In a fascinating talk, historian Yuval Noah Harari says we often prefer stories over facts – fiction over truth – because stories feel better and truth is very costly. (Watch here).
While that might serve us well in building stories, it can be a dangerous mindset when applying for health insurance.
In the world of international private medical insurance (IPMI), truth isn’t just a virtue—it’s a necessity. Being honest and complete when disclosing your medical history can be the difference between meaningful coverage and having your policy voided when you need it most.
The Role of Underwriting in Medical Insurance
Underwriting is how insurers assess your health risk before offering you a policy.
There are several methods, but the two most common are:
Full Medical Underwriting (FMU) – You disclose all your past and present health conditions upfront. Based on this, the insurer decides what to cover, exclude, or load with a higher premium.
Moratorium Underwriting – You don’t declare health conditions at application, but any conditions that existed in the last 2–5 years are excluded temporarily (usually for two years). If you have no symptoms, treatment, or advice during that time, coverage may be reinstated. Chronic conditions such as hypertension would never be covered.
What Happens If You’re Not Truthful?
Some applicants might be tempted to omit or downplay a pre-existing condition, especially if it seems minor. But insurance is based on mutual trust – and not telling the whole story can lead to:
Delayed or denied claims
Policy cancellation
Or even voiding the entire contract, sometimes retroactively.
That means you may not only lose your coverage, but also have your condition permanently excluded in future applications.
When Honesty Leads to Coverage
Here’s the good news: being open doesn’t automatically mean rejection.
We’ve successfully helped many clients secure coverage for:
Hypertension
High cholesterol
Type 2 diabetes
…through full medical underwriting – as long as these conditions have been stable for the past 6 to 12 months and meet certain clinical thresholds.
We’ve even managed to help a cancer survivor obtain full cancer coverage via moratorium underwriting after carefully reviewing medical reports and doctors’ letters showing remission and stability.
Every case is different – but truthfulness opens the door to proper review, negotiation, and sometimes surprisingly good outcomes.
Why Is It So Hard to Cover Pre-Existing Conditions?
Health insurance works on shared risk. If insurers had to accept every known and unknown illness, the cost of coverage would become unaffordable for everyone. That’s why most plans exclude known, ongoing, or high-risk conditions – unless carefully reviewed and underwritten upfront.
This protects the long-term sustainability of the insurance pool and ensures fairness for everyone paying into the system.
Final Thoughts
It’s human nature to want to simplify or edit our story. But when it comes to health insurance, truth is the best policy—literally.
If you’re unsure how your medical history might affect your eligibility, we’re here to help. At Brokerfish, we guide our clients through the application and underwriting process with honesty, care, and expertise – so you’re not just covered, you’re confident.