I am looking for health insurance but I have a pre-existing condition, does this mean no insurance company will touch me? Or if they do, will I have to pay an extortionate amount of money just to get covered?

Andy’s Advice:
Well, the first thing is to define what a pre-existing condition is. A pre-existing condition is a health problem that existed before you apply for a health insurance policy or enroll in a new health plan. Insurance companies like people who take out health cover when they are fit and healthy, remain that way for the rest of their life and hopefully never claim. Obviously it doesn’t always work this way as people do get ill, do have accidents and therefore do claim. Although, taking out cover whilst you are still in good health isn’t such a bad idea! Unfortunately, most of us put the idea of health insurance on the back burner and don’t address the issue until something happens and then find ourselves in the pre-existing condition boat. So how do insurance companies view people who take out cover after they have suffered some kind of illness or injury? Well, they either exclude the condition, impose a waiting period before coverage of that condition starts or in some cases apply a loading to that person’s premium.

To some, this may sound like health insurance companies will not cover anything that is pre-existing. The truth is, it all depends on the condition. A pre-existing condition can be something as common and as serious as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, chronic health problems that affect a large portion of the population or even a broken bone from a skiing holiday 10 years ago! The health provider’s medical underwriter’s team will look at each application and decide if the condition is something that is likely to give rise to a claim in the near future and exclude if it is and if not, except it under normal terms and conditions. Obviously the broken bone is not going to be an issue but an on-going condition such as high blood pressure will be looked at more closely. Usually an exclusion will be applied for a period of 2-5 years (depending on the condition) If at the end of that period there has been no medical treatment sought and the condition is completely gone they will then lift the exclusion.

Should I lie about my condition and hope that I’ll get away with it? This is something that many people think about doing. While it is an idea, you should leave it at that. If you lie, a condition such as high blood pressure, although medicated, will be found as the medication will obviously be detected in your blood stream. So, if you haven’t declared this, the first time you need to get treatment for the condition you are going to find that your policy does not cover your costs.

If you have a preexisting condition or you have been sick in the past this does not mean you have to live without coverage in the future.

Contact Andy on 0870 52 03 89 for advice on Health Insurance and/or to obtain a quote.