Finally, a travel insurance company has announced that it will cover Australians and New Zealanders with any pre-existing health condition.
The announcement comes on the heels of Zoom Travel Insurance’s integration with Verisk’s medical assessment software program, Travel Box Version 3.0 (BB3).
Zoom customers can access BB3 and complete a simple online declaration of their medical conditions, which are then analysed. Zoom is then provided with a risk score to be used for underwriting. To create a fairer fee for travel cover, BB3 considers more than just your medical condition, such as gathering further information about travellers and the trips that they’re taking.
“We believe in travel for everybody and recognise that many travellers from Australia and New Zealand are travelling underinsured when it comes to their health,” said director of Zoom Natalie Ball.
“As an insurance innovator that has the customers’ best experience in mind, we’re always looking for best-in-class technologies and are excited to be the first travel insurance brand to integrate with Verisk’s Black Box Version 3.0.
“Gathering medical information and assessing risk can be a challenge for travel insurers. Utilising Verisk’s latest technology means we can get accurate, up-to-date information on medical conditions to make informed underwriting and pricing decisions. Customers can apply for the specific cover they need to ensure they’re travelling with adequate protection,’’ Ms Ball said.
“We cannot stress enough how important it is for customers to tell their insurers about their medical conditions before they travel. It is sometimes tempting for people to not disclose a medical condition to reduce the hassle or cost of taking out travel insurance. But the reality is that travelling without declaring your medical conditions is a risk that could leave you stuck with a horrendous overseas medical bill.”
Online medical screening is a simple and quick process for customers and doesn’t ask for doctor’s certificates or medical reports.
“Utilising BB3 allows customers to declare their conditions and answer a few simple questions as opposed to screening each declared condition individually. Depending upon the condition and how many conditions are declared, the assessment could take anywhere from one minute, to 15 minutes to complete,” said Ms Ball.
“If cover is available, in many instances, Zoom allows its customers to choose whether they want to pay the additional premium to cover their condition or not. For certain conditions, accepting the cover may be compulsory to take out a policy with Zoom.
“Although we may not be able to cover every condition in all circumstances, we will always do what we can to support customers in finding the right cover for their trip, even if it’s not with us. We believe it’s important for travellers to cover their conditions and travel with peace of mind.”
Do you think it difficult to find good travel cover for a pre-existing condition? Who do you use for travel insurance?
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