Need travel insurance with pre-existing condition. From Canada to USA.

November 2, 2016 5:01 PM

Looking to buy 8 days of travel insurance for a trip from Canada to the US. Difficulty: Pre-existing condition with an unclear diagnosis. However, I'm willing to pay extra for coverage. Thoughts on a provider?

Family member (male, late 60s) had a thorough medical a few weeks ago and was referred to a specialist about a heart issue as a precaution. Specialist said it was most likely nothing, or very minor and treated by medication, however more tests were needed to confirm the details. Unfortunately, he has a trip planned from Canada to the US this Saturday. The medical issue will not be sorted out before he leaves.

He is looking to purchase travel insurance for 8 days of travel to the US, as both his credit card and normal health coverage have said they will not cover any issues related to the above. He is willing to pay significantly extra for this insurance and will be upfront with any company about his "pre-existing condition". Do you have any recommendations of reputable vendors that would sell such insurance?

posted by evadery to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

I doubt it. It doesn't make economic sense for the underwriter to sign him up for new insurance for a known heart condition.

What is his existing health coverage? Is it private? They won't cover emergencies abroad related to this condition?
posted by grouse at 5:57 PM on November 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Previously. I don't think you'll find many policies that would fully cover pre-existing conditions, especially for travel to USA, but you may find a rare few that offer some fixed amount coverage (I'd search on squaremouth.com, use the filter on the left, and look at the policy detail).

You may also want to look at MedJetAssist.com as an option to provide medical evaluation back to Canada when hospitalized (this is different from the evacuation coverage provided by typical travel insurance).
posted by thewildgreen at 10:33 PM on November 3, 2016

I used AXA to buy travel insurance from the US for a trip to Europe that included coverage for a pre-existing condition. It didn't cover all health care abroad but did cover emergency care, including for treatment of the pre-existing condition, and travel home should a medical emergency occur. The total cost for the insurance was $360, and I think about $60 of that was for the pre-existing condition rider (there was an option to add it before checkout, but it wasn't obvious on the main policy page). I thankfully didn't need to use it, so I don't have any feedback on how well the coverage actually works.
posted by snaw at 7:45 AM on November 4, 2016