How Long Is The Travel Insurance Pre-Existing Medical Condition Lookback Period & How Does It Work?
A trip cancellation / trip interruption plan's Pre-Existing Condition Lookback Period is a period of 60 or 180 days prior to the travel insurance policy's effective date
What date is a travel insurance policy's effective date? And why does it matter?
If you insure at least a $1 trip cost, all our plans' effective dates will be 12:01 am of the day after your purchase date. However, & this is really important: a $0 trip cost makes the policy effective date the later of 12:01 am of your departure date or 12:01 am of the day after your purchase date.
What can occur during the Lookback Period to cause a condition to be defined as a Pre-Existing Condition?
If the person with the condition has any symptoms, appointment or visit or consultation with a medical professional, test, diagnosis, medication adjustment or change, then a pre-existing condition exists.
Why does it matter if any medical condition is defined as a pre-existing medical condition?
It matters because all travel insurance plans exclude coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Some plans let you waive this exclusion
You can waive that exclusion with any of our plans. If the condition is defined as a pre-existing medical condition and you don't waive the pre-existing medical condition exclusion, then you will have no coverage for trip cancellation, trip interruption nor any medical treatment for that medical condition.
This takes you back to the Lookback Period:
The Lookback Period defines whether or not a pre-existing medical condition exists. The Lookback Period doesn't affect you when there aren't any pre-existing medical conditions. The Lookback Period is important to you if:
These five plans (from three companies) do not apply the pre-existing medical condition Lookback Period to a non-traveling family member's medically stable condition:
Here's an example:
Let's say you have high chloresterol. You're fine now. Your condition is completely controlled with no diagnosis, care, consultations with any medical professional, treatments nor any changes in medication in the past 60 or 180 days. Therefore if you get travel insurance, your condition will not be defined as a pre-existing medical condition.
No matter when you get a travel, trip or cruise insurance plan, a medical condition may be a valid reason for trip cancellation or interruption. The person with the pre-existing medical condition has to be medically stable when you get your insurance.
Medically Stable means that in the 60 or 180 days (depending on the provider) prior to the day you buy travel insurance, there can't have been any medical condition which:
Manifested itself, became acute or exhibited symptoms which would have caused one to seek diagnosis, care or treatment;
Required the taking of prescribed drugs or medicine, unless the condition for which the prescribed drug or medicine is taken remains controlled without any change in the required prescription; or
Required medical treatment or treatment was recommended by a legally qualified physician.
If 1, 2 or 3 apply and you're past the first 14, 15, 21 or 30 days after you made your initial trip deposit or more than 24 Hours after you paid your final trip payment, you won't have any coverage for claims from that pre-existing medical condition.
Here Are The Lookback Periods:
Are you past all the Pre-existing Conditions deadlines and you absolutely need a Pre-existing Conditions Exclusion Waiver? If so, you may qualify for another plan. The reason you can't easily find it on TripInsuranceStore.com is because its pricing is so complicated. Therefore, I (Steve) built a completely different website for this plan. Note: the price is higher, but, then again, it's probably your only choice. This plan's deadline is the date you pay the last prepaid expense you pay before you depart on your trip. Get the details. |
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