General Health Insurance Hypertension

[SoFarAndNear]

Hi,

I am in the middle of a general health application with "Muang Thai Life Insurance". I have slight hypertension, readings are always around 155/95. After many weeks the Insurance decided I have to pay around 10% more but also exclude any blood pressure related benefits.

Is this normal? Why I have to pay more even if they exclude any blood pressure related illness anyway?

Cheers,

[Sheryl]

Hypertension raises your risk of mortality from many, many causes.

You need to find out clearly what they define as a "blood pressure related benefit" because if they have excluded death from stroke, heart disease or kidney disease (as they probably have) your policy isn't worth much - even in people with normal blood pressure, stroke and heart attack are leading causes of natural death.

Likewise if they do not specify which causes of death are excluded, the policy is almost worthless because they can then decide after the fact that hypertension was a risk factor in whatever you died of.

BTW consistent readings of 155/95 is not so "slight" and you really do need to get your BP under better control.

[SoFarAndNear]

Thx Sheryl.

I already had a discussion with the insurance agent. I told her that under she has to negotiate a better deal for me. Right now it would cost me something around 45k per year with exclusion of "kidney, heart disease". In this case, the insurance would make not much sense. I am 30 years old and never had any health problems. In fact I knew about my high blood pressure just because my health checkup for the insurance.

My high blood is probably a result of a pretty weight increase after coming to Thailand a few years ago. I was on around 122kilo but lost around 30kilos in the last 14 months.

[Sheryl]

The company is being unreasonable. In addition, health insurance products sold by life insurance companies are seldom worthwhile.

I suggest you stick with companies that specialize in health insurance. Try BUPA Thailand or else an international company. In my experience the international expat policies are much more reasonable/sophisticated in how they handle pre-existing conditions. However, you will do better if you can say your hypertension is well controlled, which currently it is not. A person with uncontrolled hypertension is indeed a high risk and this is going ot be a barrier to insurance with anyone.

I got an international policy with no exclusions despite a history if hypertension and being on meds for it -- but, my hypertension was well controlled and my BP on meds normal.