Can You Get Travel Insurance If You’re Waiting for Test Results? What Canadians Need to Know

What Canadians Need to Know About Emergency Travel Medical Insurance

If you are a Canadian planning to travel outside the country and you are waiting for medical tests, follow-up investigations, or test results, you are not alone. This is one of the most common situations we see when people reach out with questions about travel insurance.

It is also one of the most misunderstood.

Many travellers assume that if their doctor has said it is safe to travel, or if their condition feels stable, then travel insurance will respond if something happens. Unfortunately, that assumption can lead to uncovered claims and very expensive surprises.

This article explains, in plain English, how emergency travel medical insurance generally treats pending medical testing or unresolved results, and what you should understand before you leave Canada.

Why pending tests matter for travel insurance

Emergency travel medical insurance is designed to cover sudden and unexpected medical emergencies. To determine whether something is unexpected, insurers rely heavily on the concept of medical stability.

Across Canadian travel insurance policies, stability usually means that a condition:

• Has not required further investigation
• Has not required additional testing
• Has not required a change in treatment or medication
• Has not shown signs that further care may be needed

When testing is pending, even if it is described as routine, insurers generally view the condition as unresolved.

From an insurance perspective, a condition that is still being investigated is not fully understood, and therefore not fully predictable.

Common examples of pending testing

Pending testing can include many situations, such as:

• Waiting for the results of a CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound
• Follow-up cancer surveillance or monitoring scans, particularly where results could reasonably lead to further investigation or treatment
• A scheduled biopsy or specialist referral
• Cardiac testing such as Holter monitoring, stress tests, or echocardiograms
• A planned procedure, such as a cardiac ablation
• Blood work ordered to investigate new or changing symptoms

Routine follow-up testing does not automatically disqualify someone from travel coverage. However, insurers assess risk based on whether a condition has been fully evaluated and resolved, or whether testing is being done to investigate uncertainty, progression, recurrence, or symptoms.

Even if you feel well and your doctor is not concerned, insurers rely on this distinction when determining how coverage would apply.

Can you still buy travel insurance if tests are pending?

In many cases, yes, a travel medical policy may still be issued.

However, this is where confusion often arises.

Being able to buy a policy does not automatically mean that everything will be covered.

When tests or results are pending, insurers commonly:

• Issue the policy
• Exclude claims related to the condition under investigation
• Cover only unrelated medical emergencies

Whether a policy is issued, and on what terms, depends on factors such as age, medical history, and the insurer’s underwriting rules. This is where speaking with a licensed advisor becomes especially important.

What coverage usually looks like while results are pending

If you travel before testing is completed and results are reviewed, coverage often works like this:

• A travel medical policy may still be in force
• Emergency claims unrelated to the pending condition may be covered
• Claims connected to the condition being investigated or monitored due to uncertainty are commonly excluded

For example:

• If you are waiting for cardiac test results or a planned heart procedure, heart-related emergencies are often excluded
• If you are undergoing cancer follow-up testing to investigate possible progression, recurrence, or symptoms, cancer-related complications may be excluded until results are known
• Accidents or completely new, unrelated illnesses may still be covered

Routine surveillance alone does not automatically limit coverage. The key factor is whether testing is being done to resolve uncertainty or assess the need for further treatment.

This distinction matters because many serious medical emergencies while travelling are connected, directly or indirectly, to existing medical conditions.

“My doctor says I’m fine to travel”. Why that is not the same thing

This is one of the most common and understandable misconceptions.

A physician’s role is to assess whether it is medically reasonable for you to travel. An insurer’s role is to decide whether they are willing to financially assume the risk of a claim.

Doctors are not insurance underwriters, and insurers are not medical providers.

It is entirely possible for:

• Your doctor to say you can travel safely
• Your travel insurance policy to still exclude coverage related to that condition

Both can be true at the same time.

“The test is routine”. Does that change anything?

Sometimes, but often not in the way people expect.

From an insurance standpoint, the key question is why the test is being done. Truly routine surveillance, with no new symptoms and no expectation of treatment changes, does not automatically make a condition unstable.

However, if testing is being done to investigate uncertainty, possible progression, recurrence, or new symptoms, insurers generally treat the condition as unresolved until results are reviewed.

Even when a test is expected to be normal, insurers typically rely on confirmation rather than expectation when determining whether a condition is considered stable.

Pending tests versus pending results

Another subtle but important distinction is the difference between:

• Waiting to have a test, and
• Waiting for the results of a completed test

In most cases, insurers treat both situations the same way.

Until results are received and reviewed, and no further action is required, the stability clock has not truly started.

Stability periods and why timing matters

Most travel medical policies require a condition to be stable for a specific period of time before coverage applies. This period can vary by age and insurer.

Importantly:

• The stability period often starts after testing and follow-up are complete
• Not before the test was ordered

This is why someone can feel well, have normal results, and still need to wait before full coverage becomes available.

Medical questionnaires do not override stability rules

Some travellers assume that if they accurately complete a medical questionnaire and the policy is issued, they are covered for everything they disclosed.

This is not how travel insurance works.

Medical questionnaires are primarily used to:

• Determine eligibility
• Price the policy

Claims are still assessed using the policy’s definitions of stability and exclusions at the time of travel.

Accurate disclosure is essential, but it does not change how pending testing is treated.

Will insurers review medical records?

Yes, they may.

If a claim is submitted, insurers can and often do request medical records to understand:

• What testing was pending
• What results were known at the time of travel
• Whether further investigation or treatment was anticipated

This is standard practice and another reason transparency and proper planning matter.

When coverage may become broader

If you travel after:

• All testing is completed
• Results are reviewed
• No new symptoms are present
• No medication or treatment changes are required

Then coverage options may improve once the required stability period is satisfied.

This is where timing decisions can make a meaningful difference.

Why speaking with a licensed advisor matters

Situations involving pending medical testing are rarely straightforward. Small details can significantly affect eligibility, coverage, and how a policy would respond if a claim arises.

A licensed advisor can:

• Help you understand what may and may not be covered based on your specific circumstances
• Assess whether a travel medical policy is likely to be issued, and under what limitations
• Explain realistic expectations before you book or depart
• Help you avoid a false sense of security while travelling outside Canada

At Garrett Agencies, we regularly help Canadians navigate these situations. If you are considering travel while waiting for medical tests or results, contact us to speak with a licensed advisor who can review your situation, explain your options, and help you make an informed decision before you travel.