Tommy Lloyd
Author: Tommy Lloyd, Managing Director

Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.

Originally posted: 29th Jun 2023

We understand the importance of obtaining suitable travel insurance cover for any pre-existing health conditions you may have. We firmly believe that having a health condition shouldn't hinder your ability to explore the world and embark on exciting journeys. That's why we help you compare specialist providers, giving you peace of mind and potentially saving you from incurring substantial expenses in case of unforeseen events.

Our convenient online medical screening service is designed to make comparing travel insurance even more convenient for you. With this service, you can easily provide all the necessary details about your health condition(s), ensuring that you receive the most accurate and tailored quotes for your specific needs.

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What is online medical screening?

With the convenience of online medical screening, you can effortlessly provide information about any pre-existing health conditions for yourself or anyone you wish to include on your policy.

Through our user-friendly online screening service, you have the flexibility to add medical conditions during your quote and receive tailored quotes from providers that offer coverage for those specific conditions.

Say goodbye to filling out tedious paper forms, waiting for written confirmation, or discussing your medical history with a stranger over the phone. In just a matter of minutes, you can complete the entire process online and arrange cover immediately.

Why do I need to tell you about my health conditions?

Travel insurance companies require information about specific pre-existing health conditions to provide you with comprehensive coverage that includes the declared conditions. This is crucial because if a condition you've disclosed flares up before your trip and you're medically unable to travel, you can benefit from cancellation cover.

Additionally, while you're away, if you require medical assistance for your pre-existing health condition, the insurance will help cover the treatment costs or even arrange for your repatriation if necessary. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that you fully disclose all your medical conditions to ensure the validity of your policy. Failure to disclose all relevant information may invalidate your policy and leave you without the necessary coverage.

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What health conditions do I need to tell you about?

During your quote, we will ask you a few short questions about the medical history of you and anyone else you wish to have covered on your policy. This will enable us to accurately assess whether or not you need to disclose any existing health conditions.

Depending on the pre-existing medical conditions you may have (or have had), we may inquire about the number of different medications you currently take, any previous hospital admissions, or the date of your initial diagnosis. Please rest assured that we understand your concerns and privacy, and you will not be required to disclose the specific names of your medications.

So, what questions will you ask?

Before you start please remember that you must answer the questions as honestly as you can, if you are unsure of any details about your medical condition, we recommend you speak to your GP first. We also cannot provide a quote if you, or anyone else you want covered, have an undiagnosed health condition that is currently under investigation.

  1. First, we will ask if you, or anyone to be named on your policy have ever been diagnosed or treated for any cancerous, heart, circulatory, or respiratory conditions.

    This could be a recent condition or even one from a long time ago that you’ve made a full recovery from. If it is an old condition, don’t worry, providers will take this into account.

  2. We’ll also ask if you or anyone to be named on your policy has ever been diagnosed or treated for psychological conditions such as stress, anxiety, depression, or eating disorders.

    You wouldn’t need to answer yes if you’ve just felt like you’ve had one of these conditions, just if you have been formally diagnosed by a medical professional or received treatment.

  3. We then ask if you, or anyone to be named on your policy, has been prescribed medication or attended a hospital as an out or in-patient, or any other medical facility such as a medical practitioner's surgery within the last 2 years.

    So, if you’ve seen a doctor about a condition, or if you’ve been given medication to help with a condition (including repeat prescriptions), you will need to answer yes here.

  4. Next, we ask if you or anyone to be named on your policy has been put on a waiting list for treatment or investigation relating to an already diagnosed medical condition.

    For example - you could have high blood pressure which has flared up, and you are currently undergoing additional investigation or waiting for treatment. Remember, if it’s a condition that has not been diagnosed, you’ll need to wait for a diagnosis before you can get a quote.

  5. We’ll also ask if you or anyone to be named on your policy has been given a terminal prognosis.

All questions require a simple Yes or No response. If your answer is No to all questions, there is no need to disclose any medical conditions. However, if you answer Yes to any of the questions, you'll need to provide details of the corresponding medical conditions.

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How do I add medical conditions to my quote?

Finding a medical condition is a breeze - just click 'add condition' and we'll do our utmost to help you find the appropriate one.

Once you've found the correct condition, we may inquire about a few additional details, such as hospital admissions or medication usage, to truly comprehend your unique circumstances and the impact of the condition on your present well-being.

Remember, you only need to provide the name of the medical condition; there's no requirement to include any specific medications or treatments, although we may inquire about them if necessary.

If any travellers don't have any medical conditions, simply select 'nothing to declare' for that individual. Once you feel confident that you've added all the necessary conditions, you can complete the screening process and we'll present you with your quotes.

Will my quotes include cover for the conditions I’ve added?

Yes, rest assured that all the quotes we provide will carefully cover any medical conditions you have shared with us. When you review your quote results, you will have the opportunity to verify all the details you have provided.

Additionally, when you purchase a policy, we will send you an email confirmation. This ensures that you have a comprehensive record of the information you have provided and allows you to easily keep track of the cover you have taken out.

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Can I declare some conditions and exclude others?

In simple terms, the best advice is no. While you can buy standard insurance that completely excludes coverage for your pre-existing medical conditions, it's important to note that when it comes to specialist travel insurance, you can't selectively choose what to include or exclude.

It may be tempting to only declare the conditions you want coverage for, but doing so could potentially void your policy if any of your other medical conditions flare up.

To ensure the best cover for you, it's always advisable to declare all pre-existing medical conditions. This way, travel insurance providers can make an informed decision about covering you and determine the appropriate premium based on all the relevant facts. By following this approach, you can secure the most comprehensive cover possible.

How will my medical condition affect the cost of my travel insurance?

Many medical conditions can be covered for no extra charge, although it's still important to declare all of them. This is because the severity of your condition plays a role in determining whether any additional premium is required.

But fret not, we've got you covered! We'll include all of this in the price we show you so there are no nasty surprises.

Travel insurance providers carefully assess the risk of you requiring medical treatment while you're away or needing to cancel your holiday due to your medical condition. If your illness is severe or your condition is unstable, you may have to pay more for travel insurance cover to ensure you receive the necessary support and coverage.

Rest assured, we're here to help you navigate through the complexities and find the best insurance solution for your unique needs.

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We’ve done our best to make our medical screening process easy and simple. You just need to complete one set of medical screening questions to get quotes from all of the specialist providers on our panel. Click below to get started and see for yourself.

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Frequently Asked Questions

A pre-existing condition is a diagnosed medical condition that existed before taking out a policy. We'll ask a series of questions about the medical history for you and any travellers on your quote. If you answer yes to any of these, you will need to tell us about the traveller's conditions. This could be a condition that a traveller has now or has had in the past. If you are not sure what conditions you need to declare, we have online support available to help you 24/7!

Once you've declared all of your relevant pre-existing medical conditions, we'll only show you quotes based on the conditions you have told us about.

No, after you've declared your medical condition using our online screening tool - you are done! There's no need to confirm your conditions in writing with your insurance provider. The only time you may have to provide written evidence is in the event of a claim.
No, unfortunately, we're unable to provide a quote if you are suffering from an undiagnosed medical condition. As soon as you have been diagnosed you can visit us and get a quote.

No. We can search for travel insurance quotes for all ages. However, the number of annual multi-trip quotes for older travellers may be limited due to age restrictions imposed by the providers that we search. If you are unable to get an annual trip quote, try a single trip quote instead.

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