Travel Insurance after Stent or Heart By-Pass Surgery

For travelers with heart conditions, especially those who have had stent or by-pass surgery, obtaining adequate coverage from travel insurance is always a challenge.  Fortunately, we are still normally able to find insurance for these travelers.  However, you do need to know what to look for in a travel policy to insure that you will be adequately covered in the event of heart problems while you are away.

In many cases, yes. Insurers look at how stable your condition is and whether any heart-related changes occurred in the recent look-back period. “Stable” typically means:

• No new symptoms or diagnoses

• No medication changes (start/stop/dose) for the heart condition

• No pending tests or investigations and no hospitalization for it Because definitions vary by insurer, always check the policy’s stability wording (or ask us to confirm it).

Typical factors underwriters consider

• Time since surgery (bypass or stent)

• Medication stability (no dosage/med changes in the stability window)

• Recent tests/procedures (stress tests, angiograms, etc.)

• Age & trip length (longer trips can tighten eligibility)

• Other cardiac history (e.g., heart failure, arrhythmias)

Most Canadian travel policies have a stability period for pre-existing medical conditions. A stability period is the period of time, that there can be no changes in your medical condition, including no changes to your medication and no medical tests.  If you have had heart surgery, such as angioplasty (stent placement) or heart by-pass surgery, the stability period is typically 180 or 365 days.

Key point: event a small medication change for your heart condition can reset the stability period.

Pro-Tip: If you're planning a big trip, tell your doctor early so that any non-urgent changes to your medication can be timed outside of your stability window.

The majority of the travel policies we carry have a 10-year limit on heart coverage for those who have had by-pass surgery or stent insertion. This means that with many insurance companies, if it has been more than 10 year since your last surgery, you are ineligible for coverage.  Keep this time limit in mind when you are planning travel, especially extended winter vacations in Mexico or the southern US. After you pass the 10-year limit, there are still options available, but selection is limited, and prices will normally be higher.

What to do: There are still options available for you! Don't self exclude. Share your timeline with one of our brokers so we can help walk you through your medical questionnaire and find you a policy that fits your condition and medical timeline.

For those who are unable to find adequate coverage after answering questionnaires, there is also the option of taking a short trip. Several insurers offer no-questionnaire policies for short trips (commonly up to ~15 days; age limits often apply, e.g., under 75). You still must meet general eligibility and any cardiac-history rules the plan sets. These can be a smart choice if you’re:

• Close to a stability threshold

• Recently had medication/test changes

• Need quick coverage for a short getaway

Again, many policies will exclude those who have had by-pass surgery more than 10 years ago. However, there is a wider selection of policies available for short trips.

Finally, if you find that no policy will offer you coverage for your heart condition, you can still consider a policy that excludes cardiac events but covers other emergency medical issues. This is not ideal, but it provides some protection for unrelated emergencies.

Practical safeguards if using a cardiac exclusion:

• Travel shorter durations and avoid remote areas

• Ensure access to quality hospitals at your destination

• Speak with your physician to confirm fitness to travel

Use this checklist to increase approval odds and avoid surprises:

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions regarding travel insurance after stent or heart by-pass surgery:

Vance Derban, Licensed Insurance Broker, BestQuote Travel Insurance Agency, Vance specializes in complex medical histories, and helps travellers match real-world health situations to policy wording. Reviewed for medical-terminology accuracy; not medical advice.