Quotes on Car Insurance, Auto Insurance, Travel Insurance, Home Insurance and Life Insurance

Travel Insurance Pre-Existing Conditions Coverage - How It Works

What is a Pre-Existing Medical Condition?

When a trip cancellation travel insurance company refers to a "Pre-Existing Condition", they are talking about medical conditions that exist in the Lookback Period that immediately preceeds the travel insurance purchase date.

Simply put, a Pre-Existing Condition is any medically documented condition (no matter how minor) an Insured Person, Traveling Companion or Family Member has been treated for, consulted with or received advice on. This includes any adjustments or changes in any prescription drugs or medication during the Lookback Period. The condition has to be medically stable.

Medically Stable also includes the idea that nothing is foreseen or expected to "be a turn for the worse". In other words if you're given a week to live and you want to buy travel insurance for a cruise next month, you can't cover the Pre-Existing Condition. It's like wanting to buy Fire Insurance when your house is on fire.

Here's some actual policy wording:

"Any injury, illness, sickness or medical condition of an Insured or Family Member which either manifests itself or exists during the Lookback Period immediately preceding the day you buy Travel Insurance, unless the condition is controlled through the taking of prescription drugs or medication and remains controlled throughout the Lookback Period. A pre-existing condition has manifested itself when medical care, treatment or diagnosis has been given."

What this means is starting today, if during the Lookback Period:

• You, a traveling companion or a family member, has any injury, illness, disease, sickness or medical condition and
• Has been diagnosed, treated for it, had any prescription changes (increase or decrease), been advised to be treated, had symptoms of it, hopitalized, saw a medical professional for it, etc.
• Then that person has a Pre-Existing Condition as defined by a Travel Insurance policy. Note: If that person has a medical condition that's farther in the past than the Lookback Period, they don't have a Pre-Existing Condition.

Why is this important?

You can cancel or interrupt your trip or receive medical treatment even if you have a Pre-Existing Condition – if you follow the rules.

Trip cancellation travel insurance excludes claims due to pre-existing medical conditions. Some travel insurance plans will waive the pre-existing condition exclusion at no extra charge if you get your travel insurance in the first 10, 14 or 21 days after your first trip payment date (before the end of these 10, 14 or 21 days).

Any payment on your trip is considered the first payment. This includes the tax you pay when you redeem frequent flyer tickets, refundable deposits or even a trip planning consultation fee if that fee is later credited toward your trip costs.

You'll protect yourself if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip or receive medical treatment because of that pre-existing medical condition. There are three primary rules to keep in mind:

• You have to insure your trip's full prepaid, non-refundable cost and
• person with the medical condition has to be medically stable when you get your insurance and
• You must get your travel insurance in the first 10, 14 or 21 days after your first trip payment date

If you're past the first 10, 14 or 21 days you will be governed by the "Lookback Period".

What's the bottom line?

If Pre-Existing Conditions are a concern for you or your traveling companions, you have to buy your trip cancellation travel insurance within the deadlines.

Steve Dasseos is the CEO of TripInsuranceStore.com. You can compare travel insurance policies at this website. Contact Steve here.

MORE ARTICLES:

Combined Insurance: Consider Supplemental Accident Insurance and Disability Insurance During Safety Awareness Month
Safety Awareness Month an Ideal Time to Take Stock of Supplemental Insurance Protection

Take Stock of Life Insurance Coverage During Life Insurance Awareness Month
Leading Supplemental Insurance Provider Stresses Importance of Assessing Life Insurance Needs

The Co-operative Insurance Voted Best Online Motor Insurance Provider by Your Money Awards
Leading motor insurer The Co-operative Insurance has been voted 'Best Online Motor Insurer Provider' in this years Your Money Awards.

A Life Insurance Comparison: Whole Life Insurance Versus Term Life Insurance
What type of life insurance might fulfill your assurance needs This article is a life insurance comparison about whole life insurance versus term life insurance

Whole Life Insurance | Whole Life Insurance Is Superior Then Other Life Insurance Policies
In most cases where people do not take up a life insurance and if you ask them the reason for not taking up the life insurance, you will come to know that people feel that investing money in life insurance is a dead investment and waste of money But that is not the case if you study and do a research, you will find that people generally get more then what they have invested

Individual Dental Insurance Plan - Supplemental Dental Insurance For Military Men
If you are in the military, your insurance will cover dental care This coverage will be assured during the time when you are still in active service

Florida Health Insurance Web Blasts New AMA's Health Insurance Proposal
"Do Doctor's or Drug companies get paid to keep you healthy? Or do they get paid to keep you sick?" Florida Health Insurance Web wants to know. With that in mind, Morgan Moran took a look at the new AMA health insurance proposal, hoping to find some shred of hope for Florida's residents, but Moran said, "It looks like more of the same from Washington" and "he'd like to look into the AMA's campaign contributions."

Affordable Health Dental Insurance - Supplemental Dental Insurance Plan
There have been many instances whereby insurances that include dental care will fail to fully support the expenses incurred for dental care of a family These would tend to create financial problems as the family would have to spend their own money or even borrow just to cover for the expenses created by the dental care of a family member due to insufficiency of insurance coverage

2007 Third Quarter Auto Insurance Pricing Report from Leading Auto Insurance Agency, Insurance.com
Insurance.com, the largest online auto insurance agency in the United States, reports that car insurance rates are continuing to decrease depending on geographical location.

Affordable Health Dental Insurance - Guide to Finding Federal Dental Insurance
In looking for a government sponsored dental insurance, you have to consider two basic facts One, that most federal dental insurance plan is for those employed by the federal governments only

What Is The Difference Between One Way Insurance And Full Coverage Insurance
When traveling, especially when going abroad, it is often fundamental to have an insurance policy for your trip. When going to foreign countries that you often know little or nothing about, it is very important to do all you can to insure your trip goes as planned, with as few setbacks as possible. Unfortunately, unplanned events that are completely out of our control often come up, this is one reason why insurance policies are a necessary part of traveling. Whenever preparing for a trip, be sure to consult your travel agent about insurance plans and fees.

Florida Public Insurance Adjusters And Property Damage Insurance Claims
Florida Public Insurance Adjusters are growing in popularity throughout Florida. Whether it is hurricane, fire, flood or catastrophe damage, more and more home and business owners are finding it necessary to acquire the assistant of a Public Adjuster because of underpaid property damage insurance claims.

Business Insurance Now Teams Up With Philadelphia Insurance to Offer Colorado Insurance Brokers Coverage
As one of the most knowledgeable and extensive providers of small business insurance on the Internet, Business Insurance Now has currently teamed up with Philadelphia Insurance in order to provide coverage for all individual Colorado insurance brokers.

Home And Business Property Insurance Claim Help - Dealing With Your Insurance Company
Any time you have property damage to your residence, you have to go through your Insurance Company to recover money for your losses and to rebuild what was lost. If you are like a large sum of property owners, you walked away with a check from your insrance company with barely enough funds to cover half of the work that has to be done to get your home back in shape.