Travel Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions

Did you know most travel insurance policies do not automatically cover pre-existing medical conditions?

That gap matters. Medical and dental issues account for a substantial proportion of international travel insurance claims. If your condition is not declared and covered, a hospital admission overseas can become a very large personal bill.

This section explains how pre-existing condition cover actually works in Australia, what you need to declare, and how to compare policies properly.

General advice warning: The information on this site is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It is not personal financial advice. Before making any decision about travel insurance, you should read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD), and consider whether the product is appropriate for you. We are not licensed to provide personal financial advice.

The Basics

What Counts as a Pre-Existing Condition?
The definition varies between insurers. Some look back twelve months, some three years, some longer. Some count any condition you have received treatment, assessment or medication for. Understanding your insurer’s specific definition matters more than the general concept.

Why Declaring Matters
Australian Financial Complaints Authority determinations regularly feature travellers who felt well at the time of purchase, believed an old condition was resolved, and did not declare it. Their claims were declined. Feeling fine is not the test.

Automatic Cover Versus Medical Assessment
Many Australian insurers automatically cover a list of stable, well-managed conditions at no extra premium, subject to criteria. Conditions outside that list may still be covered after an online or phone medical assessment, usually for an additional premium.

What Happens in a Medical Assessment
A structured set of questions about your condition, treatment, medication, hospital admissions and stability. It takes a few minutes and produces either a quote with the condition covered, a quote excluding it, or a decline.

Comparing Cover

Questions to Ask Before You Buy

  • Is my specific condition on the automatic cover list, and do I meet the criteria?
  • If not, will you assess it, and what will it cost?
  • Is there an upper age limit?
  • Does the policy cover cruising, and does it cover medical evacuation from a ship?
  • What is the medical expenses limit, and is there a sub-limit for my condition?
  • Does it cover cancellation if my condition worsens before departure?
  • Am I covered if I travel against medical advice? (Almost never.)

Specialist Versus Mainstream Insurers
Mainstream insurers cover common, stable conditions well and are often cheaper for them. Specialist medical travel insurers assess more complex cases, often have no upper age limit, and may be the only option for some conditions.

Cruise Cover
Standard policies frequently exclude or limit cover at sea. Medical evacuation from a ship is expensive and cruise-specific cover usually addresses it explicitly.

Condition-Specific Insurance Guides

Before You Rely on Anything Here

Policies change. Definitions change. Criteria for automatic cover change. Everything on this page should be treated as a starting point for your own research, not as a substitute for reading the PDS of the policy you are actually considering.

If your situation is complex, speaking directly to a specialist medical travel insurer is usually faster than comparing policies yourself.

Scroll to Top