“Pre-Conditioned”?
We human beings have a remarkable tendency to put up barriers, to create insurmountable challenges to a situation, and to assemble facts to support our position. It’s fear, usually. So we’ll believe statements like, “oh, there’s no way I’ll get health insurance with my old rugby injuries,” or, “the insurance companies will run a mile from my case, why would I even consider it?”. Etc.
The good news is, in the kindest way, you may be wrong. OK, sure, as Billy Joel once said – “you may be right”. But isn’t it worth finding out first?
Don’t Exclude Me!
No one likes to be excluded, yet that seems to be the perception of how insurance companies run their health policies. As always, such perceptions can be based in experience, or, at least, anecdote. I spoke with a person recently who had an exclusion put in her policy for diabetes…only, she doesn’t have diabetes. Huh? Exactly! Her GP has categorised her as pre-diabetic, her sugar levels may be elevated above normal, but, well, isn’t that a bit harsh?
Maybe. Is it the end of the road for her? No.
The good news is that not all insurance companies view the same conditions in the same way. Company A may exclude something that Company B welcomes. We welcome the apparent inconsistency, and advise you seek an adviser. Our knowledge of the way insurers operate, if you‘ll excuse the health-related pun, is critical – we don’t just advise on costs, or even just on products: we have an innate understanding of how different companies frame their policies, and we can use that to your advantage.
But you need someone who is independent. Our research is broader, so our advice more-encompassing, and of greater use to you, especially if you do have a pre-existing condition.
The Front Foot
The best approach, always, is to be upfront about any health matter before we start finding health insurance packages. Firstly, what you might think could be an issue may not be one at all. Often something you had 20 years ago is totally irrelevant today. Or, while you may have a condition, your medication has stabilised it for years. But we can’t get the best outcome unless you give us the full picture.
What Will Happen?
Once we have a full picture, we can do our research, which we twin with experience of working with people just like you – we may well have dealt with a health issue similar to yours before and so have an instant and good understanding of the potential outcome. Whatever the case, once we have all the info, we put together, with your help, an application. And then the underwriters do their job.
Possible outcomes?
- Your application is accepted as standard
- Or you are denied cover.
- Or, you receive a policy with standard pricing, covering all conditions, but with an exclusion on the specific condition you mentioned in your application (and, sometimes, related conditions)
- You get cover, but your premium is increased to offset the “risk” you pose to the insurer
Conclusion
No one’s out to get you! In fact, despite what you may have heard, the insurers want to give you cover if they reasonably can. They simply need to assess the risk involved that corresponds to the condition you present with. That’s their job.
And helping you through that process to a good outcome, is ours. We’d be happy to walk you through the process. You’ll likely find you’re in much better shape than you thought!