High blood pressure (also called hypertension) is a common pre-existing medical condition, and can be covered by your policy - but you need to meet the conditions below.
If you’re not sure whether your hypertension 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 after you have disclosed your condition and we have made an assessment.
*based on high blood pressure being your only pre-existing condition
^from the time you have purchased your insurance.
If you think you need to let us know, then 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 hypertension
Once you’ve filled out this questionnaire, you’ll immediately find out your travel insurance options.
Blood pressure goes up and down all the time, but hypertension is when your blood pressure is consistently high. The chances of high blood pressure increase as you get older.
Once you’ve sorted out your travel arrangements and travel insurance options, you’ll need to 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 and is not intended to replace the advice or information from a registered body or your doctor.
In some cases we may automatically cover high blood pressure (please see the top of this page). But it's best to disclose your condition if you’re not sure.
If you don’t let us know about your high blood pressure and you don’t meet the conditions for automatic cover, your policy could be voided, or your claim reduced if something happens to you that’s linked to your hypertension.
If you’re travelling with someone and they’re named on the policy, you will need to make sure that, where necessary, their medical conditions are declared. For adult travel companions, you’ll need to declare their condition if you have their permission to do so, and are aware of their health and medical conditions. If you don’t have permission, they will need to do it themselves.
Hypertension may be automatically covered if the terms of auto-cover are met (see top of this page). If the person you’re travelling with doesn’t meet the automatic cover criteria, their hypertension will need to be disclosed when you’re buying a policy.
If you meet all of the criteria for automatic cover for hypertension, you do not have to disclose this condition when you’re buying a policy.
Cover for hypertension 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 hypertension 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 hypertension before you go on further trips.
If you have other pre-existing medical conditions that are not on our automatically covered list or they do not meet the criteria for automatic cover, you will need to disclose them.
If your hypertension meets the criteria for automatic cover, you will not have to add it into your medical assessment when disclosing your other conditions.
If you forgot to disclose your condition and your policy has not started we may be able to add it to your policy. You can call our Customer Care Team to carry out an assessment for your condition.
Please be aware that depending on the outcome of the assessment you may need to pay an additional premium, and we can’t guarantee that we will be able to cover your condition.
All terms, conditions and limitations will apply in the same way as if you had declared the condition when you purchased the policy.
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The Heart Foundation is a charity dedicated to all aspects of heart health. This handy site has everything that you need to know about blood pressure: before, during, and after your trip.
Be informed. Be prepared. If you're across The New Zealand Government's Safe Travel website, you'll have all the latest information for your for your trip.
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.
Auckland Heart Group is New Zealand's largest private cardiology group. This site has some tips for managing high blood pressure.
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