When are pre-existing conditions covered and when not under travel insurance and international health insurance?

[traveling with pre-existing conditions]

What is a pre-existing condition?

A pre-existing condition is a condition or illness that a person has at the time of a significant event, such as taking out insurance or entering into an agreement.
A pre-existing condition can be a long-term or chronic illness, but also, for example, a congenital heart defect or a knee injury.

A chronic condition is a long-term, sometimes lifelong, condition that is difficult or impossible to cure.
Examples of chronic conditions include most autoimmune diseases, diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases. Forms of mental disorders such as depression can also be considered chronic conditions.

Insurance involves covering the risks of an unexpected event. The policyholder pays a premium to the insurer, who in return assumes the financial risks of the unexpected event.
Costs resulting from pre-existing or chronic conditions are generally considered by insurers to be a foreseeable event and are therefore excluded from coverage.
An exception to this is the mandatory public health insurance schemes that many countries have. These health insurance plans are mandatory for everyone and available regardless of age, health, or gender. The quality of covered healthcare in these national plans varies greatly by country, from very basic in many low-income countries to excellent in Scandinavia and most Western European countries.

With travel insurance, you are only covered for emergency and unforeseen medical costs.
Therefore, you have no (!) coverage under travel insurance for any pre-existing conditions you have and medications you currently use for which you can anticipate incurring costs beforehand.

With international health insurance, it works just a little differently than with travel insurance. Generally, the terms and conditions do not include an exclusion for costs resulting from a pre-existing condition, but before the insurance is accepted, a medical assessment takes place, and you are required to answer questions about your health. Based on your answers, the insurer assesses whether to exclude pre-existing conditions. The insurer may also indicate that they will only accept the insurance at a higher premium, or they may reject the insurance application entirely.
For more information, you can visit the specific website for insurance for expats and emigrants: medical acceptance process - drawbacks to local health insurance

If it concerns medicines, your pharmacy can often provide medication for the entire period you are staying abroad.
Check in advance whether you can take the extra medication to your destination without a specific doctor's certificate. If not, obtain a doctor's certificate (or take the risk of traveling without a doctor's certificate if you expect it will not cause any problems).

With your national public health insurance, you often retain some coverage for medical expenses abroad, even if these costs are the result of an existing or chronic condition. With some supplementary packages, you can also include medical repatriation from abroad in your coverage.
If you have private health insurance in your home country, carefully check the impact on your coverage when you travel or work abroad.
However, please bear in mind that you cannot fully decide for yourself whether to keep your national health insurance. If, for example, you start working abroad, your health insurance coverage will lapse in most cases.

Although all travel insurance policies exclude costs resulting from an existing or chronic condition from coverage, the chance of being left to fend for yourself in an acute and life-threatening situation is slightly higher with a standard travel insurance policy than with a special worldwide travel insurance policy.
With specialized insurance, for example, you can sometimes make use of an online consultation with a doctor from your home country, or an insurer's emergency center can assist you in arranging your (medical) repatriation.

In that case, it is best to first request personal advice so that the best suitable solutions can be considered with you: request advice from JoHo Insurances

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