Traveling with medical conditions
Do you have a pre-existing medical condition like diabetes, sleep apnea, or endometriosis? Living with chronic pain or long-term conditions can be difficult — but travel can give you some much-needed relaxation and an escape from your day-to-day agenda. And even if your condition acts up on vacation, it doesn’t need to complicate your finances.
With our travel insurance that covers pre-existing conditions, you’ll have financial protection and 24/7 medical assistance during your trip. If your health issue(s) complicate things while you’re away from home, we can help you find and afford reliable medical care.
What counts as a pre-existing condition for travel insurance policies?
The definition can depend on the insurer, but here at Travelex, on our Ultimate plan, it means this: a sickness, disease, or other condition that you have within the 90 days* before purchasing your policy The pre-existing condition can apply to you or a person you’re traveling with.
During this 90-day period, you must have received or been recommended treatment, diagnostic testing, or examination for the illness or taken prescription medicine for it.
For example, if you’ve been diagnosed with asthma and have seen your doctor for tests and/or filled your inhaler prescription within the 90 days before you bought your policy, it’d be considered a pre-existing medical condition.
What other conditions do we consider pre-existing? There are many, but to name a few, diabetes is a pre-existing condition for travel insurance, as well as other congenital ailments like hemophilia. Pre-existing conditions also include complications developed later in life, like heart conditions or high blood pressure.
What doesn’t Travelex consider a pre-existing condition?
We don’t consider a pre-existing condition to be an illness that remains treated and controlled by medication within 90 days before your trip.
For example, if you’ve had asthma since you were young, and you and your doctor have the condition under control with no changes, it isn’t considered a pre-existing medical condition.
Our plans don’t cover mental, nervous, or psychological disorders like anxiety and depression except under the emergency medical and dental expense benefit. This means if you have a mental, nervous, or psychological disorder and you’re looking for travel insurance with pre-existing conditions coverage, we can help if you need emergency medical support while you’re traveling. However, our plans can’t provide this coverage under other benefits like trip cancellation and trip interruption*.
Is pregnancy a pre-existing condition for travel insurance policies? No, and we don’t cover childbirth or normal pregnancy (except on our Ultimate plan). However, you can be eligible for coverage of certain complications of pregnancy that are separate from but affected or caused by pregnancy (like epilepsy or hypertension).
Have more questions about what counts as a pre-existing condition with our travel insurance and what we don’t cover? Reach out to our award-winning customer service team for help.
Can I get Travelex travel insurance with a pre-existing condition?
Yes, you can buy our travel insurance if you have a sickness, disease, or other condition. We believe everyone deserves to travel — and if you’re able to, an existing condition shouldn’t hold you back from seeing more of the world.
If you buy our Ultimate plan and you’re eligible for our waiver of the pre-existing condition exclusion, you’ll have coverage for travel issues caused by your pre-existing condition (like emergency medical expenses, travel delay, and trip cancellation).
If you buy our other plans — Essential, Advantage, Travel Med Go, Flight Insure, or Flight Insure Plus — and you have an existing medical condition, we can still provide you with coverage for scenarios listed in the policy that aren’t related to your condition. For example, if your baggage is delayed or misdirected for 12 hours or more (if included in the plan), we can help.
How do I get Travelex’s travel insurance for pre-existing conditions?
We can provide you with travel insurance that covers your pre-existing conditions if you meet all the following:
- You buy our Ultimate plan within 21 days of your first trip payment (It’s our only plan with pre-existing conditions coverage available.)
- You insure additional trip costs within 21 days of paying for them.
- You’re medically able to travel when you buy our Ultimate plan.
If you meet all these conditions, pre-existing conditions are eligible for coverage.
Want to speak to us before you buy? Our award-winning customer service team is here to help.
*Subject to state policy variation.