Osteoporosis is considered a pre-existing medical condition.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get travel insurance, but you do need to disclose your condition when you’re booking your travel insurance.With osteoporosis, all grades need to be disclosed, even if you’re not taking medication.
*based on osteoporosis being your only pre-existing condition
The process is simple and quick. You don’t need to call us and you don’t need to provide doctor’s certificates or other documents. All you need to do is answer a simple questionnaire when you’re purchasing a policy online.
You’ll be asked about pre-existing conditions during your online purchase and if you select ‘yes', you’ll fill out the questionnaire. This is where we’ll ask you everything we need to know about your osteopororis.
Once you’ve filled out this questionnaire, you’ll immediately find out your travel insurance options.
Osteoporosis happens when there is not enough calcium deposited on the bones. This lack of calcium makes bones brittle and causes them to break more easily. Women get osteoporosis more easily than men and the risk of osteoporosis increases with age. Symptoms include pain in the bones, lower back pain and bones breaking/fracturing.
Because travel involves so much mobility, you should make sure you’ve taken all the necessary steps to keep yourself safe and healthy on your trip.
Please note, the below is general advice only is not intended to replace the advice or information from a registered body or your doctor.
Take lightweight luggage and pack appropriately. Lifting heavy suitcases is not recommended for people with osteoporosis. If you don’t have anyone to help you, then make sure your luggage has a spin feature so you don’t have to lug it behind you. Additionally, don’t pack heavy items at the top of your suitcase because this can cause it to tip over.
Consider appropriate footwear. Good support and non-slip sole is your best bet if you’re going to do a lot of sightseeing - and supportive shoes can also be stylish! Also, if you’re doing water activities or visiting beaches, you can use water shoes to minimise slipping.
Take more medication than you need. Before you leave, ask your doctor about getting extra refills of your prescription. You’ll need your medication on your trip, but also when you get back.
Travel insurance provides cover for a wide range of benefits, although in some cases we may not be able to provide cover for your condition we may say still be offering cover for other unforeseen injury or illness along with other benefits of the our comprehensive policy, such as luggage & personal effects, cancellation fees & lost deposits, and family emergency.
Yes, osteoporosis is a medical condition that is not on our automatically covered list so you will need to disclose it, and you may need to pay an additional premium. When you purchase your policy, you will be asked to complete a medical assessment, and we will advise straight away if we can cover your osteoporosis or not.
Cover for osteoporosis on a Frequent Traveller policy works in the same way as single trip policies. Your condition may be automatically covered if you meet all of the auto-cover criteria or you will need to complete a medical assessment to determine if we can offer cover, and under what conditions.
If you’re diagnosed with osteoporosis part way through your Frequent Traveller policy, your new condition will be considering a pre-existing condition for the remainder of your policy.
Unless you meet the criteria for automatic coverage, you’ll need to disclose your osteoporosis before you go on further trips.
A pre-existing condition could be anything that is chronic or ongoing, or that you take regular medication for. Visit our pre-existing medical conditions page for our full definition.
Travel insurance provides cover for a wide range of benefits, so although, in some cases, we may not be able to provide cover for anything that’s related to your condition, we may offer cover for other unforeseen events.
If you don’t take out any travel insurance you will be liable to pay all expenses that you incur when the unforeseen happens.
If you didn’t know you had osteoporosis, and there were no signs, symptoms or investigations prior to purchasing the policy then you may still have a provision to claim for unforeseen incidents that arise from osteoporosis.
For any future policies you would need to disclose it as a pre-existing medical condition.
Having a diagnosis of osteoporosis or a low bone density means you have a higher risk of fracture (breaking bones). If you fracture a bone whilst on holiday this might mean you need medical treatment and you will usually incur extra costs as a result. If we agree to cover your osteoporosis, you may have a provision to claim for these costs.
But even if we don’t cover your osteoporosis, it’s still a good idea to have travel insurance for other things that might happen to you that aren’t related to your osteoporosis (eg. other medical emergencies, lost/delayed luggage, cancellations, etc.).
If you’re sick or injured, we advise that you or a member of your travelling party call our medical assistance team as soon as possible. Our medical team will liaise with the treating hospital, and if you are covered, may provide written guarantees of payment for reasonable expenses (subject to your claim being approved). If you are covered and approved for medical evacuation, they will arrange this, if it’s deemed necessary.
For minor ailments, such as those that only require a GP visit, you may choose to visit a doctor, pay for your visit upfront, and then submit your claim either from overseas or once you return home. Make sure that you keep all receipts and reports from your treating doctor, including the diagnosis and treatment notes and any other documents.
If your total cost of treatment will exceed $1,000 you MUST contact our medical assistance team as soon as possible.
If you are still uncertain about what to do in relation to an injury or illness, please contact our medical assistance team for further advice.
A pre-existing medical condition is something that must be disclosed when you’re purchasing travel insurance. Find out what they are and how they affect your travel insurance.
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Osteoporosis New Zealand aims to improve awareness about the disease in the Kiwi community and reduce bone fractures. You can find a plethora of information about how to care for yourself, here and abroad.
Learn about Osteoporosis, what treatments exist, and get helpful tips to help form your musculoskeletal pain co-management plan. A potentially useful read before you go away.
IAMAT are a non-profit organization who help travellers plan a healthy trip, and connect travellers with reputable English-speaking doctors. They are a useful point of contact for anyone travelling with a health condition.
IOF is a global organisation that works with health professionals and companies to promote bone, muscle, and joint health. They have a range of information on the condition and how to care for yourself and your loved ones.
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