Sleep apnoea is a common pre-existing medical condition. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get travel insurance, but in some circumstances you might need to disclose your condition when you’re booking your travel insurance.
If you’re not sure whether your sleep apnoea will be covered or not, all you need to do is let us know about your condition while you’re buying your travel insurance policy. That way you’ll know if you’re covered if anything happens to you because of your condition.
Please note, there’s a possibility we might not be able to cover you at all, but we will tell you this during your medical assessment.
*based on sleep apnoea being your only pre-existing condition
^from the time you have purchased your insurance.
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 fill out 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 sleep apnoea.
Once you’ve filled out this questionnaire, you’ll immediately find out your travel insurance options.
Sleep apnoea is a chronic sleeping and breathing disorder. People who have sleep apnoea have pauses in their breathing when they’re asleep. These pauses can last from a few seconds to minutes and could occur up to 30 times or more per hour.
Sleep apnoea itself isn’t generally a huge concern - it’s the effects that can be problematic. Sufferers of sleep apnoea get a poorer quality of sleep and can have lower energy levels in general.
When you travel, you want to feel as good as possible. Here are some tips that might help with sleep apnoea while you’re away. Please note, the below is general advice only and is not intended to replace the advice or information from a registered body or your doctor.
In most cases we can offer cover for sleep apnoea. Sleep apnoea may be automatically covered free of charge if you meet the criteria for automatic coverage, or you may have to pay an addition premium based on a quick medical assessment when purchasing your policy.
Firstly, you should check that you meet the criteria for automatic cover (at the top of this page). If you do not meet the auto-cover criteria or you are not sure, you can disclose you sleep apnoea by completing a medical assessment online or over the phone.
Firstly, if your partner has sleep apnoea and they are taking out a travel insurance policy, then you should check that they meet the criteria for automatic cover. If they do not meet the auto-cover criteria or you are not sure you can disclose their sleep apnoea by completing a medical assessment either online or over the phone (but you will need to make sure you have their permission).
If your sleep apnoea was newly diagnosed and you didn’t have any signs, symptoms or investigations prior to purchasing you policy, and your doctor says your fit to travel, then you may still have a provision to claim for unforeseen incidents that arise from your sleep apnoea.
For any future policies you would need to check if you meet criteria for automatic coverage, or carry out a medical assessment before purchasing your policy.
If you own a CPAP machine, cover may be provided under the Luggage and Personal Effects section of the policy . See the Policy Wording for full terms and conditions.
You also have the option to specify it as a High Value Item for up to a value of $5,000, provided that the item is less than 12 months old and you have the original receipt in the event of a claim. You can specify High Value Items during the policy purchase process. Please note: we do not provide cover for mechanical fault.
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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Sleepwell clinics are available all throughout New Zealand. Their website has a range of information aimed at people with sleep apnoea.
Air New Zealand has a special section just for travelling with medical equipment. Find out more about travelling with a CPAP machine here.
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.
SAANZ is a volunteer runed association that consists of sleep apnoea patients, a medical advisor and product specialists. It is a community where patients and professionals can share their experience.