Will I need to provide details of my health?
As described under Section 5, there are a number of medical conditions
which you will not be able to get private medical insurance cover
for. You won't normally be covered for an illness from which you
are suffering, or have already had (commonly known as preexisting
conditions). Insurance companies may accept your application for
cover in one of two ways.
Medical history declaration
You are asked to fill in a form, giving details of your medical
history. If necessary, the insurance company may write to your doctor
for more information. It is essential that you give all the information
you are asked for. If you don't, you may find that your insurance
company questions claims that you make in the future. If you are
not sure whether or not to mention something, it is best to do so.
If you have a medical condition which is likely to come back, the
insurance company will issue a policy, but that condition (and any
related to it) will probably not be covered, either indefinitely,
or for a set period of time.
Moratorium
This is when you are asked to fill in a form, but you are not asked
to give details of your medical history. Instead, the insurance
company does not cover any medical condition which existed in the
last (usually) five years.
These conditions may automatically 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 (usually) two years, after your
policy has started.
There are some conditions, for example chronic conditions, that
will probably never be eligible for this delayed cover because you
will always need regular or occasional treatment, medication, tests
or advice for them.
You should not delay getting medical advice or treatment, simply
to get cover.
If your insurance company offers a "moratorium", they
will give you printed information explaining how their particular
moratorium works. You may also want to ask the insurance company,
or salesperson, to explain how it works.
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