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International travelers should look for reliable travel insurance plans that provide adequate coverage while they are outside their home country. People in the age range of 50 - 99 are also often looking for coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Many US insurance companies provide visitor travel health insurance plans for short term travel outside one’s home country.
These plans can offer coverage for pre-existing conditions with caveats. The main caveat is that plans cover only acute onset of pre-existing conditions. So, what is an “acute onset” of a pre-existing condition as opposed to a worsening of a current medical condition? That is a very good question and one that will be critical to whether your “acute onset” coverage is going to pay for your situation or not.
So, let’s define terms to get a clearer understanding of this idea. “Acute” means that the condition came on suddenly and needed to be taken care of quickly. Most companies use 24 hours as a gauge. So, if something is taking weeks to come on, it may not be covered. Also, the condition must be life or life-style (affecting vision, hearing, ability to walk, etc) altering situation.
Finally, the condition generally has to have been stable before the trip started; never travel against your doctor’s recommendation and be sure there have been no changes in your medications or treatments for some time. How do you determine if something is “pre-existing” or not. Policies have what is called a “look back” period. Anything that happened farther back in time from the look back period with no further complication or complaint is no longer considered a pre-existing condition.
So, if you had a broken angle 10 years ago, most policy look back periods are only 3 to 5 years, so this is no longer considered a pre-existing condition. In the unlikely event that you were to have an issue with that angle, it would be considered a “new” illness even if the problem stems possibly from your fracture 10 years ago.
Travelers travelling to the US, Canada and Mexico can buy travel health insurance with Covid-19 coverage from INF Insurance.INF Insurance offers visitors health insurance for coronavirus in the US, Canada and Mexico. INF insurance covers covid-19 as any other illness.
One of their plans (Elite) has excellent coverage of pre-existing medical conditions beyond the usual coverage for "acute onset" of pre-existing conditions which is a unique offering. You can compare their plans using this link and purchase the one you are interested in by choosing the "buy now" button for the appropriate plan: Please note that the Elite plan insurance and Premier Insurance are cheaper per month if you purchase at least 90 days the first time you buy them. You can compare all available INF US visitor insurance.
The other thing to note is that at age 70 many plans drop their coverage even for “acute onset” of pre-existing conditions. Policies that do cover it reduce coverage maximums for that situation significantly, so read the fine print carefully especially if you fall into one of these age groups. Very few plans cover up to age 79 and one or two cover up to 89 and 99.
INF offers a few plans that are different and unique when it comes to the coverage of pre-existing conditions, particularly for older travelers. They have two types of coverage for pre-existing medical conditions: (1) acute onset coverage and what they call (2) full coverage of pre-existing medical conditions. American Visitor Insurance has developed a comparison tool for reviewing INF plans that cover the pre existing conditions.
What do they mean “full” coverage of pre-existing medical conditions? How is this coverage better than the “acute onset” coverage? Well, the acute onset coverage is only available under a life-threatening (or lifestyle threatening) emergency, so we are talking about a hospitalization.
There are other situations where a pre-existing condition can give you some issues that you want to take care of before they get worse because you are in pain or can’t do what you’d like to be able to do on your trip or simply need to get taken care of (like a urinary tract infection) before they do become a major problem.
For one thing, their Elite plan only has a 90 day look back period, so as long as your medications or treatments have not changed in that time frame, any new issues arising could be covered under the policy. Also, since it extends beyond “acute” onset, if you need to get lab testing done or a new medication, this could be covered with the “full” pre-ex coverage that would not be covered with the “acute onset” policy.
What is not covered by a “full” pre-existing condition coverage plan? Your regular medications or regular required treatments (such as weekly dialysis) are never covered. If you are traveling in order to have some medical treatment, that is also not covered, nor complications which may arise from such treatment. Childbirth for someone who is already pregnant is also never covered.
Here is a summary of the coverage for pre-existing conditions :INF Premier plan: This is a Fixed benefit plan providing policy maximum options of $100k, $150k, $300k, $500k and $1M for the age of 0-69 and $100,000 for the age range of 70-99. This is a full pre existing coverage plan where the coverage includes doctor appointments, blood tests, special care, urgent care which would not be covered under “full pre-xisting” coverage plans.
Premier plan provides policy maximum $100,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $20,000/$40,000 with deductible $1,000/$5000, policy maximum $150,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $30,000/$60,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000 and policy maximum $300,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $50,000/$100,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000 , policy maximum $500,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $150,000/$200,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000 for age 0 to 69 years and policy maximum $1,000,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $150,000/$200,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000 for age 0 to 69 years.
For age 70 to 99 years for policy maximum $100,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $15,000/$25,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000.
INF Elite: This is a comprehensive plan and is the and unique among comprehensive plans due to the offering of “full” coverage for pre existing conditions as described above.Provides policy maximum options of $150k, $250k, $300k, $500k and $1M for the age of 0-69 and $75,000 for the age range of 70-99.
Covers full pre-existing condition coverage up to $25,000, $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 subject to deductibles of $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000 for age 0 to 69 years and for policy maximum $75,000 covers pre-existing condition coverage up to $20,000 maximum with deductible $1,500 for age 70 to 99 years.
INF Elite Plus: This plan covers Preventive & maintenance care and coverage for full body physicals. This is a comprehensive plan and is the and unique among comprehensive plans due to the offering of “full” coverage for pre existing conditions as described above. Provides policy maximum options of $150k, $250k and $300k for the age of 0-69 and $75,000 for the age range of 70-99.
Elite Plus plan with policy maximum $150,000 covers pre-existing condition coverage up to $25,000 maximum with deductible $1,500 for age 0 to 69 years and for policy maximum $75,000 covers pre-existing condition coverage up to $20,000 maximum with deductible $1,500 for age 70 to 99 years.
INF Elite 90: This is a comprehensive plan and is the and unique among comprehensive plans due to the offering of “full” coverage for pre existing conditions as described above. Covers 90% of eligible medical expenses. Provides policy maximum options of $150k, $250k, $300k, $500k and $1M for the age of 0-69 and $75,000 for the age range of 70-99.
Covers full pre-existing condition coverage up to $25,000, $30,000, $40,000, or $50,000 subject to deductibles of $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, $5,000, or $10,000 for age 0 to 69 years and for policy maximum $75,000 covers pre-existing condition coverage up to $20,000 maximum with deductible $1,500 for age 70 to 99 years.
INF Premier Plus: Premier Plus plan which covers both preventive care, full body physicals & pre-existing conditions for Non-US citizens & anyone visiting USA ,Canada,Mexico and traveling worldwide outside their home country.Provides policy maximum $300k for the age of 0-69 years.
Premier Plus plan provides policy maximum $300,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $50,000/$100,000 with deductible $1,000/$5,000 for age 0 to 69 years.
INF Hop! TripAssist Plus: Hop Trip Assist Plus comprehensive travel assist best for Pre-existing conditions.Hop TripAssist Plus, members receive top-notch medical assistance for both Acute onset conditions and the worsening of pre-existing conditions.
Stable, chronic pre-existing conditions which worsen during travel are eligible for benefits under the membership, depending on the chosen membership thier, members can enjoy coverage ranging from $150,000 to $300,000.Access expenses is up to $500 for pre-existing conditions.
Enroll for 60 days to access a 30% discount.
Hop! Travel Assistance: Covers Medical Assistance for Pre-Existing Conditions.All plans cover 100% of Eligible Medical Expenses with medical access expenses of $0, $100, $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, and $5,000.Covers Pre-Existing Conditions for Stablization & ER to 100% of Assistance Level.
INF Hop! WorldHopper: Hop WorldHopper fixed benefit plan best For International travelers.Hop WorldHopper offers medical assistance for pre-existing conditions coverage $25,000, $30,000, $40,000 or $50,000 subject to a $1,500, $2,000, $2,500, $3,000, $5,000 or $10,000 medical assistance access expense.
INF Hop! Mindoro: Covers Medical Assistance for Pre-Existing Conditions (Out-Patient and Emergency).This plan is available for Non-US Citizens & Anyone visiting USA or Canada can enroll in this plan.Acute Onset Covered as a New Sickness.
International travelers concerned about getting the best pre-existing condition coverage while traveling to the US from any other country must have a look at these plans as they are unique in the way the coverage they offer. All INF plans must be purchased for at least 30 days (some 90 days), so they are not meant for very short trips into the US.
To know more about the plans please review these products on our website and read their brochures. Travelers can buy these plans online and a confirmation email is immediately sent to the customer with the policy ID Card and all the other details of the plan. If you have any questions or issues with your purchase, feel free to call on our friendly and knowledgeable staff to guide and assist you.
If the Asthma condition has been stable for 12 months, it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
Yes – INF travel insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
No.
If the Arthritis condition has been stable for 12 months, it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
No.
Yes – INF US travel insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
If the Diabetes has been stable for 12 months (no change in Medication / sickness related to diabetes), it is NOT pre-existing in INF Elite or Premier. If it has been unstable (treatment required) in past 12 months- it IS pre-existing, and covered as a pre-existing condition.
Yes - INF US visitor insurance will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
No.
Yes- INF travel insurance for USA will cover a heart attack either as a new sickness or pre-existing condition, depending on how stable to insured’s condition was in the past 12 months.
Yes - INF visitors insurance for USA will cover the worsening of the condition, but not maintenance or preventive care.
Yes, Green Card holders are eligible to enroll in the INF Plans as long as they maintain a residence outside the US.
Yes, people who are already in the US, can buy the INF plans, but they must get prior permission to apply for INF plans. To do this, they must submit the following forms:
The I-94 form is a government doc that can be filled out on line, they should choose “Get most Recent” on the website here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/ and you should complete this “health attestation form”.
Note : Hop Travel Assist plans are not available if visitors are already in abroad
Yes, you can purchase INF travel medical insurance even if you have pre-existing conditions. INF offers INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus, INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper and Hop Trip Assist Plus plans that provide coverage for pre-existing conditions. However, coverage for pre-existing conditions may have some limitations and exclusions depending on the plan and your specific condition. It is important to carefully review the policy details and ensure that the coverage meets your specific needs.
INF travel medical insurance for pre-existing conditions is a type of travel insurance that provides coverage for individuals who have pre-existing medical conditions.
The INF insurance plans are designed to provide coverage for medical emergencies and unexpected medical events that may occur while traveling. The plans include benefits such as hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription medication, emergency medical evacuation, and more.
INF offers several insurance plans for travelers with pre-existing conditions, including the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus, INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper and Hop Trip Assist Plus. These plans have varying levels of coverage and benefits, so it is important to review each plan carefully to determine which one best fits your specific needs.
The cost of the INF visitors insurance will vary depending on the age of the traveler, the type of coverage and the length of your trip. Typically, visitor’s insurance policies cost can start even as low as $1 per day, but will be much higher for older travelers seeking coverage for pre-existing conditions that INF insurance offers.
The INF Elite Travel Insurance plan is INF’s comprehensive insurance for visitors traveling to the United States. There are 3 types of INF insurance Elite plans and the price of these plans varies depending on the coverage they provide. The INF Elite plan, INF Elite 90 plan and INF Elite Plus plan.
The INF Elite plan is a comprehensive travel medical insurance plan that offers coverage for emergency medical and dental expenses, medical evacuation, trip interruption, and other benefits for visitors to the USA. The INF Elite plan, INF Elite 90 plan and INF Elite Plus plan are all part of the Elite Network of plans offered by INF.
The INF Elite 90 plan is designed for travellers who need coverage of eligible medical expenses up to 90%.
The INF Elite Plus plan provides coverage for pre-existing conditions as defined in the plan, as per policy limitations, exclusions and maximums, with no benefit waiting period.
INF Elite Plus also provides Preventive & maintenance care benefits, which can be used for a number of different covered medical services and offers coverage for TDAP, Flu, etc Vaccines.
You can apply for INF insurance online through American Visitor Insurance. You can also call them at +1 (877) 340 7910 to get more information on how to apply for INF insurance from licensed insurance agents.
The maximum length of coverage for INF insurance is 364 days.
INF insurance is available for international visitors to the United States, Canada or Mexico.
The main requirements for applying for INF insurance is the travelers passport details and the travel dates. You can apply for INF insurance online on American Visitor Insurance or call +1 (877) 340 7910 to get help in applying for INF insurance.
To purchase INF insurance coverage, you must not be a citizen or permanent resident of the host country you are traveling to, ie the US, Mexico, or Canada. The coverage is available for non-U.S. residents and non-U.S. citizens traveling to the United States, Mexico or Canada between the ages of 14 days and 79 years. US green card holders can buy INF insurance if they have a residence outside the USA. The coverage duration is available from 5 days up to 364 days.
There is a minimum purchase of 90 days required to buy these INF Elite plans.
The INF plans use the United Healthcare Preferred Provider Organisation (PPO). This means that even if the pre-existing coverage limit is low, customers will still be able to access the full PPO discounts via United Health Care (UHC).
For example : A customer has to go to the Emergency Room (ER) for blood pressure and get a bill of $10,000 and the customer has the INF HOP UltraPlus plan. Although the UltraPlus covers $700 for pre-existing, the customer will get the PPO discount on the bill since it is covered. This in itself can translate to very significant savings such as an 80% discount + $700 paid out. This means your total coverage was $8,700 and out of pocket expense is only $1,300.
Here are some travel insurance tips for travelers with pre-existing conditions
There are several visitors insurance plans available for international travel. However, many travel insurance and visitors insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions. This means that a travel insurance plan will not cover the costs of treating a pre-existing medical condition. Therefore, the insurance company may deny a claim if the ailment already existed when the travel insurance was purchased. However, there are some travel medical insurance plans that offer coverage for pre-existing conditions and the policy clearly defines a look-back period and what is covered for pre-existing conditions, as well as specifying a limit to this coverage.
Some travel health insurance plans like Atlas America, Patriot America Plus offer coverage for the acute onset of a pre-existing conditions, ie, when there is a sudden medical emergency without any prior symptom that needs to be treated immediately. The coverage typically includes emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and evacuation expenses related to the acute onset of the pre-existing condition. INF insurance however has the INF Elite insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions going beyond the acute onset coverage. It is important to compare visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions both for the price as well as the specific details for pre-existing conditions coverage as well as review the policy brochures for exclusions and coverage limits before making a decision.
The travel health insurance plans which cover pre-existing conditions have clear definitions of what is a pre-existing condition, the look back period for pre-existing condition, whether the travel insurance coverage is limited to acute onset of pre-existing conditions, and if it provides full coverage for pre-existing conditions the coverage limit within the policy for pre-existing conditons. Any travel health insurance coverage for pre-existing conditions will depend on all these.
The following are important factors for buying travel insurance for pre-existing conditions
There are many international travelers who have medical ailments and it is important for them to be well informed about visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions. Many of the regular travel insurance plans exclude any coverage for pre-existing conditions. The definition of pre-existing conditions varies for different insurance providers as they have a ‘look back’ period and any medical ailments during this look back period would be considered pre-existing. At American Visitor Insurance, we offer plans which do offer coverage for acute onset of a pre-existing condition, as well as full coverage for pre-existing conditions up to a clearly defined limit in the policy document. All of these details can be better understood by using our facility for comparing visitors insurance for pre-existing conditions.
Unfortunately, this simple question has a fairly complicated answer. The answer is: it depends. Firstly, it depends on whether you are a US resident traveling outside the US or a visitor to the US. US residents can purchase trip cancellation insurance that can cover pre-existing conditions and even plans that are travel medical only without cancellation often are more generous in their coverage of pre-existing conditions. These plans may have specific requirements in order to waive the usual exclusion of coverage for pre-existing conditions (like purchase them within a certain number of days of your initial trip deposit or that you have a primary domestic insurance plan in the US), so you should check these details carefully if this is important to you.
Non-US residents or US residents traveling into the US have much more limited options to insure their pre-existing conditions are covered. Some plans offer coverage for "acute onset" of pre-existing conditions. However, this is misleading, since a careful look at their definition excludes chronic or congenital disorders from such coverage. Chronic illnesses are those that worsen over time and congenital disorders are issues one is born with. They exclude emergencies due to chronic illness because they will say that is not "acute" it is simply a worsening of your condition. There are only two policies we know of that offer coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. They are INF Premier and INF Elite plans.
Firstly, they define pre-existing conditions in the following way: A pre-existing condition is a condition for which the insured received treatment or took medication for in the previous 12 months before the start of the policy. If the medication dosage has not changed and is taken as a maintenance medication, this would NOT count as a flare up or treatment of the condition. In that case, very stable conditions that have no flare ups in the past 12 months are not even excluded as pre-existing conditions. Conditions that have had flare ups or doctor recommended treatment or change in medication, are still covered by the plans but with a higher deductible and a lower maximum.
INF Elite (also INF Elite 90) are comprehensive plans offering fairly complete coverage. INF Premier is a fixed plan. Find details on these plans here.
The above plans must be purchased for at least 90 days and can be quite pricey for seniors, but they offer the only real coverage for chronic conditions.
The other option, of course, is to take a plans with little ($1K) or no coverage for pre-existing conditions and take a risk that that condition will not flare up during the trip.
INF plans boast they offer "full" coverage for pre-existing conditions. This can be a little misleading. Firstly, any regular treatment or medication that is required by the condition is never covered. The main advantage to the INF Elite and INF Premier is that they cover sudden illness/injury regardless of whether it is pre-existing or not. The only difference is that a pre-existing condition will be covered with a higher deductible at at a lower maximum than any other "new" illness or injury. However, coverage is not limited to an emergency or life-threatening situation.
The "Acute Onset of a Pre-Existing Condition" is a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing medical condition which occurs without any advance warning either in the form of physician recommendations or symptoms and requires immediate care (within 24 hours of first symptoms). A Pre-Existing Condition that is a chronic or congenital condition or that gradually becomes worse over time will not be considered acute onset.
The acute onset coverage benefit does not include coverage for known, scheduled, required, or expected medical care, drugs or treatment existent or necessary prior to the effective date of coverage. An example of this might be someone who has a food allergy or bee allergy and is unknowingly exposed to their allergen and requires immediate medical attention.
Acute onset of a pre-existing condition can be defined as the sudden & unexpected occurrence of a pre-existing condition which requires in-patient, emergency hospitalization within 24 hours of exhibiting first symptoms. The main difference between acute onset & full pre-existing is that with Full Pre-Existing coverage, is that one is covered for all pre-existing conditions and associated medical costs and this includes follow up visits, hospitalizations and doctor’s visits, etc. The acute onset coverage will only cover the in-patient hospitalization expense.
Full Pre-existing means we will cover any issue regarding a pre-existing condition, however, if one is traveling to the United States solely for medical treatment, that will not be covered. INF plans do not cover any medical tourism related claims. Pre-existing conditions under the INF plans are covered with a higher deductible and a lower maximum than other illnesses or injuries. These are chosen or specified when you purchase you plan.
Yes, the INF policies will cover any pre-existing issue that the traveler may have during their stay in the United States. This includes blood pressure, diabetes, kidney related issues and arthritis, all of which are covered by the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plans.
The insurance company takes on an enormous risk by insuring individuals and including coverage for pre-existing conditions without any prior medical examination. Under the INF plans, you are paying more, but you are getting the full value for the money you pay given the very high cost of US healthcare. With the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plans, even though it is expensive, you can have the comfort of knowing that you are covered for any emergency or contingency. This peace of mind given the expensive US healthcare expense is what makes INF plans worth it despite being expensive.
The list of covered services under Visitors insurance full pre-existing conditions coverage can be found on the American Visitor Insurance website of the INF Premier, INF Premier Plus, INF Elite, INF Elite Plus and INF Elite 90, Hop Travel Assist, Hop Mindoro Assist, Hop WorldHopper, Hop Trip Assist Plus Plan pages. INF plans are open to green card holders
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