are best for people who want health insurance for a whole year, or better, longer. Once you are approved on the plan, you are guaranteed coverage year after year and the price is determined by your age group, not your individual medical history.
So, in the case of a global medical insurance application, you would have to declare your arthritis on the application and you may or may not be covered for that illness by the policy they offer you.
Absolutely, yes! Travel insurance is meant to cover you in the unlikely event of a sudden illness or accident while you are on your trip. Even if you have a pre-existing condition that complicates treatment, that is not relevant to the coverage for an unexpected illness or injury. Naturally, your pre-existing conditions themselves are excluded from coverage, so you should pack as much medication as you will comfortably need for your trip.
Yes. Any medical condition you have been diagnosed with or are being treated for will be considered pre-existing to a new travel policy. If you take regular medication for your condition, this will not be covered by the policy. However, should you, for example, have an accident and break a bone, this would be covered even if your condition may have made you a little more vulnerable to the break (unless you were being particularly reckless).
Accidents are generally always covered (car accidents are more complicated because if you were not at fault, the driver's insurance may cover part of your injuries) unless caused by intoxication.
So, even if you have osteoarthritis or some other pre-existing condition, you are still eligible for coverage by a travel insurance policy which will protect you from sudden illness or accident/injury while you are on your trip.
This is a tough question. And, unfortunately, the answer depends on where you are traveling to and from.
For people that are traveling to the US from abroad:
As a broker, I am not a medical professional, so I can only tell you this from the insurance side of the question. Generally speaking, the most common cause for heart attack as I understand it is due to plaque build up in the person's arteries. Since that build up happens slowly, over time, I think it's fair to say that it would NOT be covered by any travel health insurance.
This is because travel health insurance excludes pre-existing conditions from any coverage (even emergency coverage if they are chronic or congenital). So the answer for the common cause of heart attacks is NO. So, foreigners run a risk (hopefully a small one) when traveling here. Health insurance can still help with costs of accidents and other unexpected illnesses while on vacation.
However, the answer is be different for people who are US residents traveling abroad. US residents can purchase trip cancellation plans and some of those waive the pre-existing condition exclusion IF you purchase them within a short time of your initial trip deposit (that is the earliest date you pay for any portion of your trip). Check out trip cancellation plans. Notably, the GeoBlue student and travel plans also waive the pre-existing condition exclusion for people who had creditable prior insurance coverage, and these plans are only available to US residents with US domestic coverage.
And, for travel plans for US residents going abroad, some, like the Safe Travels Outbound plans, will cover pre-existing conditions IF they have been stable in the last 6 months (meaning there have been no changes, episodes, or changes to medication in that time frame). You can Compare Safe Travels Outbound Insurance plans.
No. Travel health insurance is meant to cover a sudden illness or accident, such as you get a stomach flu or you twist or break your ankle. Since arthritis is not a life-threatening illness, it will not be covered by a short-term travel plan. Should you require regular medications or ointments, you should bring them or purchase ointments available in the visiting country for your condition.
Some countries may not require prescriptions to purchase medications.
However, you should be cautious in using a new medication since there may be side-effects of concern. You may want to stick to what you know or consult with your own physician if you can.
While most US travel insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions, some US travel insurance plans do cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions. INF insurance is the one provider who offers travel insurance with coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Most travel insurance plans will consider blood pressure as a pre-existing condition for travel insurance. However the INF insurance offer travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions ranging including Blood pressure. The INF Premier & INF Elite travel insurance for preexisting conditions are two INF plans with coverage for blood pressure.
INF travel insurance offers some US travel insurance with coverage for pre-existing medical conditions which are available for travel to the USA, Canada and Mexico for travelers over 70 years as well.
Any pre-existing medical condition is something that the traveler has before or when he/she buys the travel insurance plan. The pre-existing condition can be an illness or any injury. Some other examples of pre-existing conditions are cancer, diabetes or asthma/respiratory issues.
A. The following travel insurance plans cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions:
Mental and Nervous disorders, maternity and new born care, preventive care, chronic illness which cannot be cured, for instance, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, pre-existing conditions except for sudden recurrence of the pre-existing conditions are some of the medical conditions that the travel insurance completely excludes from coverage.
Travel Insurance plans do not specify anything about the waiting period, but some plans have a look back period for coverage for pre-existing conditions. Most travel insurance plans only cover the acute onset of pre-existing conditions with INF being the exception which offers coverage for Pre-existing conditions up to the defined limit with their INF Premier and INF Elite travel insurance plans.
US Student medical insurance plans which are useful for international students coming to the US for higher studies however do provide a waiting period of 6 months to one year which varies from one plan to another.
Travel Insurance plans provide coverage for unexpected sickness and injury. They provide benefits to cover emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. Apart from this, they provide coverage for the acute onset of pre-existing conditions. If there is a medical condition that you do not need any coverage for, then yes, you can still purchase travel insurance for unexpected medical accidents which might result in a highly expensive claim expense.
US short term travel insurance plans are bought online by filling out the travel insurance application form provided by the insurance company. In the insurance company application form, there are no specific questions about the pre-existing condition the customer might have.
In American Visitor Insurance comparison tool for travel insurance quotes, we ask traveler’s to fill in all the requirements including if coverage for pre-existing conditions is needed. This helps us display the plans with the best coverage for pre-existing conditions or for acute onset of pre-existing conditions. The available travel insurance plans can also be filtered depending on the visitors insurance pre-existing condition coverage requirement. This way it is easier for the customer to view the plans that provide good pre-existing condition coverage. In conclusion, the customer does not have a way to disclose what pre-existing condition they have in the application form. Again only INF insurance offers coverage for pre-existing conditions while other providers only offer acute onset of pre-existing condition coverage, and they will not be covered for the pre-existing condition unless the incident is reported by the doctor as an acute onset of a pre-existing condition.
The Full pre-existing conditions coverage plans treat any issue related to a pre-existing condition like a New Accident and Sickness, subject to the policy maximum and deductible limits. This explains why 'Full pre-existing conditions visitor insurance coverage' plans are more expensive than coverage only for 'acute onset of pre-existing conditions'.
In short the answer is Yes. INF insurance will cover any pre-existing conditions ranging from blood pressure, diabetes, to kidney complications and arthritis. All of these issues are all covered by the INF Premier & INF Elite Network best travel insurance for pre existing conditions.
.Here are some travel insurance tips for travelers with pre-existing conditions
There are several visitors insurance plans available for international travel. However many visitors insurance and travel insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions. This means that a travel insurance plan will not cover the costs of treating a pre-existing medical condition. The insurance company can therefore deny a claim if the ailment was pre-existing when the travel insurance was purchased. However, there are some travel health insurance plans which do offer coverage for pre-existing conditions with the policy clearly defining a look back period and what is covered for pre-existing conditions as well as specifying a limit for this coverage.
Some travel health insurance plans like Atlas America, Patriot America Plus offer coverage for the acute onset of a pre-existing conditions, ie, when there is a sudden medical emergency without any prior symptom that needs to be treated immediately. The coverage typically includes emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and evacuation expenses related to the acute onset of the pre-existing condition. INF insurance however has the INF Elite insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions going beyond the acute onset coverage. It is important to compare visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions both for the price as well as the specific details for pre-existing conditions coverage as well as review the policy brochures for exclusions and coverage limits before making a decision.
The travel health insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions have clear definitions of what is a pre-existing condition, the look back period for pre-existing condition, whether the travel insurance coverage is limited to acute onset of pre-existing conditions, and if it provides full coverage for pre-existing conditions the coverage limit within the policy for pre-existing conditons. Any travel health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions will depend on all these.
The following are the important to consider while purchasing travel insurance for pre-existing conditions
There are many international travelers who have medical ailments and it is important for them to be well informed about visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions. Many of the regular travel insurance plans exclude any coverage for pre-existing conditions. The definition of pre-existing conditions varies for different insurance providers as they have a ‘look back’ period and any medical ailments during this look back period would be considered pre-existing. At American Visitor Insurance, we offer plans which do offer coverage for acute onset of a pre-existing condition, as well as full coverage for pre-existing conditions up to a clearly defined limit in the policy document. All of these details can be better understood by using our facility for comparing visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions.
Unfortunately, this simple question has a fairly complicated answer. The answer is: it depends. Firstly, it depends on whether you are a US resident traveling outside the US or a visitor to the US. US residents can purchase trip cancellation insurance that can cover pre-existing conditions and even plans that are travel medical only without cancellation often are more generous in their coverage of pre-existing conditions. These plans may have specific requirements in order to waive the usual exclusion of coverage for pre-existing conditions (like purchase them within a certain number of days of your initial trip deposit or that you have a primary domestic insurance plan in the US), so you should check these details carefully if this is important to you.
Non-US residents or US residents traveling into the US have much more limited options to insure their pre-existing conditions are covered. Some plans offer coverage for "acute onset" of pre-existing conditions. However, this is misleading, since a careful look at their definition excludes chronic or congenital disorders from such coverage. Chronic illnesses are those that worsen over time and congenital disorders are issues one is born with. They exclude emergencies due to chronic illness because they will say that is not "acute" it is simply a worsening of your condition. There are only two policies we know of that offer coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. They are INF Premier and INF Elite plans.
Firstly, they define pre-existing conditions in the following way: A pre-existing condition is a condition for which the insured received treatment or took medication for in the previous 12 months before the start of the policy. If the medication dosage has not changed and is taken as a maintenance medication, this would NOT count as a flare up or treatment of the condition. In that case, very stable conditions that have no flare ups in the past 12 months are not even excluded as pre-existing conditions. Conditions that have had flare ups or doctor recommended treatment or change in medication, are still covered by the plans but with a higher deductible and a lower maximum.
INF Elite (also INF Elite 90) are comprehensive plans offering fairly complete coverage. INF Premier is a fixed plan. Find details on these plans here.
The above plans must be purchased for at least 90 days and can be quite pricey for seniors, but they offer the only real coverage for chronic conditions.
The other option, of course, is to take a plans with little ($1000) or no coverage for pre-existing conditions and take a risk that that condition will not flare up during the trip.
INF plans boast they offer "full" coverage for pre-existing conditions. This can be a little misleading. Firstly, any regular treatment or medication that is required by the condition is never covered. The main advantage to the INF Elite and INF Premier is that they cover sudden illness/injury regardless of whether it is pre-existing or not. The only difference is that a pre-existing condition will be covered with a higher deductible at at a lower maximum than any other "new" illness or injury. However, coverage is not limited to an emergency or life-threatening situation.
The "Acute Onset of a Pre-Existing Condition" is a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing medical condition which occurs without any advance warning either in the form of physician recommendations or symptoms and requires immediate care (within 24 hours of first symptoms). A Pre-Existing Condition that is a chronic or congenital condition or that gradually becomes worse over time will not be considered acute onset.
The acute onset coverage benefit does not include coverage for known, scheduled, required, or expected medical care, drugs or treatment existent or necessary prior to the effective date of coverage. An example of this might be someone who has a food allergy or bee allergy and is unknowingly exposed to their allergen and requires immediate medical attention.
Acute onset of a pre-existing condition can be defined as the sudden & unexpected occurrence of a pre-existing condition which requires in-patient, emergency hospitalization within 24 hours of exhibiting first symptoms. The main difference between acute onset & full pre-existing is that with Full Pre-Existing coverage, is that one is covered for all pre-existing conditions and associated medical costs and this includes follow up visits, hospitalizations and doctor’s visits, etc. The acute onset coverage will only cover the in-patient hospitalization expense.
Full Pre-existing means we will cover any issue regarding a pre-existing condition, however, if one is traveling to the United States solely for medical treatment, that will not be covered. INF plans do not cover any medical tourism related claims. Pre-existing conditions under the INF plans are covered with a higher deductible and a lower maximum than other illnesses or injuries. These are chosen or specified when you purchase you plan.
Yes, the INF policies will cover any pre-existing issue that the traveler may have during their stay in the United States. This includes blood pressure, diabetes, kidney related issues and arthritis, all of which are covered by the INF Premier & INF Elite Plans.
The insurance company takes on an enormous risk by insuring individuals and including coverage for pre-existing conditions without any prior medical examination. Under the INF plans, you are paying more, but you are getting the full value for the money you pay given the very high cost of US healthcare. With the INF Premier Plan & INF Elite Plan, even though it is expensive, you can have the comfort of knowing that you are covered for any emergency or contingency. This peace of mind given the expensive US healthcare expense is what makes INF plans worth it despite being expensive.
The list of covered services under Visitors insurance full pre-existing conditions coverage can be found on the American Visitor Insurance website of the INF Premier & INF Elite Plan pages. INF plans are open to green card holders
The best US visitors insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage is listed here :
A fixed benefit travel insurance plan is the cheapest travel insurance plan option. Fixed benefit travel insurance is cheap because it has a fixed limit of coverage for different medical benefits.
Fixed benefit travel insurance plans work well in case of small ailments but can be inadequate in the event of a serious medical ailment or hospitalisation.
Comprehensive travel insurance plans provide exhaustive coverage for health expenses up to the policy medical maximum amount. In contrast to fixed benefit plans there are no limits for each benefit. Comprehensive insurance is more expensive when compared to fixed benefit plans but provides significantly better coverage in case of a medical emergency or hospitalisation.
There is no denying that travel insurance to USA is sadly very expensive. The main reason for this is simply because the cost of healthcare in the USA is very expensive and the travel insurance USA costs are directly related to the healthcare costs. One more factor for some USA travel insurance plans to be very expensive is that there are specially designed travel insurance USA plans available for older travelers, with higher medical coverage as well as some plans with coverage for pre-existing ailments.
Insurance Coverage for older travelers with Pre-existing Conditions
Read more »Best of the Best Coverage for Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Read more »Get quote for visitor medical insurance with pre-existing coverage.
Read more »Popular pre-existing conditions for visitors to the USA plans which have coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Read more »Compare pre-existing conditions insurance plans for US visitors and buy the best plan.
Read more »Co-Insurance: After paying the deductible, percentage or amount of covered expenses that the insured pays. For example, an insurance policy brochure may mention that the policy will pay 80% of the first $5,000 and 100% thereafter of the usual and customary charges; In some health insurance plans, it is also called "co-payment".
Deductible: Amount to be paid by the insured person before the insurance company begins to pay for the covered expenses. Deductible may be either per sickness/injury or once per policy period or once per year depending upon the insurance policy you purchase. You will not get receive any reimbursement later from insurance company for the deductible you pay. e.g., Let us consider that you have purchased an insurance policy with a $50,000 policy maximum, $250 deductible per policy period and 80/20 co-insurance. Suppose you incur a covered expense of $10,250; then the insurance company will pay the covered expenses according to policy terms after you make a a payment of the deductible (i.e. $250).
Hello,
Hi Clara,Even as the threat of the Covid19 has reduced across the globe, the Covid situation remains fluid and is made more complicated with influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) which are also spreading earlier and faster than usual in the US.
Given the pandemic, the Ukraine war and staffing disruptions in different airports across the globe, international travelers are understandably more concerned about safety while traveling. There is now an increased demand to buy the best visitors travel insurance.
To protect the trip it is advisable to get travel medical insurance with wide benefits like, trip cancellation, cancel for any reason, quarantine coverage, travel delay or interruption, baggage or personal belongings loss, medical expenses of COVID19, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation etc...
At American visitor insurance travelers can choose from a wide range of choices that cater to different travel and medical needs. Travelers can compare and add on benefits according to their specific requirement. Feel free to give us a call or email us and one of our customer support licensed agents will be able to help you.
Trawick International offers visitor medical insurance for coronavirus with their Safe Travels USA Insurance. The Safe Travels USA Comprehensive plan is ideal for travelers with pre-existing medical conditions even for travelers older than 70 years. Travelers can compare Safe Travels USA Covid19 travel insurance plans and buy it online to get coverage as early as the following day. Travelers can also download a visa letter which indicates that Safe travels USA visitors insurance covers covid19 illness.
International Medical Group (IMG) travel insurance offers coronavirus insurance for USA with the Patriot America Plus and Patriot Platinum insurance plans. The Patriot America Plus Insurance and Patriot America Platinum insurance include COVID coverage like any other illness up to the policy maximum.
INF travel insurance offers Covid coverage as any other new sickness. It is available for Non-US citizens or residents travelling to the US. INF Premier and INF Elite plans covers pre-existing complications from COVID19.
Diplomat America travel insurance by Global Underwriters offers coverage for covid19 as a new sickness. It is available for Non-US citizens or residents traveling to the US. Diplomat Long term Covid19 medical insurance must be bought for a minimum of 3 months and has a plan maximum options of $500,000 and $1,000,000 for medical expenses. You can compare Diplomat insurance for visitors to USA.
Atlas travel insurance coverage will cover eligible medical expenses resulting from COVID19/SARS-CoV-2.
Please know we are here to help you make the best, informed decision to get coverage even for COVID19! Let us know how we can assist you. Feel free to contact us by email or phone at any time.
Fixed benefits US travel insurance have specific benefit limits for different covered medical expenses... Click here to read more »
We also offer international travel insurance plans covering pre-existing conditions which many older travelers look for... Click here to read more »
Advantages of buying US/UK Insurance. Compare and buy US travel insurance... Click here to read more »
International travel insurance resources for travel emergency while outside your home country.
Explore »
Important factors for travel insurance to consider while deciding on the best visitors medical insurance.
Explore »
Understanding different types of US visitor health insurance options, fixed benefits vs comprehensive coverage.
Explore »
Helping travelers with the insurance claims process for getting medical care in a hospital.
Explore »You can find reliable US insurance providers like International Medical Group(IMG), Seven Corners, WorldTrips, Global Underwriters, Travel Insure, GeoBlue, HTH Worldwide and INF insurance.
