Super visa insurance covers COPD and asthma when the condition has been stable for the insurer’s stability period before the effective date. In October 2026 that was 90 days at Secure Travel to age 69, 120 days at TuGo and Destination from 60 to 69, and 180 days at Manulife, GMS, Allianz (from 60) and 21st Century Enhanced. Home oxygen in the last 12 months makes the parent ineligible at Manulife and GMS.
The questionnaire error is usually a prednisone or antibiotic course that the family treated as a cold.
What do insurers ask about COPD and asthma?
Insurers ask whether the parent has been diagnosed with a lung condition, whether it has needed oral steroids, oxygen or a hospital visit, and whether the medication has changed. Manulife and 21st Century ask specifically about Prednisone and oxygen in the last 180 days. GMS asks about home oxygen and oral steroids for a lung condition at 55 and over.
| Typical question | Why it is asked |
|---|---|
| Diagnosed with COPD, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or asthma? | Establishes the condition is pre-existing |
| Used home oxygen in the last 12 months? | Ineligible at Manulife and GMS |
| Taken Prednisone or another oral steroid for a lung condition? | Manulife excludes a lung condition needing oxygen or Prednisone in the 180 days before the effective date |
| Any change to inhalers or dose in the stability period? | Tests the stability clause |
| Hospital or emergency visit for breathing in the last 12 months? | Manulife excludes a condition hospitalized more than once, or for 2 consecutive days, in 12 months |
A yes to oxygen is usually a decline. A yes to a steroid course is an exclusion until the stability period has run again.
What does stable mean for a lung condition?
Stable means the same inhalers at the same doses for the whole period, no flare-up needing oral steroids or antibiotics, no emergency visit, no oxygen and no pending spirometry or chest imaging that could change treatment. A rescue inhaler used as prescribed does not break stability. Needing it more often does, because that is a new or worsening symptom.
| Event in the stability period | Stable? |
|---|---|
| Same maintenance inhaler renewed at the same dose | Yes |
| Rescue inhaler used within the prescribed range | Yes at most insurers |
| Rescue inhaler used more often than before | No, worsening symptom |
| Maintenance inhaler stepped up or a second inhaler added | No |
| Switched to an equivalent generic at the same dose | Yes at Manulife, GMS and TuGo |
| Oral steroid or antibiotic course for a flare-up | No |
| Home oxygen started or used | No, and usually ineligible |
| Spirometry or CT ordered, result pending | No |
| Routine check-up with no change | Yes |
TuGo treats “no new symptoms or findings” and “no change in treatment by a physician” as two of its four tests. A flare-up fails both. The clock restarts on the last day of the steroid course.
Which insurers cover stable COPD and asthma?
All 8 insurers we compare cover a stable lung condition within their stability periods, provided the parent is not on home oxygen. Travelance excludes lung conditions that existed in the prior 180 days for applicants 70 to 79, which in practice excludes long-standing COPD at that age.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Stability at 65 | Stability at 72 | Lung-specific rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Travel/RIMI (iA Financial Group; claims by MSH) | 90 days | 180 days | Pre-existing cover to 84 |
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | 120 days | 180 days | 7-day rider to 79 |
| Destination (Zurich, Canadian Branch) | 120 days | 180 days | Pre-existing excluded 80+ |
| Allianz (CUMIS General Insurance) | 180 days | 180 days | Must be in good health at purchase |
| Manulife CoverMe Plan B (Manufacturers Life) | 180 days | 180 days | Oxygen or Prednisone in 180 days excluded; home oxygen in 12 months ineligible |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 days | 180 days | Home oxygen or oral steroids for a lung condition ineligible at 55+ |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 days | 180 days | Questionnaire 55 to 85 |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 days | 180 days | Lung conditions in prior 180 days excluded at 70 to 79 per PolicyAdvisor |
Stability periods seen October 2026 — verify in the policy wording. The full matrix is on the stability periods by insurer page.
What should you document?
Get the inhaler list with drug name, strength, dose and the date each was started or last changed. Add the date of the last oral steroid or antibiotic course, the last spirometry result, and the date of any emergency visit. Add the doctor’s letter confirming no change in the stability period and no advice against travel.
Keep the completed answers; the THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy. At claim time the insurer requests the home-country records and the Canadian hospital chart and compares both to the answers. The claims page explains the sequence.
What typically voids a lung claim?
The common denials are an undisclosed prednisone course, an undisclosed emergency visit, oxygen use that was not declared, and a hospital chart that records “known COPD, poorly controlled” when the questionnaire said stable. Manulife’s exclusion 7 denies benefits where the application was not truthful and accurate. GMS’s General Condition 8 denies related claims for any material misrepresentation.
Any misrepresentation can void the whole policy, not only the lung claim. TuGo adds a $15,000 deductible to any claim where a questionnaire answer at 60 or over was wrong.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer for COPD?
No. 21st Century Basic and Manulife Plan A ask no questions but exclude every pre-existing condition, and a COPD parent’s likeliest claim is respiratory. The $96,311 Hamilton case was a respiratory admission under a no-questionnaire plan, denied for a condition found in the records.
The parent’s doctor and the insurer’s policy wording decide whether the condition is stable; this page describes insurer rules, not medical advice. SuperVisaDirect’s advisor can run the questionnaire with the parent on the line by callback, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm ET. If sleep apnea or a heart condition sits alongside, see sleep apnea and heart conditions.
Questions people ask
Is COPD covered by super visa insurance?
Yes, if it has been stable for the insurer's stability period and the parent does not use home oxygen. Stable means the same inhalers at the same doses, no flare-up treated with prednisone or antibiotics, no emergency visit and no pending lung test. Home oxygen in the last 12 months makes the parent ineligible at Manulife and GMS.
Does a prednisone course for a flare-up make asthma unstable?
Yes, at every insurer we compare. A short oral steroid course is a new treatment and resets the stability clock from its last day. Manulife and 21st Century also exclude any lung condition that required Prednisone in the 180 days before the effective date, whatever the stability status. Wait out the period or expect an exclusion.
My mother's inhaler was switched to a different brand. Is that a change?
A switch to an equivalent generic at the same dose is not a change at Manulife, GMS or TuGo. A switch to a different drug class, a combination inhaler or a higher-strength inhaler is a change at all of them. Ask the doctor to write down whether the new inhaler contains the same drug at the same dose.
Can my father fly with COPD and still be insured?
The insurer does not assess fitness to fly; the doctor does. If a doctor has advised against travel, most policies exclude claims from that condition and some void the policy. Get the doctor's written confirmation that travel is not contraindicated and keep it with the questionnaire answers.
Is a plan with no pre-existing coverage safer for COPD?
No. A no-questionnaire plan such as 21st Century Basic or Manulife Plan A excludes every pre-existing condition, and COPD claims are mostly respiratory admissions. The $96,311 Hamilton case was a respiratory admission denied under a no-questionnaire plan. Buy a plan that covers stable COPD and answer the questionnaire from the file.
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