Like loyal TuGo customer, Ron, you’ve probably seen news over the years about some Canadians being stuck with financially devasting travel medical bills due to medical questionnaire mistakes; if so, and you’re hesitant about purchasing coverage for travel ahead, this post is for you. We’ll help you understand what a Medical Questionnaire (MQ) is, what TuGo’s MQ deductible is—if you accidentally make a mistake, and how to correct your answers on the MQ—if that happens.
What’s a Medical Questionnaire?
A Medical Questionnaire (MQ) is a series of questions related to the health of the traveller applying for Emergency Medical Insurance coverage. TuGo requires travellers, 60 years and older, to complete the MQ which includes eligibility and rate qualification questions to determine the travel insurance premium cost.
Read “TuGo’s Traveller Medical Questionnaire: FAQs for Senior Travellers” for more information.
2 Ways to Help Protect You When Answering the Medical Questionnaire
1. Ensure you’re eligible for travel insurance coverage.
You:
- Must be a Canadian resident.
- Aren’t travelling against a doctor’s or other registered medical practitioner’s advice.
- Haven’t been diagnosed with a terminal condition.
- Aren’t receiving palliative care, or palliative care hasn’t been recommended.
2. Cover your bases by reviewing the MQ with your doctor.
Download our Traveller MQ and fill it out yourself. If you aren’t sure how to answer any of the questions, consult your doctor for assistance.
Have a medical condition that may affect your travels? Read “How Unstable Pre-existing Conditions Impact Claims”, so that you don’t face any disappointing surprises.
What’s TuGo’s Medical Questionnaire Deductible?
It’s important to answer the MQ correctly; however, we understand that unintentional mistakes or omissions can happen, making this one of the most common reasons claims get denied.
With our TuGo Traveller MQ, if you qualify for coverage but happen to answer the MQ incorrectly, we won’t completely deny your claim. Instead, we’ll apply a deductible (in addition to any other deductible you may have selected when purchasing the policy). Although the deductible is $15,000 USD, it will make a huge difference if your medical expenses are in the tens, or even hundreds, of thousands. You’d be surprised how fast the bills add up if something happens abroad; a $100,000 claim isn’t uncommon, especially in the US.
How can Medical Questionnaire Questions be corrected?
You’ll need to correct your MQ answers to accurately reflect your health status. To do so, contact TuGo’s Customer Service team. Note that an additional premium may apply.
Why would TuGo offer this deductible instead of denying the full claim?
Simply put: we care about our customers and their livelihoods. Having the financial burden of a completely denied claim could jeopardize that, and we wouldn’t want that to be the case. TuGo is one of the only travel insurance providers in Canada to address this.
One last bit of advice—always read and understand your travel insurance policy. Yes, policies can be lengthy; but if there’s ever anything you don’t understand, you can reach out to your insurance professional or travel insurance provider to have get the answers you need to feel confident about your coverage.
Happy travels,
Melissa
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in May 2014 and has been updated for freshness and/or accuracy.
