Canadian heart valve patients re-Out of Country Medical Insurance

[Bev]

Hi Fellow Canucks,
I'm almost 6 months AVR post-op, and if possible I would like to go South this winter. So far I have only contacted one insurance company, Medipac, and they do not insure people that have had a valve replacement within the past year. After I have my 6 month checkup and echo, I'll try some other insurance companies, but I wondered if any other VR members have had any luck arranging coverage.
Let me know.
Thanks, Bev
P.S.
Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season

 

[Bina]

Sometimes if you are a member of an Automobile Club they will have offers, but most likely won't cover the
pre-existing cardiac issue for at least a certain length of time...not sure though.
In the old days, pre-surgery, I had Blue Cross coverage for Florida trips.
Good Luck !

 

[Greg a]

i think it was Blue Cross my parents had after dad's AVR

 

[Bev]

Thanks Bina and Greg for your suggestions.

 

[yotphix]

Bev,
Are you going to the US, or anywhere else in the world. I can't remember the name of the insurance company I used last off the top of my head, who were happy to insure me inexpensively four months after surgery as long as I had been stable (no changes in condition or medication) for three months (which I had been). They didn't mind including the 'pre-existing condition' of the new valve either. The only thing is, they did not offer coverage for the US. Anywhere in the world but! If you were thinking of going somewhere else, I'd be happy to look up the name for you. Otherwise, I don't have a good suggestion, other than to try CAA, Check the policies associated with your credit cards or cross your fingers and hope someone else has a better idea! (My own TD travel rewards visa has a policy which would have covered me at 6 months out had I had that card at that time, if I recall correctly.)
Paul

 

[Bev]

Thanks Paul. I'm thinking of going to Panama or Costa Rica, so if you could come up with the name of the company you got your coverage with, that would be great.
Bev

 

[yotphix]

Bev, I've been looking and I can't find a single email from the insurance company, nor can I remember their name. I found one email to my mother letting her know that I had found some, and the details of it, not that it does you any good. (At least it tells me I'm not crazy!) I'm in the US so I can't look through my files, but I'll keep trying to remember. I do know that it was a local company in Toronto (I think there office may have been downtown on Queen West.) I'll definitely post if I think of it or find it.

Edit: Aha! I found a mail from Kanetix, and that led me to this, which it seems you would qualify for. The first Link is through Kanetix and you can buy it there, but the second link is from the TLC themselves, and there is a number there you can call to purchase directly. Then you could ask the person over the phone. From their definition of a pre-existing condition, I think you would qualify for coverage.

https://www.kanetix.ca/website/online_apps/travel_policy_TIC_EHM.pdf

http://www.tlctravelprotection.com/pages/faq_protectionquestions.htm#6

 

[Bev]

Thanks a lot Paul for going to all this trouble for me I will definitely take a look at these links and read their policy wordings, exclusions and pre-existing conditions.
I was surprised that Medipac would insure someone 6 months after heart bypass surgery, but they would not insure valve replacement patients until 12 months post-op. They told me that's because bypass surgery is so common now, and there are very few incidents of complications. I guess that's true. When I was in for my valve surgery, it looked like most of the other patients were in for coronary bypass.
Thanks again Paul!!