Full disclosure; I am a licensed travel insurance agent too!
Just like the two individuals found above (Tracy aka 'OnlineInsPro' and Mr Arbetov aka 'Haver')! Only, I'll try to produce a more accurate answer for you concerning what is covered and what is not when it comes to 'pre-existing medical conditions'. Instead of saying, "I've got the policy' or 'call me and I'll explain how it all works', I'll try to be informative.
First off, you should know that (by industry regulation) all brokers must advertise the same policy at the same rate. So, dealing with a broker that has more policies to offer will usually mean they always have the same or a lower price available. You can get an instant quote at BestQuote Travel Insurance Agency's online quote engine for visitors to Canada:
http://www.bestquotetravelinsurance.ca/visitors-to-canada-insurance including policies that meet the super visa requirements:
http://www.bestquotetravelinsurance.ca/parent-and-grandparent-super-visa-health-insurance
Or Canadians:
http://www.bestquotetravelinsurance.ca/travel-insurance-in-canada
You'll find that BestQuote offers all the same policies that either of the other two brokers have, and more. Go ahead and visit their websites, and then go to BestQuote to compare.
No matter what type of traveller, when it comes to coverage for pre-existing medical conditions, you have to be careful not to get confused when a broker says "....a number of Canadian Insurance Companies that WILL cover pre-existing conditions" or "HAS coverage for pre-existing conditions" (my capitals). It is important to look for a policy that will offer the best coverage, but here's the rub:
There are no travel insurance polices available anywhere in Canada that cover foreseeable expenses (ie.the medical expenses related to a pre-existing medical condition. Not unless that medical condition has been 'stable' according to the terms of the policy, to the point where it is unforeseeable that any medical expenses will arise because of that condition).
I often have clients that are looking for a policy that will 'cover pre-existing medical conditions', because their parents are taking insulin, or have a condition that will most certainly need some attention while they are in Canada. In Canada, we are quite used to being covered under provincial health care, when pre-existing medical conditions don't matter. Unfortunately, that type of coverage is not available privately.
When it comes to private (travel medical) health insurance however, that just doesn't exist. So, costs associated with taking medication for a pre-existing medical condition won't be covered. When the broker (above) says they have a policy that does that, what they really mean is that they have a policy that covers expenese for 'illnesses related to stable pre-existing medical conditions' (not the pre-existing medical condition itself). So someone taking insulin for example, cannot expect their insurance policy to pay for the costs of medication, or for regular visits to a doctor to get that diabetic condition monitored (because those expenses are foreseeable). If the person's pancreas failed (a condition related to diabetes) - and the diabetic condition is deemed to have been 'stable' prior to the policy coming into effect, then the pancreatic situation - while it is an emergency - will be covered.
That's a lot better than using a policy that excludes any and all expenses related to any pre-existing medical condition. But it's not the same as provincial health care. And it doesn't exactly match what some people are looking for. i hope this more precise answer is useful. Please visit the BestQuote site for more information regarding pre-existing medical conditions coverage:
http://www.bestquotetravelinsurance.ca/visitors-to-canada-insurance-compare-pre-existing-medical-conditions-stable-period
or
http://www.bestquotetravelinsurance.ca/seniors-snowbirds-retirees-pre-existing-conditions-and-stable-periods-compared
The travel medical insurance companies can't offer coverage that includes foreseeable expenses because everyone has different types of expenses - and they can't afford to lose money paying them. They play the odds that nothing will happen to a healthy person, and that they can pay when that does happen. They don't play the game of volunteering to pay medical expenses and then having some people over do it to the point that the insurance company goes broke.
