Pre-Existing Medical Conditions FAQ's

Your travel insurance policy contains restrictions regarding pre-existing medical conditions, which unless declared and accepted by us in writing prior to travel may invalidate any subsequent claim.

Example: Sometimes people think they don't have a medical condition because it's controlled by pills. For example, someone might have been diagnosed with high blood pressure or cholesterol but because of the medication being taken, their blood pressure and cholesterol readings are normal. However, these are medical conditions that need to be declared to us, due to risks involved with travel the blood pressure and cholesterol levels would probably change and potentially be a risk to health. 

Our definition: Any condition, during 6 months prior to departure, where you have received:

• Any form of treatment
• Prescribed medication
• Medical consultation
• Investigation or follow-up/check-up
• Any heart condition, hypertension, blood clots, raised cholesterol, stroke, aneurysm, etc.

Rather than not declare something and risk it not being covered, we advise calling (012) 482 6706 and talking with one of our specialist staff. They will let you know if we need to make a note of it, to ensure that any claims related to the medical condition are covered by the policy.

Yes, even if we have agreed to provide you with pre-existing medical conditions cover, the following will NOT be covered:

• Outpatient expenses
• Hospitalisation of less than 48hrs
• Terminal prognosis
• Medicine used to control and stabilise a chronic condition

Insurance premium and cover is determined by calculating the level of risk that a claim will have on a policy.

Claims are paid from the amount of money collected by premiums. Any insurance needs to ensure that the amount of money in the 'pot' of premiums collected is sufficient to pay all claims made.

Sometimes an insurance company will charge very high premiums but will then be able to cover a higher level of risk. We try to keep our premiums on the lower side, so, therefore, have to place a limit on the types or seriousness of the medical conditions we're able to cover.

In order for our travel insurance policy to include cover for pre-existing medical conditions, you need to declare them to us prior to departure, otherwise, they will not be covered by the policy.

We will need to know what conditions you have and sometimes other details such as what medication you are taking. We have specially trained staff who will ask you questions about your medical condition and, based on your circumstances, be able to tell you if we are able to include it in the cover.

If you have a medical condition that is not specifically covered by our policy, you will not be able to claim any costs associated with advice or treatment that you have received because of it.

It's possible that if you have not disclosed a material fact that might increase the risk of you making a claim, we could void the entire policy.

Contact our helpdesk at +27 12 482 6706, or alternatively, download and complete a pre-existing medical questionnaire (refer to our Downloads section on the website).