Travelers frequently worry about their health when away from home, and while coverage for some disorders is usually apparent, many people have doubts about how mental illness is covered. We chatted with a few of our providers to learn more about how this coverage works and what features travelers should look for in their policy.
Travel Insurance May Cover Mental Health in the Event of Hospitalization
Some travel insurance carriers may provide trip cancellation or interruption coverage if you are hospitalized due to a specific mental, nervous, or psychological disorder, according to our experts.
It’s critical for travelers interested in these coverages to ask questions and examine the terms of their policies carefully to ensure they have the coverage they require. Depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia, and other mental diseases should all be researched properly before being treated. An in-depth examination of benefits, policies, and plans will assist them in ensuring that their travel is sufficiently covered.
Be aware that some plans that cover trip cancellation or trip interruption due to mental illness may require the insured to be hospitalized for a certain number of days before coverage can be applied. Some, for example, may require a five-day hospital stay before coverage is provided.
It’s also worth noting that available cancellation or interruption coverage may or may not include payment for medical expenses incurred during your trip. It’s critical to go over your policy and understand how mental illness is defined, as well as what coverages it may or may not cover.
Pre-Existing Conditions Waivers May Apply to Mental Health
Travel insurance with a Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver may be beneficial for travelers who are receiving treatment for mental health issues. In the case that your claim is due to a medical concern, this can assist you avoid the pre-existing condition lookback period that is included in all comprehensive travel insurance plans. To be qualified for this waiver, you must meet certain criteria. They could include buying insurance between 10-21 days after making your first trip payment, insuring the entire cost of your trip, and being medically fit to travel at the time the policy was acquired and went into force.
Each insurance company’s approach to this situation may be different. If pre-existing conditions are a worry for you or a family member, for example, you should learn about the requirements. It’s also crucial to remember that, even if a traveler qualifies for a pre-existing condition waiver, the remaining policy exclusions should be studied carefully. Some policies fully prohibit coverage for mental illness, so the waiver would be useless in this situation.
Cancel for Any Reason is a Smart Option for Those Concerned with Mental Health
Travelers concerned about cancellation flexibility should pick a policy with the optional Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) benefit, according to our experts.
You can cancel your plans through CFAR for circumstances that aren’t covered by your insurance documentation. As the name implies, travelers may be able to cancel for “any” reason. When utilizing CFAR, keep in mind that you must cancel and notify all travel suppliers (including your insurance company) at least 48 hours before your intended departure.
CFAR is a time-limited benefit, similar to the Pre-Existing Conditions Waiver. Other qualifying limitations apply, so not all travelers will be eligible.
Do I have to declare anxiety on travel insurance?
To guarantee that you are fully protected when you travel, any diagnosed medical condition, whether physical or psychological (such as personality disorders, anxiety, or depression), must be mentioned on the policy. The policy will not cover any claim that is directly or indirectly related to a condition that has not been declared.
Related FAQs
- Can I get insurance if I’m being investigated for a medical condition?
- Should I let you know if my medical circumstances have changed since I purchased my policy?
- Can I still get travel insurance if my insurance is denied because of a pre-existing medical condition?
Does any travel insurance cover mental illness?
Free Spirit’s mental health insurance provides you with the peace of mind you need when traveling overseas because your mental health condition is fully covered*. Our mental health travel insurance covers cancellation, emergency medical charges, and repatriation if medically necessary, among other things.
Does travel insurance cover panic attacks?
We decided to delve into the plan certificates as a recent comment showed that at least one traveler is unsure whether travel insurance provides trip cancellation coverage for panic attacks.
How panic attacks are defined
A panic attack is defined as follows by the Mayo Clinic: “A panic attack is defined as “a brief period of acute terror that emerges for no apparent reason and is accompanied by significant physical symptoms.”
This illness is defined by the National Institute of Mental Health as follows: “Unexpected and recurring bouts of great fear are associated with physical symptoms such as chest discomfort, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, or gastrointestinal trouble.”
Travel insurance plans and panic attacks
Any loss caused by or resulting from mental, nervous, or psychiatric disorders is specifically excluded from travel insurance plans, and given the descriptions above, a panic attack fits under those categories.
Text like this (from CSA’s Custom Luxe plan) can be found in travel insurance policies:
2. mental, neurological, or psychiatric illnesses (except Medical Expense Benefits);
As a result, while panic attacks are a recognized ailment that deserves special attention, they are not a covered reason for trip cancellation, trip interruption (leaving home before your vacation is over), missed connections, or other travel insurance coverages.
Having enough ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage is an alternative for those with panic disorders. If you have to cancel your trip for any reason, ‘Cancel for any reason’ will reimburse you between 50 and 100 percent of your pre-paid non-refundable trip fees. Make sure you cancel the trip within the standard 48-hour cancellation window.
Is anxiety pre-existing condition for insurance?
Mental illness currently outnumbers obesity in terms of incidence among adults, thanks to a substantial increase in those reporting symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.
Prior to the Affordable Care Act, insurers were mostly in charge of defining a pre-existing condition in the individual insurance market. Some conditions were almost always declinable, which meant that insurers wouldn’t provide coverage unless they were forced to. Heart failure, recent malignancies, and diabetes are just a few examples of declinable illnesses.
Other factors, like as depression, could have resulted in a denial in some situations or a proposal with higher rates and/or exclusions in others. A person suffering from significant depression requiring hospitalization, for example, would be denied coverage under a pre-ACA Humana underwriting manual, whereas a person receiving therapy but no medication might be paid a 10-20% higher rate. Other insurers used recent usage of some mental illness medications, such as Abilify, Lithium, and Clozapine, as additional grounds to deny coverage prior to the Affordable Care Act. If a person fails to report a mental condition or medication during the application process, an insurer may later revoke the person’s coverage.
Some people who experienced anxiety or depression during the pandemic may not have met the diagnostic criteria or have yet to be diagnosed or treated. Prior to the Affordable Treatment Act’s obligation to include Essential Health Benefits like mental health care, many individual market plans did not cover mental health care or substance misuse disorder services or medications for any subscribers, regardless of whether a diagnosis was pre-existing.
Providers are encouraged to offer routine depression screening to adults and adolescents, which could help many people get the help they need while also leaving them with a diagnosis on their medical records. People who are experiencing new symptoms of mental illness or other diseases no longer have to worry about what an underwriter could find in their medical records thanks to the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits insurers from discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions. That is, provided the ACA’s extensive pre-existing condition protections stay in place.
Despite his administration’s legal arguments that pre-existing condition protections should be repealed along with the rest of the ACA, President Trump has promised to keep them in place, but he has not yet offered a replacement plan. Insurers would have been forced to enroll people with pre-existing diseases in the Republican “Repeal and Replace” proposals approved by President Trump in 2017, but states were allowed to loosen the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits, such as mental health care, in an attempt to cut rates. This could mean that insurance cover patients with mental illnesses but don’t pay for their mental health treatment.
In addition, President Trump has backed the growth of so-called short-term plans (which can now be extended for up to three years). These plans show what coverage would look like after the Affordable Care Act, if insurers are no longer compelled to provide the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits. We discovered that more than half of short-term plans did not cover mental illness at all, implying that even if a person with a mental disease was provided coverage, their plan would not cover mental health treatment. Over a third of these plans would not cover treatment for substance abuse. Even insurers that do cover mental health care may not offer coverage to those with severe mental illness in the first place, because short-term policies can restrict coverage to persons with pre-existing diseases. Covered benefits could be even more limited in a post-ACA situation where a hypothetical replacement plan forbids insurers from rejecting coverage but does not mandate them to provide Essential Health Benefits.
The ACA’s pre-existing condition protections go far beyond simply barring insurers from rejecting coverage. Insurers must not only cover people with common pre-existing diseases such as depression or anxiety, but they must also pay therapy.
Is anxiety a pre-existing medical condition?
A “pre-existing condition” is a medical ailment or injury that you have before starting a new health-care plan. Pre-existing health issues include diabetes, COPD, cancer, and sleep apnea, to name a few. They are usually chronic or long-term in nature.
How are pre-existing conditions determined?
A pre-existing ailment is one for which you had treatment or obtained a diagnosis before enrolling in a new health plan. Prior to 2010, when the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed, an insurance company would analyze your enrollment application and, if they discovered you had a pre-existing condition, might deny you coverage or offer you coverage at inflated prices.
Because of the Affordable Care Act, it is now illegal for health insurance companies to refuse coverage or raise rates based on a pre-existing condition.
What are some examples of pre-existing health conditions?
Many types of cancer, diabetes, lupus, epilepsy, and depression are examples of chronic illnesses and medical problems that may be considered pre-existing. Pregnancy is also considered pre-existing and chronic prior to enrollment, however less serious diseases including acne, asthma, anxiety, and sleep apnea may still qualify.
Can I be denied health insurance if I have a pre-existing condition?
No, your insurer cannot legally reject you coverage or charge you more premiums because you have a pre-existing condition if you have been enrolled in a plan after 2010.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 made it illegal for insurers to deny coverage or charge exorbitant premiums to anyone with pre-existing diseases. Furthermore, if your health changes and you develop a chronic medical condition while enrolled in a health plan, your insurance carrier is prohibited from raising your rates as a result of the medical condition. Annual premium hikes, on the other hand, may apply to your plan for various reasons.
If you’re enrolled in a plan that began before 2010, though, you’re in a “grandfathered plan.” Due to a pre-existing condition, these plans have the ability to cancel your coverage or charge you higher prices.
If you’re looking at different insurance options, you should be aware of any prospective changes in health-care legislation that could affect how pre-existing conditions are covered.
Is pregnancy considered a pre-existing condition?
No. You cannot be denied coverage or charged more if you get pregnant before enrolling in a health plan. Pregnancy and delivery coverage begins the day you enroll in a plan.
Is there health insurance for pre-existing conditions?
The concept of a pre-existing condition is no longer used when choosing a health plan. If you have a medical condition at the time of enrollment, a health insurer cannot deny you coverage or boost your premiums. If you have a chronic or pre-existing medical condition, however, some health plans may be a better option for you than others.
If you require regular medical care, surgery, or treatments, for example, a plan with a little higher monthly premium and smaller deductible may give you with the coverage you require while also allowing you to budget more predictably.
Could my health plan have a pre-existing condition waiting period?
No, medical insurance do not have any waiting periods, including for pre-existing conditions.
Consider your medical requirements before selecting a health plan. If you have a chronic or continuous medical condition that necessitates more frequent treatment, the type of plan you choose may be influenced by your needs, but you cannot be denied coverage or paid more because of a pre-existing condition.
Do you have to declare mental illness on travel insurance?
Any mental health issue that requires medication or has an impact on your daily life must be disclosed when purchasing travel insurance. The following are the most frequent mental health disorders:
Do you have to declare depression on travel insurance?
Do I have to tell my travel insurance company about my depression? Yes, without question. All medical issues, including depression, must be declared.
Can I exclude a medical condition from travel insurance?
A ‘pre-existing medical condition,’ sometimes known as a ‘pre-existing medical condition,’ is a broad word that encompasses everything from allergies to shattered bones.
Various insurance firms have their own definitions. Any of the following, however, is likely to be considered a pre-existing medical condition by your insurer:
- each condition you’ve seen a doctor about in the last year, even if it’s minor
- whatever significant illness you’ve ever had, such as cancer, heart disease, or respiratory difficulties
When purchasing travel insurance, you must disclose any existing medical issues.
If you’re unsure whether or not to declare something, don’t assume it’s covered. Always check with your insurance carrier before filing a claim; otherwise, you risk having your claim denied.
Your medical condition may be excluded from coverage by some policies or insurers. Others, on the other hand, will provide coverage but exclude or charge extra for your specific illness.
What travel insurance does not cover?
Baggage delay, damage, and loss plans do not cover all of your belongings. Glasses, hearing aids, dental bridges, tickets, passports, keys, cash, and cell phones are all common travel insurance exclusions. These things are sometimes covered, but only up to a particular cost limit, so if you have several expensive electronic items (such as a laptop, tablet, and mobile phone), you may not have enough coverage to cover the loss of all of them.
Can insurance deny you for anxiety?
When you apply for life insurance, the insurers want to know how likely you are to die during the time your policy is in effect. In order for insurers to assess the risk, you’ll usually be asked a series of detailed health questions. As part of the application process, you may be required to do a medical test and, in certain cases, a mental health examination.
Mental health disorders, such as anxiety, and physical health illnesses are both asked about on life insurance applications. If you don’t answer these questions honestly and thoroughly, the insurer may find out later and your policy may be terminated, or your loved ones’ death benefits may be decreased. This indicates that admitting to having anxiety is critical.
The Underwriting Process
Underwriting is the procedure by which life insurers assess your risk of dying while covered. Professional risk analysts examine your medical history before assessing what that medical history signifies for your future lifetime using available data and information.
Because anxiety has been linked to major health problems that increase the chance of death, such as depression, high blood pressure, and suicidal ideation, there’s little doubt that anxiety will affect your risk assessment.
The questions you’ll be asked during the underwriting process are designed to find out if you have any identified medical illnesses as well as any undiagnosed physical or mental health issues.
Even if your medical records do not show an official diagnosis of anxiety, you must be honest about your symptoms when answering questions. This can make the underwriting process more difficult because it’s more difficult to predict how undiagnosed anxiety will effect your future health.
Because your ailment isn’t being addressed, undiagnosed anxiousness poses severe issues for insurers. It’s critical to acquire a medical diagnosis so you can get the treatment you need to manage your anxiety and demonstrate to life insurers that you’re taking steps to stay well.
Dangers of Lying About Your Anxiety Diagnosis During the Application Process
It could be tempting to lie about your anxiety on your life insurance application, especially if you’re having symptoms but haven’t been diagnosed. After all, if you lie about your medical problems, you won’t appear to be a larger risk, which means your insurance premiums will be cheaper.
However, lying about your worry to save money or boost your chances of getting covered is a bad idea for several reasons:
- If you’re compelled to have an exam as part of the underwriting procedure, the insurer may learn about your nervousness later.
- If your anxiousness is discovered by the insurance, your application for coverage may be denied if you haven’t been authorized yet.
- Your insurer may cancel your coverage or boost your insurance charges if your anxiety is revealed later.
- If anxiety is revealed later, your insurer may lower the amount of death benefits paid out. They may even refuse to pay your death benefit outright if they believe you lied on your application for coverage.
It’s simply not worth the risk to lie on a life insurance application. It’s far preferable to be honest and pay the proper premiums so that you can be sure that the coverage you have will genuinely provide for your loved ones if something unfortunate happens to you.
Questions They Will Ask
While each insurance application is unique, there are certain common questions you can anticipate when applying for coverage. You’re likely to be asked the following questions:
- When did you get your anxiety diagnosis? If you’ve been managing your disease successfully for a long time, the insurance may be less concerned than if you’ve only recently been diagnosed and it’s unclear how the condition may affect your health in the long run.
- What was the outcome of your examination? Generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social phobia are the five basic forms of anxiety disorders. Because not all varieties of anxiety are thought to pose the same level of risk, your insurer will most likely want to know which one you have.
- Do you use any drugs to help you cope with your anxiety? Medications can help alleviate anxiety symptoms and lower risk factors. Taking medication also demonstrates that you’re proactive in managing your health. If you’re taking meds or going to therapy, your insurer may not see your anxiety as posing as much of a risk as it would if you weren’t.
- Have you ever attempted suicide? A person who attempts suicide will attempt it again, according to studies. In fact, according to a review of many studies on successful suicide attempts, one out of every 25 people who attempted suicide before had a fatal reattempt within the next five years. As a result, insurers will view a suicide attempt as a huge red flag, making it considerably more difficult for you to obtain insurance coverage.
Even if it’s uncomfortable to respond to these questions, be open and detailed in your responses. Your medical records will disclose the truth, and you don’t want to be caught supplying false or inadequate information.
The Outcome
The insurer will evaluate which risk group you fit into and if you qualify for the best rates throughout the underwriting procedure. You may fall into one of three risk tiers:
- Preferred best: This is the ideal category to be in because it indicates that you are the least dangerous. Almost all insurers will approve you for coverage, and your premiums will be relatively inexpensive.
- Standard: Standard risk is divided into two categories: standard plus and standard. Standard plus applicants are in generally good health, but they are not eligible for the preferred best classification due to a medical condition or a lifestyle factor. Standard plus candidates, on the other hand, should be approved for coverage at reasonable prices. People in ordinary health, on the other hand, are allocated to a conventional risk tier. Most insurers will still provide coverage, but premiums will be slightly higher.
- Applicants for life insurance will be table-rated if they have one or more major health concerns or other risk factors. This means that you’ll be given a rating (a letter or a number), with each extra letter or higher number resulting in a larger reward. If you receive a table rating of, for example, “A,” you may be charged a 25% premium over the regular premium fee. If you own a “If you have a “B” rating, you may have to pay 50% more, and so on. Eventually, your table rating will be so high that term life insurance rates will be prohibitively expensive, and you will be unable to obtain coverage.
Not everyone who suffers from anxiety will be placed at a table. Depending on how much danger your anxiety diagnosis poses in conjunction with your general health history, different insurers have different criteria.