Travel insurance for Diabetics as a pre-exiting condition

Diabetes commonly referred by doctors with the medical terminology Diabetes Mellitus is a disease where the person has high blood sugar level either due to body’s inability to produce adequate insulin or the body cells do not respond to insulin properly. Initial symptoms include frequent urination, increase in thirst and hunger. In 2013 it was estimated that around 382 million people in the world had diabetes.

• Type 1 Diabetes: This type of Diabetes affects approximately 10% of the population. In this type, body does not produce insulin. People with Type 1 diabetes have to take insulin injections for the rest of their life.
• Type 2 Diabetes: In this type body does not produce enough insulin. This type affects 90% of the population.
• Gestational Diabetes: This affects the females during their pregnancy.

Patients with Diabetes have high risk of heart diseases and hence they need to ensure the blood pressure and cholesterol levels are monitored and maintained. Diabetes is primarily self- managed disease. This include usage of supplies like a test strips, meters and insulin.

Travelers from different parts of the world who are traveling to popular destinations in United States should be aware of this fact given the costly health care system in the US. The cost of routine physician visit is very expensive in the US. The common ailments like Diabetes Mellitus with Hyperglycemia admitted to an emergency room would cost around $25,000.

People with diabetes are often concerned about coverage for diabetes as it is treated as a pre- existing condition. In the US, it was earlier virtually impossible to get health insurance for diabetes but after the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, the availability for health insurance has been made easier and affordable for individuals with existing ailments. However the Affordable care act is only applicable to domestic health insurance covering US citizens and US residents, it does not impact travellers who are visiting the US. It is therefore all the more important to know the coverage offered by Visitor insurance for travellers with Diabetes visiting the USA.

Travelers should be aware that visitor insurance plans will not provide any coverage for preventive care, or for regular treatment for an existing ailment. For example in the care of a diabetes patient, visitor insurance will not pay for insulin that a traveller is already using before he or she started this travel.

Here are few of the comprehensive visitor insurance plans along with details of their coverage for a pre-existing condition such as diabetes:

• Atlas America: If you are younger than 70, you may be covered for an acute onset of a pre-existing condition. Atlas Travel provides a limited benefit up to the medical coverage maximum lifetime for eligible medical expenses. This also includes a $25,000 lifetime maximum for emergency medical evacuation. An acute onset of a preexisting condition is a sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence of a pre-existing condition which occurs spontaneously and without advance warning either in the form of physician recommendations or symptoms. Treatment must be obtained within 24 hours of the sudden and unexpected outbreak or recurrence.
• Patriot America Plus: This plan covers the acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to age 70 for Non US citizens. The benefit for this is URC which is Usual, Reasonable and Customary charges for that geographical area. For pre-existing condition emergency medical evacuation, this plan covers up to $25,000 medical maximum.
• Travel Medical Basic: Travel Medical Insurance offers coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions
  
  • Travel Medical Basic offers
    Ages 14 days to 69 years:$25,000,Ages 70 to 79 years: $2,500, 80 years and older:Not Available offers Worldwide Including the United States.
    14 days to 64 years:$25,000,Ages 65 to 79 years: $5,000, 80 years and older:Not Available offers Worldwide Excluding the United States.
• 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 “acute onset” coverage plans.
• Premier plan provides policy maximum $100k covers pre-existing condition maximum of $20k/$40k with deductible $1k/$5k, policy maximum $150k covers pre-existing condition maximum of $30k/$60k with deductible $1k/$5k and policy maximum $300k covers pre-existing condition maximum of $50k/$100k with deductible $1k/$5k, policy maximum $500k covers pre-existing condition maximum of $150k/$200k with deductible $1k/$5k for age 0 to 69 years and policy maximum $1M covers pre-existing condition maximum of $150k/$200k with deductible $1k/$5k for age 0 to 69 years.
• For age 70 to 99 years for policy maximum $100,000 covers pre-existing condition maximum of $15k/$25k with deductible $1k/$5k.
• Elite Plan: 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. This plan has policy maximum options of $150K, $250K,$300K,$500K and $1M for people in the age range of 0-69 and $75,000 for people in the age range of 70-99. This is a full pre-existing coverage plan and covers doctor appointments, blood tests, special care, urgent care and any other treatment needed for a condition that was stable before travel, but started becoming an issue during the visitor’s trip.
• Elite plan covers 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 plan: Covers Preventive & maintenance care and coverage for full body physicals.Comprehensive plan with full pre existing condition coverage which is unique. This includes doctor appointments, blood tests and lab, specialist care, urgent care visits and hospital stays are covered for pre existing conditions. Coverage for TDAP, Flu, etc Vaccines.
  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 plan: : Elite 90 plan covers 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.
  Comprehensive plan with full pre existing condition coverage which is unique. This includes doctor appointments, blood tests and lab, specialist care, urgent care visits and hospital stays are covered for pre existing conditions and covers 90% of eligible medical expenses.There is a minimum purchase of 90 days required to buy this plan.
• Travel Medical Choice:: This plan offers coverage for non-U.S. Residents and non-U.S. Citizens while traveling outside of Your Home Country.
  Travel Medical Choice insurance offers coverage for acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to the age of 79 years for acute onset of pre-existing conditions.
  
• Worldwide Including the United States: For the acute onset of pre-existing condition coverage with cardiac condition and/or stroke for age range of 14 days to 69 years, $50,000 coverage is available and for age range of 70 to 79 years, $5000 coverage is available.
  For the acute onset of pre-existing condition coverage other than cardiac condition and/or stroke for age range of 14 days to 69 years, $75,000 coverage is available and for age range of 70 to 79 years, $7,500 coverage is available.
• Worldwide Excluding the United States: For the acute onset of pre-existing condition coverage for the age range of 14 days to 64 years, $50,000 coverage is available and for the age range of 65 to 79 years, $10,000 coverage is available.