Without question, canceling or cutting short a trip because of illness is a worst case scenario.  You’ve been planning for months, the unforeseen happens and memories are dashed.  Of course your health and wellness are the most important things but getting sick on the road can be costly and nobody likes to lose money.  That’s where travel insurance comes in.  So what illnesses are covered by travel insurance and which ones aren’t? And what steps can be taken to integrate your travel insurance with your life insurance? For the latter, head over to Marketreview.com/insurance/life/ to read all about how life-saving your insurances can be.

For travel insurance purposes, there isn’t a specific list of illnesses covered by travel insurance.  As a company like Allianz Travel Insurance puts it: is the illness serious enough to compel a reasonable individual to interrupt, cancel or delay their trip?  That is the main condition that any covered illness has to meet.

Obviously, anyone could claim they were unable to get out of bed at any time for any reason.  For that reason, covered illnesses need to have a physician confirmation.  Basically claimants need a doctors note stating that the patient should not travel.  Different companies will have different criteria for this but in the case of Allianz Travel Insurance, you need this beforehand but if that’s not possible, you must see a physician within 72 hours.

This all seems pretty reasonable and straight forward to me.  Luckily I’ve never had to cancel a trip because of illness but I always have my annual travel insurance policy handy just in case!

What About a Pre-Existing Condition?

Pre-exisiting conditions are a hot topic right now in this country as most of you know by now and definitions can vary from company to company.  Allianz Travel Insurance defines a pre-existing condition as “an Existing Medical Condition that has exhibited symptoms or was treated at any time 120 days prior to purchasing your plan.”

Some insurance companies will cover pre-existing conditions and some won’t.  You should do research beforehand to find out before you find out the hard way.  As a global ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance, I know you can still have an existing condition be considered a covered illness if the following conditions are met:

• You purchased your plan within 14 days of making your first trip payment or first trip deposit
• You purchased Trip Cancellation benefits that covers the full cost of all your non-refundable trip arrangements
• You’re a U.S. resident and medically able to travel on the day your purchased the plan
• The total cost of your trip does not exceed the maximum cost specified by your plan

If you know you have a pre-existing condition, I suggest reading all the fine print on your policy and even better; call the policy provider and ask specific question relating to your policy and what it covers and what it doesn’t relating to you.

What’s Not Covered by Travel Insurance?

Obviously, not all conditions are covered by travel insurance.  This can vary between companies but amongst the major companies, you’ll generally find that nobody covers certain illnesses.  These include, but are not limited to:

• Mental, nervous or emotional disorders that do not require immediate hospitalization
• Alzheimer’s
• Bi-polar disorder
• Any illness and injury experienced while under the influence of illicit drugs or alcohol

Of course there are more illnesses that are and aren’t covered by travel insurance.  I implore you to contact your insurance provider and ask every question you can think of to find out what illnesses are covered by travel insurance and which aren’t.

Disclaimer: I work as an ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and receive financial compensation.

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