That’s nice but…
Let’s distinguish stability for a doctor from stability for an insurance company. 

Once the right treatment has been determined for a patient, a doctor could conclude that this person is “stable”. There is no specific time frame to come to this conclusion. Some doctors will even charge their patients while they prepare a letter confirming that they can travel! But unfortunately, this recommandation or piece of paper are of no use to the insurance company. (The recommandation to REFRAIN FROM travelling, however, is very important!)

What you must understand is that the doctor’s definition of “stability” differs from the insurance company’s definition.

An insurer must have a standardized definition of “stable and under control” since he does not have access to each client’s complete medical file when selling a policy. It is impossible for us to individualize stability. When buying Tour+Med, some applicants of 60 years old or more will be required to answer a medical questionnaire, which allows us to adapt the product so it meets their needs as much as possible.

The definition of “Stable and Controlled” or “Stability” may vary from one insurance company to the next, and so could their stability period. Here is our definition, which has several components:

Stable and Controlled means any Medical Condition (other than a Minor Ailment) for which all the following statements are true :

1. There has not been a new diagnosis, any new Treatment prescribed or recommended, or change(s) to existing Treatment (including a stoppage in Treatment), and
2. There has not been any change to any existing prescribed Medication (including an increase, decrease, or stoppage to prescribed dosage), or any recommendation or starting of a new prescription Medication (Exceptions the routine adjustment of Coumadin, Warfarin or insulin and the change from a brand name Medication to a generic brand Medication of the same dosage); and
3. There has not been any new, more frequent, or more severe Symptoms, and
4. There has not been any Hospitalization or referral to a specialist, and
5. There has not been any medical exam, investigative testing or test results showing deterioration; and
6. There has not been any Treatment recommended, planned, or not yet completed, nor any outstanding test results.

All of the above conditions must be met for a Medical Condition to be considered Stable and Controlled. »

(Terms written in italics have the meaning presented in the section Definition of the policy wording. In case of differences between the definition above and the one in the policy wording, the latter prevails.)

And here is the period of time during which your pre-existing medical conditions must have been Stable and Controlled prior to your departure to be covered while on your trip: 

• Persons 3 months to 69 years old: 3 months
• Persons 70 or older: 6 months

(Exception: high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, or cholesterol require only 2 months of stability before the departure date.)

In conclusion, even if a doctor says you’re OK to travel, it does not mean you meet all of the conditions from our definition of stability.

The insurance contract is established between a client and an insurance company. The policy is therefore subject to the clauses presented in that insurance company’s policy wording. Your doctor’s opinion matters, but could differ from our definition. (You must not neglect your doctor’s recommendation to AVOID traveling though, as this is an eligibility condition!)