6 Tips for Filling Out Travel Medical Insurance Questionnaires

Applications for travel medical insurance require very precise and accurate answers.  Any mistakes on the application will most likely cause any claim to be denied by the insurance company, even if that answer doesn't relate to the question answered in error.  This can have huge financials reprecussions as medical bills, especially in the U.S. can costs tens of thousands of dollars and potentially hundreds of thousand of dollars.   A common mistake made by some snowbirds is to treat travel medical insurance as an afterthought. Don’t fall into this trap! Make sure you take the necessary time to carefully research and apply for your snowbird travel insurance. Your financial well being could depend on it!
 
Here are a few tips to follow when filling out your medical questionnaire:
 
1. Consult your doctor(s)

If you are unsure about the answer to a question, consult your doctors before answering. It may be time consuming, but providing the correct answer is far more important than providing a quick one.
 
2. Include your ENTIRE medical history

Just because something happened a long time ago or was minor, it doesn’t mean you can exclude it. Make sure you accurately disclose everything!

3. Err on the side of caution

If you think there is even a remote chance that a medical question applies to your situation and you are unable to confirm 100% that it does not apply, you should consider treating the question as if it applies to you. While this may increase the cost of your insurance, it will avoid giving the insurance provider ammunition to deny a claim down the road. 

4. Review your answers before you travel

Your travel insurance provider should give you a copy of your final questionnaire answers when you get your policy. Review these carefully to make sure the answers are accurate and reflect the ones you provided.
 
5. Don’t rely on insurance agents or brokers who are not travel insurance specialists

While regular insurance agents and brokers may be able to provide you with some guidance on medical questionnaires, do your own homework about your medical history and don’t rely on them to provide you with the correct answers to complex questions. A specialist will either know the answers to your questions or know where to find it out.
 
6. Track your own medical history

If possible, try to keep your own records, including dates, of any changes to your medical conditions, treatments and medications. This should include any doctor prescribed increase or decrease in medications and any abnormal test results, as all of these can affect your travel medical insurance premiums.

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