Travel Medical Insurance for Ontario Seniors – Are you Covered?

As the weather turns colder, many who have worked hard to enjoy their retirement are thinking about traveling south to enjoy warmer weather. While preparing for your vacation, along with packing and arranging for someone to care for your home while you are away, obtaining travel medical insurance is an important item to check off the to-do list before leaving.

In general, emergency medical travel insurance is designed to cover the unexpected and often costly expenses related to receiving medical care in a foreign country.

Seniors with ongoing medical conditions may face challenges obtaining travel medical insurance

As we get older, it is not unusual for Ontarians to suffer from a variety of ailments and consequently, be prescribed a number of medications.  This can sometimes mean that you won’t qualify for a particular policy or that your premiums for a particular coverage will be higher.

Of course, each policy of travel medical insurance is unique and for that reason it is very important to review all of the available options with a broker or insurance representative knowledgeable in this area to determine which product is right for you.

Reasons your travel medical insurance claim could be denied

There are a whole host of reasons why your claim might be denied.  Some denials are based on exclusions contained in the policy.  General examples of exclusion clauses in medical travel insurance policies might include:

• no coverage for certain pre-existing medical conditions;
• no coverage for conditions where a symptom arose within a certain number of days prior to your departure date;
• no coverage for conditions for which tests took place prior to your departure date and the results have not yet been received.

The bottom line is that you must read and understand all the various exclusion clauses in any travel medical policy, preferably before you purchase it, so that you are clear about what protection you have purchased.

Other times, a claim may be denied based on the argument that the entire contract (i.e insurance policy) is void due to a Material Misrepresentation.  An example might be if you failed to disclose a significant medical condition on an application form.  However, there are some travel insurance products out there that may help in circumstances where you failed to answer a medical question correctly, but nonetheless still qualified for the insurance.  Nevertheless, it is extremely important to fill out any application carefully and honestly.

Whether or not any particular travel medical insurance policy is right for you will depend on your individual circumstances and health considerations.  Make sure you understand the restrictions and exclusions  contained in your policy, before you leave for your trip.  Too often, it isn’t until after a claim is submitted and denied, that policy holders discover the limitations of their policy, leaving them with an unexpected financial burden.

If your travel insurance claim has been denied, call us at 1-800-563-6348 or contact an Ontario Injury Lawyer to discuss your options.