Neurological Conditions And Travel Insurance: What You Need To Know
When you first get diagnosed with a neurological condition, it is unlikely that the first thing you think about is how it affects your travel plans. But as they say, life goes on. As you get used to the new reality of your condition, you will probably want to keep on doing many of the things you have always enjoyed doing, including going on holiday and traveling.
What you might not realise is that your diagnosis could scupper your chances of getting travel insurance – or, at least, your chances of finding affordable coverage relatively easily. The first you think about it may well be when you receive the nasty shock of being turned down for a policy on account of your illness, or else get quoted an eye-wateringly high sum.
If they do decide to offer you coverage, they will often charge a hefty premium for the privilege.
The fact is that medical cover age is the highest value part of a travel insurance policy. Cover levels typically run into the millions to protect you against things like catastrophic accidents occurring on foreign shores, where the combined medical and repatriation bills might be enough to ruin most people. But in the normal course of things, people do need medical attention when they travel. And if you are not a citizen of the country you are visiting, you will normally be charged. Which means medical expenses are the most common reasons for people to claim against their travel insurance.
Insurance companies make their money from people not claiming against policies. For that reason, they are very cautious about anything that creates a heightened risk that you might claim – such as traveling with a pre-existing medical condition. If they do decide to offer you the coverage they will often charge a hefty premium for the privilege.
It is difficult to lump neurological conditions into a single category. The term covers a sweeping range of conditions, including strokes, brain damage, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s and many, many more. But sadly, this is precisely what many travel insurance providers will do – lump you into a large category, and either refuse cover or slap a big surcharge on top, with no room for debate or discussion.
The way around this is to seek out a provider that specializes in travel insurance for neurological conditions. What you can be sure of then is that you won’t be treated as a type or a label. They will actually take the time to look into your medical history, look at the details of your circumstances and then you will be offered a policy geared towards what you need, more than likely at a price you can accept.