Help needed with medical travel insurance...high cholesterol

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

Hi, I am from Canada and have medical insurance booked, but today found out I have high cholesterol and have to go on medication. My trip is less than 90 days away (61 to be exact) so the medical insurance I have paid for will not cover me if anything ever happens related to the cholesterol. Does anyone know of a medical insurance that I could buy that will cover me? I do not know what to do...do we cancel or go?

 

[Orlando Vic]

Hi, I am from Canada and have medical insurance booked, but today found out I have high cholesterol and have to go on medication. My trip is less than 90 days away (61 to be exact) so the medical insurance I have paid for will not cover me if anything ever happens related to the cholesterol. Does anyone know of a medical insurance that I could buy that will cover me? I do not know what to do...do we cancel or go?

www.insuremytrip.com is a clearinghouse for all kinds of trip insurance coverage. They'll probably have the coverage you need.

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

nope just called and they have nothing.

 

[siobhan1997]

You need to get a medical underwritten policy , we were able to obtain this through our CAA office. You must understand it is not cheap, but it is peace of mind for you and your family. When my DH took a heart attack 4 months before we were to go on our yearly vacation, we contacted CAA who gave us the number for another company and had a policy written up specifically for his heart condition Cost us $589 for 21 days, but for us it was money well spent as it allowed us to relax knowing that if anything happened he was fully covered up to 5 million. It was underwritten by Manulife .

Hope this helps

 

[jlewisinsyr]

I don't want to discount the issue of high cholesterol, but you just found out, so you've probably had it for some time (it's not something that usually just spikes out of the blue). I would just do as you doctor advises (ie. watch what you eat, take medication - if appropriate, exercise, etc.) and just continue on.

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

Oh I need major advice here...ok I have borderlne high cholesterol as of today (well found this out today). I booked our trip in March, before i knew this, so will my insurance cover us if we choose to cancel the entire trip or I guess now I can get the underwritten policy, or maybe I can bump the holiday ahead 2 weeks so then I will not have the cholesterol problem within 90 days...please help!

 

[DebbieB]

I've never heard of anyone who had to cancel a trip for high cholesterol. So you go on the medication and watch your diet and exercise. My cholesterol was high for years due to heredity before I went on Lipitor. It dropped from 300 to 200 in about 6 weeks and has stayed there (technically low borderline). It was never a disability, I've traveled probably a 100 times (I travel for work).

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

I am hoping I dont have to cancel...BUT here's the deal, I have found out that I have high cholesterol within 90 days of our travel and becuase it is within the 90 days my insurance do not have to cover anything that happens to me that can be tied to this hight cholesterol (so let's say I have a stroke, then my insurance can say it was determined I had high cholesterol within 30 days and I am on my own to pay for it). This doesn't make sense to me either...have I misunderstood somehow????

 

[DebbieB]

Maybe you should talk to your doctor about your risks and ask for his/her advice.

 

[siobhan1997]

Its easy for people who live in the USA to say its just high cholestrol, I would not take a chance, contact your insurance company and let them do the assessment, if they cannot do the coverage,then have them send you to someone who can underwrite the policy. Anytime you go to a doctor in the usa while on vacation your insurance will have you sign a release form allowing them to check into your full medical background as well as giving them your health card number. And as you said if they see you were just diagnosed with high cholestrol and have begun to take prescription meds they will associate this with any type of illness that could possibly bring you to the doctor i.e. heart, stroke, hypertension,etc. and will deny your claim. Not a risk I would take that is why we had a medical underwritten policy and was completely upfront about my husbands full condition even though we vacationed 6 months after his heart attack.

 

[ccudmore]

You have to realize that we Canadians have been taught to be afraid of the American medical system. We keep hearing stories of people having to sell their houses because they have a heart attack. So we don't like to take chances when we travel.

 

[Mickey's Best-Friend]

I will have to talk with someone at the insurance for sure...it seems they are just saying you may not be covered and leaving it at that.

What does it mean "to get someone to underwrite the policy?" will my insurance do that for sure?
I can get coverage from another group with the pre existing condition for 100 000...is this enough to cover say a heart attack or stroke (heaven forbid)

 

[Hannathy]

I've never heard of anyone who had to cancel a trip for high cholesterol. So you go on the medication and watch your diet and exercise. My cholesterol was high for years due to heredity before I went on Lipitor. It dropped from 300 to 200 in about 6 weeks and has stayed there (technically low borderline). It was never a disability, I've traveled probably a 100 times (I travel for work).

yeah I agree I'm not following this at all. How would high cholesterol on its on keep you from flying? If that was the case goodness probably half the adult population couldn't fly! Why would you have to cancel?

You are probably better off now in 60 days than you would have been in 60 days if you didn't know. That is enough time to loose weight, and for the meds to start working.

 

[encinc]

yeah I agree I'm not following this at all. How would high cholesterol on its on keep you from flying? If that was the case goodness probably half the adult population couldn't fly! Why would you have to cancel?

You are probably better off now in 60 days than you would have been in 60 days if you didn't know. That is enough time to loose weight, and for the meds to start working.

It's not that having high cholesterol would stop OP from flying. Having high cholesterol diagnosed within 90 days of his trip means that he is no longer eligible for medical insurance while in the US. Not having medical insurance is what's making him reconsider traveling.

 

[duffy]

I will have to talk with someone at the insurance for sure...it seems they are just saying you may not be covered and leaving it at that.

What does it mean "to get someone to underwrite the policy?" will my insurance do that for sure?
I can get coverage from another group with the pre existing condition for 100 000...is this enough to cover say a heart attack or stroke (heaven forbid)

Getting someone to underwrite the policy, means an insurance agency will calculate all the factors and come up with some figures. Basically, it means that they will agree to insure you, and how much it will cost you.

When you buy life insurance, for example, the insurers will set prices, depending on factors like your age, weight, health, etc., and calculate the risk of insuring you. That's "underwriting", in a nutshell.