High cholesterol as a pre-existing condition?

[JontS]

I have elevated cholesterol and take statins to help with this. BP is normal and no issues related to heart disease.

 

Is there a risk that high cholesterol and statin use might give issues with future heart related claims? Does anyone have experience on how insurance companies handle this?

 

Thanks, Jon

[KhunLA]

14 minutes ago, JontS said:

I have elevated cholesterol and take statins to help with this. BP is normal and no issues related to heart disease.

 

Is there a risk that high cholesterol and statin use might give issues with future heart related claims? Does anyone have experience on how insurance companies handle this?

 

Thanks, Jon

I'm in the belief that insurance companies will use any means to not pay out a claim and high cholesterol would be an easy one for them to deny a claim. IMHO

[scubascuba3]

30 minutes ago, JontS said:

I have elevated cholesterol and take statins to help with this. BP is normal and no issues related to heart disease.

 

Is there a risk that high cholesterol and statin use might give issues with future heart related claims? Does anyone have experience on how insurance companies handle this?

 

Thanks, Jon

high cholesterol and statins is a reason to deny the claim, but ask them, no point waiting to see what happens.

 

BTW my brother in law just had a heart attack, had high cholesterol only

[JontS]

Thank you for your input. I would of course mention this before signing up so that everything is agreed upon beforehand.

If anything heart related is not covered I might just go for self insurance and get an accident insurance instead.

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, JontS said:

If anything heart related is not covered I might just go for self insurance and get an accident insurance instead.

That makes sense. The best Personal Accident insurance I've found is Axa, approximately 7k premium for 200k baht, double is available, that's the highest I've found

[brewsterbudgen]

I declared that I was taking statins for cholesterol and medication for mild hypertension and got the medicines listed on the policy (WRLIfe).   I'm assuming, possibly foolishly, that I'm covered!  

[Satcommlee]

Allianz loaded my policy due to prior High Cholestorol

[scubascuba3]

28 minutes ago, Satcommlee said:

Allianz loaded my policy due to prior High Cholestorol

What currency is that? travel insurance?

[DFPhuket]

When I applied for health insurance through a broker four years ago, I disclosed that both my hypertension and cholesterol were well-controlled with medication. Some carriers considered these as pre-existing conditions, meaning any heart-related issues wouldn’t be covered. However, Cigna did not, which is why I chose them. I recommend submitting applications to multiple carriers to see how each one handles your situation before making a decision.

 

It’s frustrating that some insurers penalize you for taking proactive steps to manage your health. I get an annual wellness exam and take medications to prevent future problems, yet some carriers saw this as a red flag. Ironically, if I hadn’t monitored my health, I’d be at a higher risk but potentially more likely to be covered.
 

[Chongalulu]

18 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I declared that I was taking statins for cholesterol and medication for mild hypertension and got the medicines listed on the policy (WRLIfe).   I'm assuming, possibly foolishly, that I'm covered!  

If you've declared all that and they haven't put any special conditions on as a result then you should be ok. It's not declaring stuff that gets you in trouble. Quite often with common medication like yours which actually fixes the condition they don't add a loaded premium 

[brewsterbudgen]

18 minutes ago, Chongalulu said:

If you've declared all that and they haven't put any special conditions on as a result then you should be ok. It's not declaring stuff that gets you in trouble. Quite often with common medication like yours which actually fixes the condition they don't add a loaded premium 

 

That's what I'm hoping.  My broker has assured me I would be covered, but I'm hoping I never have to find out!

[bkk6060]

A reputable broker told me if taking statins for cholesterol any heart related issue will not be covered.

[Tom100]

2 hours ago, DFPhuket said:

When I applied for health insurance through a broker four years ago, I disclosed that both my ...cholesterol were well-controlled with medication. Some carriers considered these as pre-existing conditions, meaning any heart-related issues wouldn’t be covered. However, Cigna did not, which is why I chose them.

I admitted using a statin drug and PACIFIC CROSS increased my insurance premium while also saying I would NOT be covered for any related claims. So I paid a higher premium for less coverage. 

Buyer beware.

 

PS What Bangkok Pharmavies offer good prices for generic lipitor? Big C sells it but the price is higher than back home.

[kimothai]

On 9/19/2024 at 2:16 PM, KhunLA said:

I'm in the belief that insurance companies will use any means to not pay out a claim and high cholesterol would be an easy one for them to deny a claim. IMHO

You're right!  When I applied for Thai Insurance at 74yo (for OA visa) I had to mention medical conditions/operations.  When I received the policy there was so many exclusions that I couldn't hardly think of what I was covered for - Well maybe toenail fungus, never had yet.  So glad not to need that waste of money insurance anymore.

[brewsterbudgen]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

A reputable broker told me if taking statins for cholesterol any heart related issue will not be covered.

 

Yes, I suspect different brokers give different advice on different insurers for different policies for different people!

[J Branche]

5 hours ago, Tom100 said:

PS What Bangkok Pharmavies offer good prices for generic lipitor? Big C sells it but the price is higher than back home.

Ask for Lipostat or Xarator which are Atorvastatin also.  30 tablets I think is around 350 baht depending on if 10mg, 20 mg, etc.

[KhunLA]

8 hours ago, Tom100 said:

I admitted using a statin drug and PACIFIC CROSS increased my insurance premium while also saying I would NOT be covered for any related claims. So I paid a higher premium for less coverage. 

Buyer beware.

 

PS What Bangkok Pharmavies offer good prices for generic lipitor? Big C sells it but the price is higher than back home.

I use to take this Rosuvastatin  from MediSafe (online), 30 tabs would last 2 months as 10mg a day for me.

 

 

[Hummin]

worth reading for those who is not on medication yet

 

Red yeast riceRed yeast rice is white rice that has been fermented with yeast. It's eaten and used as a medicine in China. Some red yeast rice supplements have been shown to lower cholesterol, because they contain monacolin K. This has the same chemical makeup as lovastatin, a cholesterol-lowering medicine.

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/high-cholesterol/natural-cholesterol-reducers

[Luuk Chaai]

On 9/19/2024 at 2:32 PM, scubascuba3 said:

high cholesterol and statins is a reason to deny the claim, but ask them, no point waiting to see what happens.

 

BTW my brother in law just had a heart attack, had high cholesterol only

what caused the heart attack ?   ( it was not from high cholesterol )

do you know the LDL cholesterol is actually part of the bodies mechanism to fight/repaid damaged arteries  due to inflamation ....

so the bigger question could be,   what caused the inflamation ? Insulin resistance ? T -2 diabetes ?

[Luuk Chaai]

14 hours ago, Chongalulu said:

If you've declared all that and they haven't put any special conditions on as a result then you should be ok. It's not declaring stuff that gets you in trouble. Quite often with common medication like yours which actually fixes the condition they don't add a loaded premium 

taking medication ( statins) does not  fix anything.     ,,,    try changing your diet

 

[Luuk Chaai]

 

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, Luuk Chaai said:

what caused the heart attack ?   ( it was not from high cholesterol )

do you know the LDL cholesterol is actually part of the bodies mechanism to fight/repaid damaged arteries  due to inflamation ....

so the bigger question could be,   what caused the inflamation ? Insulin resistance ? T -2 diabetes ?

He's very fit and slim, no diabetes. Only thing they said was high cholesterol, obviously the bad type, borderline needed statins, on them now

[scubascuba3]

15 hours ago, Tom100 said:

I admitted using a statin drug and PACIFIC CROSS increased my insurance premium while also saying I would NOT be covered for any related claims. So I paid a higher premium for less coverage. 

Buyer beware.

but if you hadn't declared it it's a good get out of paying an unrelated claim and cancel your insurance, they love that one, high fives round the office

[The Fugitive]

On 9/20/2024 at 12:48 PM, DFPhuket said:

I disclosed that both my hypertension and cholesterol were well-controlled with medication. Some carriers considered these as pre-existing conditions, meaning any heart-related issues wouldn’t be covered. However, Cigna did not, which is why I chose them.

Can confirm this. I was diagnosed with and treated for hypertension in 1986. No recurrence, hence no medication since. I collapsed with low blood glucose in 2018. Cheaper companies insisted upon excluding both as pre-existing conditions. Cigna Global determined that my hypertension was 'resolved' and, as I wasn't diagnosed as diabetic following the collapse, no exclusions apply for either. 

[Patong2021]

Threads like this bring out the self proclaimed medical experts and insurance litigation experts. Of course none of whom are actually educated or have had matter in dealing with the subject matter. 

 

Taking statins  is not in itself grounds for refusing a  health insurance claim. All policies  have exclusionary language and it typically refers to whether or not a condition is stable. Changing doses, or adding additional medications is usually interpreted as a new or unstable condition. In a worse case scenario, a heart attack itself may be excluded. However, kidney stones,  a brain bleed, a slip and fall  would all continue to be covered.  Older people are more likely to be injured from a slip and fall or motor vehicle incident than they are from a heart attack. 

 

And yes there is a direct proven link between LDL cholesterol and plaque build up in arteries. High LDL cholesterol has a proven direct relationship with negative health outcomes. All the  youtube videos claiming otherwise from miracle cure  salesmen are worthless.

 

It boggles the mind that some people insist that they should be covered for chronic health issues, and they expect it at the equivalent of 200 dollars or Euros a month. A day in an ICU a a decent  Bangkok hospital starts at around 25,000 baht ( 790 USD/700Euro) .   The argument is that the insurers are stealing their money. When you ask them if they feel that strongly about the issue, why they don't self insure, they are offended.

[retarius]

On the contrary, I understand that I don't know everything. I self insure because I don't trust insurance companies, after all they are in business to fleece the customer and rack up the profits. The other thing I know is that I have diabetes, high- cholesterol, high blood pressure and sleep apnea. Given the non-customer oriented goals of the health insurance business, I am not at all convinced that if I have a major crisis like stroke or MI, the insurer will not deny my claim on the basis of prior disease exclusions. 

So I know these things, and I have asked insurance companies through their salespeople if they will cover a major illness given my prior history, the majority of the salespeople say, 'yes, no problem'....the minority say they will have to check. The problem with the yes-men only appears when you ask for them to put this into writing as part of the policy. 

[JontS]

3 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Threads like this bring out the self proclaimed medical experts and insurance litigation experts. Of course none of whom are actually educated or have had matter in dealing with the subject matter. 

 

Taking statins  is not in itself grounds for refusing a  health insurance claim.

 

Agree, there is so much bs on forums like this, it was however not my intention to bring out the internet experts 🙂. Taking statins or having high cholesterol is not a disease on its own. And btw I do have a masters degree in pharmaceutical sciences.

It looks like Cigna might have a sensible approach to this, I will look into that when I arrive in about 6 months.

[scubascuba3]

31 minutes ago, JontS said:

 

Agree, there is so much bs on forums like this, it was however not my intention to bring out the internet experts 🙂. Taking statins or having high cholesterol is not a disease on its own. And btw I do have a masters degree in pharmaceutical sciences.

It looks like Cigna might have a sensible approach to this, I will look into that when I arrive in about 6 months.

You're the one who asked for advice, next time don't bother

[Regyai]

Surely you declare the pre-existing condition(s), they run it by their systems/underwriters & you get the additional premium to INCLUDE these conditions into the policy's cover

[JontS]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

You're the one who asked for advice, next time don't bother

Now that's a completely different advice 😁

I was not referring to this thread, but more in general. I'm quite happy with the advice I've gotten here, including yours.