Health Insurance for the over 70’s

[xylophone]

I have just found this thread, which may well be fortuitous in my case because I am in the process of renewing my existing health insurance cover with Allianz, however I baulked at the huge increase in my policy, up from 153,000 baht per annum, to 213,000 baht per annum, and that is only for a 1 million baht maximum cover!!

 

I asked the agent if she would go back to the company and check out if I could increase the maximum cover and also include an excess, which it currently doesn't have. However she said that the company does not allow any changes to their policy (this policy), so I went back to her and suggested that the maximum cover could stay the same, however I would gladly pay an excess (deductible) of anything between 50 and a hundred thousand baht, as surely that would make no difference to their liability?

 

I am waiting for a reply, however in the meantime I have been checking out other policies and there is bad publicity on the Internet with regards to WrLife, but I applied to Cigna insurance to see what they could do and much to my surprise I have received a quote which covers me for health insurance in Thailand and NZ, and has a maximum cover of 18 million baht, and although it has an excess/deductible of 110,000 baht, which I don't mind paying, the annual cost is only 163,000 baht......... 

 

So I am considering this because I don't mind paying the excess/deductible if it becomes necessary, BUT one major factor in this policy is that there is no age limit (something I found to be quite amazing) and as I am 76, especially in light of the 18 million baht top coverage!!

 

To be honest I'm a little wary because this seems a little too good to be true, especially as there are no age bands in the policy, so am I about to fall victim to an online scam, or has anyone else had any experience with this type of Cigna policy?

 

Your feedback would be welcomed, and I will answer any questions to which I have/may have the answers.
 

[CharlieKo]

On 5/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, Tazmo said:

I realize it’s taking a risk Incase of emergencies, but hopefully I will return to the UK if anything major is required

 

As an expat you will be charged for any medical assistance by the NHS unless you have been in the UK for 6 months and a day prior to needing help from the NHS. I thing the cost is 150% of fees. 

[Celsius]

T5l

On 5/29/2024 at 8:18 AM, Tazmo said:

realize it’s taking a risk Incase of emergencies, but hopefully I will return to the UK if anything major is required.

 

A nice idea that rarely works out in reality.

 

I am taking a different indurance approach. I am also self insured, however i am looking for basic insurance only.. in case of accident or dengue fever, tuberculosis and simila. No need for cancer coverage and similar things where Thai insurance almost never pays out.

[scubascuba3]

44 minutes ago, xylophone said:

I have just found this thread, which may well be fortuitous in my case because I am in the process of renewing my existing health insurance cover with Allianz, however I baulked at the huge increase in my policy, up from 153,000 baht per annum, to 213,000 baht per annum, and that is only for a 1 million baht maximum cover!!

 

I asked the agent if she would go back to the company and check out if I could increase the maximum cover and also include an excess, which it currently doesn't have. However she said that the company does not allow any changes to their policy (this policy), so I went back to her and suggested that the maximum cover could stay the same, however I would gladly pay an excess (deductible) of anything between 50 and a hundred thousand baht, as surely that would make no difference to their liability?

 

I am waiting for a reply, however in the meantime I have been checking out other policies and there is bad publicity on the Internet with regards to WrLife, but I applied to Cigna insurance to see what they could do and much to my surprise I have received a quote which covers me for health insurance in Thailand and NZ, and has a maximum cover of 18 million baht, and although it has an excess/deductible of 110,000 baht, which I don't mind paying, the annual cost is only 163,000 baht......... 

 

So I am considering this because I don't mind paying the excess/deductible if it becomes necessary, BUT one major factor in this policy is that there is no age limit (something I found to be quite amazing) and as I am 76, especially in light of the 18 million baht top coverage!!

 

To be honest I'm a little wary because this seems a little too good to be true, especially as there are no age bands in the policy, so am I about to fall victim to an online scam, or has anyone else had any experience with this type of Cigna policy?

 

Your feedback would be welcomed, and I will answer any questions to which I have/may have the answers.
 

The Cigna insurance does sound too good to be true, maybe it's Cigna Thailand. Also taking someone on at 76 has not been mentioned before, is it in the policy doc? have your pre-existing conditions been excluded? if not they will just make them up when you claim

[petermik]

1 hour ago, CharlieKo said:

 

As an expat you will be charged for any medical assistance by the NHS unless you have been in the UK for 6 months and a day prior to needing help from the NHS. I thing the cost is 150% of fees. 

And how exactly will they know if you are an expat or not.....

[CharlieKo]

31 minutes ago, petermik said:

And how exactly will they know if you are an expat or not.....

Do you have a NHS medical card, Do you have a GP who referred you to the NHS for treatment, and do you have a UK address?

[Sheryl]

8 hours ago, xylophone said:

I have just found this thread, which may well be fortuitous in my case because I am in the process of renewing my existing health insurance cover with Allianz, however I baulked at the huge increase in my policy, up from 153,000 baht per annum, to 213,000 baht per annum, and that is only for a 1 million baht maximum cover!!

 

I asked the agent if she would go back to the company and check out if I could increase the maximum cover and also include an excess, which it currently doesn't have. However she said that the company does not allow any changes to their policy (this policy), so I went back to her and suggested that the maximum cover could stay the same, however I would gladly pay an excess (deductible) of anything between 50 and a hundred thousand baht, as surely that would make no difference to their liability?

 

I am waiting for a reply, however in the meantime I have been checking out other policies and there is bad publicity on the Internet with regards to WrLife, but I applied to Cigna insurance to see what they could do and much to my surprise I have received a quote which covers me for health insurance in Thailand and NZ, and has a maximum cover of 18 million baht, and although it has an excess/deductible of 110,000 baht, which I don't mind paying, the annual cost is only 163,000 baht......... 

 

So I am considering this because I don't mind paying the excess/deductible if it becomes necessary, BUT one major factor in this policy is that there is no age limit (something I found to be quite amazing) and as I am 76, especially in light of the 18 million baht top coverage!!

 

To be honest I'm a little wary because this seems a little too good to be true, especially as there are no age bands in the policy, so am I about to fall victim to an online scam, or has anyone else had any experience with this type of Cigna policy?

 

Your feedback would be welcomed, and I will answer any questions to which I have/may have the answers.
 

Is this Cigna Global (which plan?) If  you are NZ citizen and cover is for Thailand and NZ the sounds like it may be the Close Care Plan? Which is less expensive than their other plans.

 

Cigna Global has always had  no age limit for enrollment. But they will exclude pre-existing conditions (and in some cases refuse to cover if health status is viewed as poor).  And they do have 5 year age bands with age related increase when you cross a band. 

 

 

 

[petermik]

Just now, CharlieKo said:

Do you have a NHS medical card, Do you have a GP who referred you to the NHS for treatment, and do you have a UK address?

Medical cards went out years ago......UK address yes.....I,m registered with my GP  with no current problems

[scubascuba3]

13 minutes ago, CharlieKo said:

Do you have a NHS medical card, Do you have a GP who referred you to the NHS for treatment, and do you have a UK address?

Yes, I don't think they keep track of people, patient's do video calls these days, maybe worth keeping them up

[CharlieKo]

37 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Yes, I don't think they keep track of people, patient's do video calls these days, maybe worth keeping them up

I was quoting what the UK government recently said about expats seeking treatment in the UK, and the cost of that treatment. I accept that maybe the hospital would overlook that. However, I do wonder if it would be worth returning to the UK for treatment. It could take a very long time to get an appointment unless one is admitted via the Accident and emergency department! The NHS ain't what it used to be.

 

[scubascuba3]

1 minute ago, CharlieKo said:

I was quoting what the UK government recently said about expats seeking treatment in the UK, and the cost of that treatment. I accept that maybe the hospital would overlook that. However, I do wonder if it would be worth returning to the UK for treatment. It could take a very long time to get an appointment unless one is admitted via the Accident and emergency department! The NHS ain't what it used to be.

 

hence why trying a video call appointment might be a good idea, they'd love you for it, less demand on them, it's the face to face appointments that are difficult 

[xylophone]

9 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Is this Cigna Global (which plan?) If  you are NZ citizen and cover is for Thailand and NZ the sounds like it may be the Close Care Plan? Which is less expensive than their other plans.

 

Cigna Global has always had  no age limit for enrollment. But they will exclude pre-existing conditions (and in some cases refuse to cover if health status is viewed as poor).  And they do have 5 year age bands with age related increase when you cross a band. 

 

 

 

You are spot on Sheryl, because it is the Cigna Global "Close Care Plan" and looking into it, Cigna has offices worldwide and this particular agent was calling me from the Dubai office, which I've checked, is a bone fide office.

 

So I'm checking it out more carefully and to be honest, what little "pre-existing conditions" I have, I'm not really worried about and they can be excluded from this policy if I should take it out.

 

The fact that there is no age limit for enrolment and the total cover is around 18 million baht for an annual premium which is almost equivalent to the Allianz which I have now, and which has a total cover of 1 million baht, so it seems like a good deal.

 

In addition a friend has informed me of the AIA health insurance cover which I need to look into because that also has some benefits.

I suppose the only thing in favour of staying with the Allianz policy is that any pre-existing conditions I've had since taking out the policy, should be covered going forward, and one other thing is that they have all of my details and it's simply a question of walking into a local office and signing a form, whereas other policies/companies may well involve medicals, extensive form filling, and so on – – so some homework to do on this on my part.

 

Some decisions to be made on my part and I will post my decisions here for the benefit of others.

[balo]

Clearly WR LIfe is not the way to go, they have already full of complaints  as recent as 5 days ago. I am not at your age, but I would rather pay 30% more for one of the more known companies. 

From Trustpilot 

https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.wrlife.net?languages=all&sort=recency&stars=1&stars=2&stars=3

 

Quote

My brother passed away in Pattaya Bangkok hospital and we now have to find 5 million Tai baht (£100,000 )to pay his medical bill and they are only paying 431,000 Tai baht ( about £10,000) although the certificate says he’s insured up to $2 million .

 

[jayboy]

On 6/8/2024 at 3:11 PM, rumak said:

Then there are guys like me.   I have always saved through the years ( and i did NOT make big big bucks) ..... knowing that some day i would get old .   I have also taken care of my health as best i can ,  though of course i have some issues.   I pay for those myself ,  and if i ever have a "major"  issue  my savings over the years, not giving it to insurance "providers" ,  is in the bank where i can get to it

 

I think you are right but only up to a point.

 

It is true that many medical conditions could be avoided if people took better care of themselves, didn't become fat, ate well, severely restricted alcohol and exercised regularly (and it must be said had good genes.) But after 70 it's not possible to fend off problems so easily.In Thailand relatively minor issues can be dealt with at moderate cost (though the best treatment is not cheap and getting more expenive.)

 

I don't know how large your savings are but while say Baht 10 million would cover most major procedures, it definitely wouldn't cover a very serious condition and prolonged hospitalization.If you are single with no responsibilities it might be worth "self insuring" but even the I'm a bit dubious.

 

So contrary to what you claim, you are the one taking the gamble.And to end on a depressing note I think many retired expatriates are relying on health insurance products - some of them referred to in this thread - which are substandard by any normal criteria.

[jerrymahoney]

On 6/8/2024 at 3:11 PM, rumak said:

I pay for those myself ,  and if i ever have a "major"  issue  my savings over the years, not giving it to insurance "providers" ,  is in the bank where i can get to it . 

Sure but if the 'major issue' had occurred earlier rather than later before you had saved 'over the years' the scenario might have been different.

 

As I have said elsewhere, one big reason I use health insurance is that my finances are such that an annual premium is readily doable while coming up with a big lump sum payment would not be so readily doable.

[rumak]

53 minutes ago, jayboy said:

 

I think you are right but only up to a point.

 

It is true that many medical conditions could be avoided if people took better care of themselves, didn't become fat, ate well, severely restricted alcohol and exercised regularly (and it must be said had good genes.) But after 70 it's not possible to fend off problems so easily.In Thailand relatively minor issues can be dealt with at moderate cost (though the best treatment is not cheap and getting more expenive.)

 

I don't know how large your savings are but while say Baht 10 million would cover most major procedures, it definitely wouldn't cover a very serious condition and prolonged hospitalization.If you are single with no responsibilities it might be worth "self insuring" but even the I'm a bit dubious.

 

So contrary to what you claim, you are the one taking the gamble.And to end on a depressing note I think many retired expatriates are relying on health insurance products - some of them referred to in this thread - which are substandard by any normal criteria.

just to make your assertions more palatable....... please post for us to see :   your current age , insurance plan you now have ( don't forget the deductables and what is not covered) ,   and the cost for such "product" .

then I and others can decide if that works for us.  MY gamble worked just fine for ME .

 

Others will all have different scenarios .   High coverage COSTS a lot .   And still , the exclusions and fine print and well=documented dishonesty of the insurance industry is easy to find even on mainstreet searches such as google.

 

If i were to need ANY  procedure or care costing more than even 5 million baht I would choose to just die .     Show me the cost of "insurance"  for coverage of someone over 60 which pays up to 5 million baht .  And what procedure here in Thailand even comes close to that at a reasonably priced hospital . 

 

Long term care is included in your policy ?

 

The biggest gamble people of all ages take is what they eat,  what drugs they take which IMO cause more harm than curing themselves naturally ( i and a small percentage of others are proof that it can be done in MANY cases ) .   At 70+ the only drug i take is an eye drop .    My "gamble"  was backed by playing the odds .  I kept myself healthy !

 

If one has not done that...... the catch 22 is that their health issues will be Excluded from coverage .   hahaha  .   Not much worth to that,  is there ?

[jayboy]

33 minutes ago, rumak said:

 

If i were to need ANY  procedure or care costing more than even 5 million baht I would choose to just die

 

You have answered your own question.

[rumak]

32 minutes ago, jayboy said:

 

You have answered your own question.

that's the best you can do ?

 

give us your particulars.   Mine have all been stated .    your age and policy ?

what would cost "10 million "  baht here in Thailand ?

 

how many exclusions do you have ? 

 

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

Sure but if the 'major issue' had occurred earlier rather than later before you had saved 'over the years' the scenario might have been different.

 

As I have said elsewhere, one big reason I use health insurance is that my finances are such that an annual premium is readily doable while coming up with a big lump sum payment would not be so readily doable.

Sounds sensible but shouldn't you be self insuring anyway in case of claim denied?

[jerrymahoney]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Sounds sensible but shouldn't you be self insuring anyway in case of claim denied?

No.

 

Why the confusion? He asked a question. I answered.

[Sheryl]

13 hours ago, xylophone said:

You are spot on Sheryl, because it is the Cigna Global "Close Care Plan" and looking into it, Cigna has offices worldwide and this particular agent was calling me from the Dubai office, which I've checked, is a bone fide office.

 

So I'm checking it out more carefully and to be honest, what little "pre-existing conditions" I have, I'm not really worried about and they can be excluded from this policy if I should take it out.

 

The fact that there is no age limit for enrolment and the total cover is around 18 million baht for an annual premium which is almost equivalent to the Allianz which I have now, and which has a total cover of 1 million baht, so it seems like a good deal.

 

In addition a friend has informed me of the AIA health insurance cover which I need to look into because that also has some benefits.

I suppose the only thing in favour of staying with the Allianz policy is that any pre-existing conditions I've had since taking out the policy, should be covered going forward, and one other thing is that they have all of my details and it's simply a question of walking into a local office and signing a form, whereas other policies/companies may well involve medicals, extensive form filling, and so on – – so some homework to do on this on my part.

 

Some decisions to be made on my part and I will post my decisions here for the benefit of others.

Make sure the policy falls under UK regs. Check general conditions under disputes.

 

Cigna Global is reliable in terms of pay outs per se  but their admin staff are, shall we say, ditzy and disoganized so you really need a good broker when insured wirh them. My impression is that they keep their premiums low by cutting corners on admin.  Seem to have constsnt overturn of staff and everyone is young and inexperienced. You may also like to ask for a table showing current 0remiums by age group to get an idea of what you'll be paying at 75.

 

I have heard that Cigna discounts initial premium for new enrollees as an incentive (in other words your starting premium may be less than others same age who are already enrolled). I am not clear if that discount carries over year after year or if you get hit with big bump in subsequent years...something else to discuss with broker. 

 

You won't know about exclusions until you complete the application process but I expect in your case they'll exclude all prostate related issues. If your Allianz policy covers this, think carefully. Prostate cancer is common in older men and can be quite costly to treat. 

 

[Sheryl]

A bating post has been removed. 

[xylophone]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

Make sure the policy falls under UK rwgs. Check general conditions under disputes.

 

Cigna Global is reliable in terms of pay outs per se  but their admin staff are, shall we say, ditzy and disoganized so you really need a good broker when insured wirh them. My impression is that they keep their premiums low by cutting corners on admin.  Seem to have constsnt overturn if staff and everyone is young and inexperienced. You may aldo like to adk gor a table showing current oremiums by age group yo get an idea of what you'll be paying at 75.

 

I have heard that Cigna discounts initial premium for new enrollees as an incentive (in other words your starting premium may be less than others same age who are already enrolled). I am not clear if that discount carries over year after year or if you get hit with big bump in subsequent years...something else to fiscuss eith broker. 

 

You won't know about exclusions until you complete the application process but I expect in your case they'll exclude all prostate related issues. If your Alluanz policy covers this, think carefully. Prostate cancer is common in older men and can be quite costly to treat. 

 

Many thanks for your reply Sheryl, and I'm still giving some thought to the Cigna policy, along with the Allianz option, but before I make a final decision I wonder if you or anybody else on the forum can answer something for me, because I don't seem to be able to get a straight answer from my current agent.......... 

 

I have been with Allianz for something like 15 years and have renewed my policy every year over that time, with no gaps or anything similar, so I thought I would be "continuously covered" for any medical condition over those years, BUT during my last year of cover a small bulge was discovered in my aorta during an ECG, which I go back every six months to have checked, and because it was an outpatient procedure and only cost about 5000 baht for everything, obviously I didn't claim, mainly because I only have inpatient cover.

 

Now it's come to me renewing the policy thereby having what I consider to be "continuous cover" am I covered in the event of something happening to the aorta, or is it considered to be something which I have to declare therefore be excluded from ongoing cover?

 

It may sound a simple question, but over the years I have had unbroken health insurance cover with this company, so can they simply refuse to pay out based on one event in un-broken health insurance cover?

 

As regards your point about prostate-related issues, I did notice in the Allianz brochure that once a medical condition had been dealt with and had not re-occurred within a five year period, then it was covered after that?? Anyway if I have to pay for any prostate treatment, then so be it.

 

Any feedback welcomed.
 

[jerrymahoney]

27 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Make sure the policy falls under UK regs. Check general conditions under disputes.

I had a CIGNA Global Policy for 5 years. This is from the Certificate:

 

CERTIFICATE OF INSURANCE
Policyholder
(JM)

Global Health Options
1 Knowe Road
Greenock
Scotland
PA15 4RJ

 

Cigna Life Insurance Company of Europe S.A.-N.V., registered in Belgium with limited liability, Avenue de Cortenbergh 52, 1000 Brussels,
Belgium. Regulated in Belgium by the National Bank of Belgium (La Banque Nationale de Belgique/De Nationale Bank van België) Boulevard
de Berlaimont 14, 1000 Brussels (Belgium) for prudential supervision and the Financial Services and Markets Authority (L’Autorité des
services et marchés financiers/De Autoriteit voor Financiële Diensten en Markten) rue du Congrès 12-14, 1000 Brussels (Belgium) for the
integrity of the financial markets and fair treatment of financial consumers. www.fsma.be.

[Sheryl]

30 minutes ago, xylophone said:

 

I have been with Allianz for something like 15 years and have renewed my policy every year over that time, with no gaps or anything similar, so I thought I would be "continuously covered" for any medical condition over those years, BUT during my last year of cover a small bulge was discovered in my aorta during an ECG, which I go back every six months to have checked, and because it was an outpatient procedure and only cost about 5000 baht for everything, obviously I didn't claim, mainly because I only have inpatient cover.

 

Now it's come to me renewing the policy thereby having what I consider to be "continuous cover" am I covered in the event of something happening to the aorta, or is it considered to be something which I have to declare therefore be excluded from ongoing cover?

 

It may sound a simple question, but over the years I have had unbroken health insurance cover with this company, so can they simply refuse to pay out based on one event in un-broken health insurance cover?

 

As regards your point about prostate-related issues, I did notice in the Allianz brochure that once a medical condition had been dealt with and had not re-occurred within a five year period, then it was covered after that?? Anyway if I have to pay for any prostate treatment, then so be it.

 

Any feedback welcomed.
 

Is this Allianz international policy? Or a policy from Allianz Ayudya? (Thai company).

 

Normally a pre-existing condition is one present prior to issuance of a policy. Not something newly identified after the policy was in effect. 

 

Unless you are asked to complete a medical history at renewal (which would be most unusual) no need to declare this new finding.

 

If/when you need to submit a claim related to aorta they will look at the date of first symptom/detection compared to date policy started.  So should not be an issue with Allianz. But you would need to declare it to any new insurer and would at best  lead to exclusions if not ocomplete denial of coverage.  An aortic aneurysm puts you at risk of catastrophic medical expenses. It is also indicative of an aging cardiovascular system. 

 

Insurance aside you need to see a cardiologist and have more definitive work up of this suspected aortic aneurysm (AA). It is importsnt to know its size and exact location and EKG not sufficient for that. Gold standard for this is CT with contrast.

 

AAs can rupture, a life threatening event. Once exact size and location is known, you need an expert cardioligist's opinion ad to whether to operate on it now to prevent risk of subsequent rupture. 

 

Get to the bottom of this before even condidering a change of insurer. 

[xylophone]

40 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Is this Allianz international policy? Or a policy from Allianz Ayudya? (Thai company).

Thanks again for replying Sheryl and my policy is from Allianz Ayudya and I initially took my health insurance out at the age of 59 with BUPA here, because in doing so I was guaranteed cover up until age 90+ and BUPA was later to become another company before its latest name, as above.

 

Upon renewing the Allianz policy, I simply have to sign a form and arrange for payment from my Thai bank account, so no medical history needed in this case.

 

As regards my bulging aorta, I am under the auspices of the heart doctor at Bangkok Phuket Hospital who has been checking on me every six months since it was discovered, and now thinking about it, it was probably discovered about three years ago?? 

 

The bulge is very slight and the heart doctor doesn't seem to be too worried about it, even suggesting that I might only want to come back once a year for a check on it! But I have suggested I will go back every six months just to make sure and for my own peace of mind. On that point, since it was first discovered the bulge/aneurysm has not increased in size.

 

Although my blood pressure has not been that high, I am on Cardura XL 4 mg mainly because I was already on that medicine for a previous prostate problem, so the doctor suggested I stay on that as it will help lower my blood pressure.

 

He doesn't seem to be too worried about a possible rupture and my next appointment is in early September so I will quiz him more deeply on my situation and possible options.

 

Taking a step back and looking at everything, I will probably continue with Allianz because it's a simple thing to do and the agent here has been very good over the years, dealing with my questions and requests.

 

Once again, thank you for your most informative reply and keep up the good work.

[Sheryl]

13 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Thanks again for replying Sheryl and my policy is from Allianz Ayudya and I initially took my health insurance out at the age of 59 with BUPA here, because in doing so I was guaranteed cover up until age 90+ and BUPA was later to become another company before its latest name, as above.

 

Upon renewing the Allianz policy, I simply have to sign a form and arrange for payment from my Thai bank account, so no medical history needed in this case.

 

As regards my bulging aorta, I am under the auspices of the heart doctor at Bangkok Phuket Hospital who has been checking on me every six months since it was discovered, and now thinking about it, it was probably discovered about three years ago?? 

 

The bulge is very slight and the heart doctor doesn't seem to be too worried about it, even suggesting that I might only want to come back once a year for a check on it! But I have suggested I will go back every six months just to make sure and for my own peace of mind. On that point, since it was first discovered the bulge/aneurysm has not increased in size.

 

Although my blood pressure has not been that high, I am on Cardura XL 4 mg mainly because I was already on that medicine for a previous prostate problem, so the doctor suggested I stay on that as it will help lower my blood pressure.

 

He doesn't seem to be too worried about a possible rupture and my next appointment is in early September so I will quiz him more deeply on my situation and possible options.

 

Taking a step back and looking at everything, I will probably continue with Allianz because it's a simple thing to do and the agent here has been very good over the years, dealing with my questions and requests.

 

Once again, thank you for your most informative reply and keep up the good work.

Have you at any point had a scan or echo to actually measure the size of the aneurysm?

[xylophone]

17 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Have you at any point had a scan or echo to actually measure the size of the aneurysm?

Yes Sheryl.....I have had several echocardiograms to measure its size and it has not altered over the 3 years I have had it. Due another one and bloodwork etc in September.

 

I have just looked out the echocardiogram taken a couple of years back and the summary says, "mild aortic root dilatation (sinus part 4.2 cm)". Stable.

 

PS. I have just found another echocardiographic report dated a year ago and it states: mild aortic root dilatation (sinus part 4.2 cm, ascending aorta 4.3 cm).

[Sheryl]

4 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Yes Sheryl.....I have had several echocardiograms to measure its size and it has not altered over the 3 years I have had it. Due another one and bloodwork etc in September.

 

I have just looked out the echocardiogram taken a couple of years back and the summary says, "mild aortic root dilatation (sinus part 4.2 cm)". Stable.

 

 

 

sounds OK then. Surgery is indicated usually when >5.5 cm. So just keep monitoring as you haverbeen, and keep your blood pressure well controlled (very important)

 

Nonetheless this is a significant pre-exisiting condition  that would concern any insurer so best stay with the policy you have. I'm not sure you could get another policy in any case, and if you did it would likely have broad cardiovascular exclusions.

[xylophone]

Just now, Sheryl said:

 

sounds OK then. Surgery is indicated usually when >5.5 cm. So just keep monitoring as you haverbeen, and keep your blood pressure well controlled (very important)

 

Nonetheless this is a significant pre-exisiting condition  that would concern any insurer so best stay with the policy you have. I'm not sure you could get another policy in any case, and if you did it would likely have broad cardiovascular exclusions.

Many thanks Sheryl, very much appreciated.