The team at Worldcare are often asked pre-existing medical conditions and what you should declare. From the medication for high cholesterol, to that rare blood condition you were diagnosed with as a child; from the hip surgery you are booked in for in two months’ time, to the whiplash you received in that recent car accident, what needs to be declared? Fortunately we recently introduced a new online medical assessment tool that takes a lot of the headache out of the decisions. Before you go online, here is a handy list to assist in the process of thinking about what might need to be declared.
A Pre-existing Medical Condition
A pre-existing medical condition is one that is an on-going condition of which you know about before you purchase you travel insurance policy from Worldcare. For example, if you have been having tests conducted around a health issue, or you are on medication or receiving treatment for an illness or condition, this is classed as pre-existing. This is also the case if you have had surgery or have surgery scheduled in for a future date.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy is considered a pre-existing medical condition. Worldcare covers uncomplicated pregnancies to 23 weeks. It is also advisable to speak to your doctor before flying when expecting.
Declaring Your Condition
Even if you don’t think you want your pre-existing medical condition covered, you must declare it to us during the online assessment. You can choose to exclude the cover (and any additional costs) at the end of assessment. By declaring everything, you give us the best snapshot of your medical history should any accidents or medical incidents occur whilst you are travelling. Please note that if you do not declare your conditions, it may affect your cover.
Getting Cover
To receive cover for your pre-existing medical condition you must complete our online assessment. This is a step-by-step process that you are automatically taken through. Step one of the online assessment asks three questions about reasons you may not be able to travel. This is regarding medical advice against travel, whether you are travelling to receive medical treatment or if the condition is terminal. If you need to answer yes to these three questions then unfortunately we will be unable to offer a travel insurance policy to you.
The next stage of the process asks about serious ailments, chronic conditions, surgeries and more. Indicating yes in step two moves you to the online assessment tool automatically for more details to be added. At this stage you can choose to assess your condition, or declare that you do not want it covered on your insurance policy.
If you choose to get the conditions assessed, enter your medical condition/s as per the screen prompt. As you type it in you will find your condition and a series of questions will follow. Enter as many medical conditions as necessary here. Each series of questions only takes a minute to answer. After you click finish and confirm that everything entered is correct you will be given a traveller assessment summary and an additional premium for cover. Again, here you can opt out of cover, as well as choose a range of excesses to pay which can increase or decrease the required payment. Once accepted, this is then added to your policy premium.
After Purchase
If you are diagnosed with an illness or suffer an accident after you have purchased your travel insurance policy you are covered for cancellation if you are no longer able to travel. If you are still planning on taking your trip and require cover, please give us a call on 0800 553 550 so we can assess your new condition. Failure to do so may result in no cover being available for anything relating to the medical condition.
Our new system takes a lot of the guesswork out of any complex medical concerns, however if you do have any questions, please give our experienced team a call on 0800 553 550 or click here. We look forward to assisting you with your queries.
