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Hello all,

I did a post over a year ago about this topic. I thought it may be helpful to 'resurrect' as I know so many Teal Sisters have, are or are considering travelling. Below is the information I learned from my research. I invite everyone to share their learnings. As well, there is a video from OCC on this topic in the OVd Libraries section.  I've included a link at the end of this note.

"I've been doing a recent search for multi-trip "Emergency Medical Travel Insurance" for someone with a pre-existing condition. My caveat with this post is that each of our situations are unique and it's important to do research based on your own personal situation. As well, be prepared to be honest with your medical information. I made a note of all my dates from diagnosis, surgery, start/end of chemo, final post chemo CT scan and start of maintenance drug. It was helpful for quick reference. Please note that I'm not endorsing any companies below. As well, I can't reinforce enough the importance of knowing your personal situation, what's important to you e.g., stability period, length of trip coverage, amount of coverage, types of coverage included such as hospital or medication etc. Understand the information companies provide relative to your own situation.

Below is what I learned about policy elements that were important to me that may be items you too are curious about:

1. Each company has its own requirements (7, 30, 60, 90 days etc.), that your condition must remain "stable" or unchanged before your coverage takes effect and/or departure date. The policies clearly outline their definitions of "stability" so read them thoroughly and ask lots of questions. I was specifically interested in coverage with 7 day stability prior to my departure date(s).

2. Age also matters. There are differences in coverage for someone 59 and under vs. over 60 at the time of your departure. In some cases there are differences for someone aged 60 and under vs. over 60, specifically around the "stability" definitions.

3. For multi-trip policies, each company also specified a timeframe for how long a 'trip' can last e.g., 10 days, 18 days, 31 days etc. Basically you have to return to your home in Canada before the specified timeframe. At that point the policy coverage and timing "resets". For example, if the policy timeframe is 18 days, then you must leave/return within the 18 days. At that point, your policy resets and you can be off on another trip. If you know you'll be away for longer than their specified timeframe, buy "top up" insurance. They all provided that for an extra cost. For example, if their timeframe per trip is 18 days and you know you'll be away for 25 days, then purchase the "top up" for the additional 7 days. I hope that all made sense!

4. Check your existing travel medical policy. Some people have emergency travel medical included with their health insurance. For instance I have it included with my insurance however, the 'stability' clause is very restrictive e.g., a pre-existing condition must be stable in the 6 months prior to travel departure date. Make sure you read the 'fine print' on exclusions and call them if you have questions. In my case, I will buy additional emergency travel insurance because of this 6 month 'stability' clause which is too restrictive for me.

5. Lastly, for pre-existing conditions you will need to speak to an agent. You aren't able to use the 'online quote' function.

I spoke to three brokerage companies. They take your information and do the work of looking to see what providers will cover you. The companies I spoke to were: Medi-Quote (www.mediquote.ca), Snowbird Advisor Insurance (www.snowbirdadvisorinsurance.ca) and Securiglobe (www.securiglobe.com/en). Again, I'm not endorsing any of these companies.

I was able to get a reasonable quote for multi-trip emergency travel medical insurance through Medi-Quote, with a 7 day stability clause. A year ago, I didn't have luck with the other two companies as they required stability timing that would not work with my pending travel dates. Now that I've progressed further from my key medical dates, my stability timing is likely better in which case I expect more companies will provide coverage. I'll be testing this out soon as I need to purchase some emergency travel medical insurance for the fall. I will post my findings.

I also spoke to Manulife Insurance regarding their TravelEase insurance. Their policy is medically underwritten based on your specific situation. It has NO stability period however for the application you must review your 5 year medical history. This includes anything you've been diagnosed with, treated for etc. This could be as simple as a UTI for which you were prescribed medication. I didn't proceed as I didn't have the confidence that I had a solid handle on all my medical for the past 5 years. It is however an option for anyone much more organized than I am.

I also looked at Travelguard and Allianz however again, their stability period didn't work for me (a year ago).

There are clearly other companies out there that people have used. Please feel free to share. The intent of my post is really to provide some new information about this topic and share information I learned from a sample of providers. I hope this helps."

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