Providing
Details of Your Current Health
There
are a few medical conditions that you will not be able to
get medical insurance cover for. You won’t be covered
for an illness from which you are currently suffering, or
have already had this is known as pre-existing conditions.
There are two main ways that medical insurance companies can
use to accept your private health insurance – a medical
history declaration or moratorium. Medical insurance companies
will offer you the medical history declaration option. Some
medical insurance companies offer the moratorium option.
Medical History Declaration (full medical underwriting)
With
this type of policy you have to provide details of your medical
history. The insurance company may write to your doctor for
further information. It is always important that you give
all the information you are asked for. If you don’t
do this you could find that your insurance company may refuse
to pay any claim that you make in the future, or may even
cancel your health insurance policy. If you are not sure whether
mention something, it is always best to do so. If you have
a medical condition or health problem that is likely to come
back, the insurance company will issue an insurance policy,
but that condition (and any related to it) may not be covered,
either indefinitely, or for a set period of time.
Moratorium
This
type of insurance policy is when you are asked to fill
in a form, but you are not asked to give details of
your medical history. The insurance company does not
usually cover any medical condition which existed in
the last five years. These conditions may become eligible
for cover, but only when you do not have symptoms, or
receive treatment, medication, tests and advice from
your GP or a specialist for that condition for a continuous
period of normally two years, after your policy has
started. There are a few conditions, for example chronic
conditions, that will never be eligible for this delayed
cover because you will always need regular or occasional
treatment, medication, tests or advice. You should never
delay getting treatment or medical advice just to get
cover. If your insurance company offers you a “moratorium”,
they will give you printed information explaining how
their moratorium works. You may also want to ask the
insurance representative, to explain exactly how this
works.
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