Super visa insurance covers epilepsy when the anti-seizure medication and dose have been unchanged for the insurer’s stability period: 90 days at Secure Travel to 69, 120 days at TuGo and Destination from 60 to 69, and 180 days at Manulife, GMS, Allianz (from 60) and 21st Century Enhanced in October 2026. A seizure in that period that was reported to a doctor is a new symptom and resets the clock, even where the prescription stayed the same.
Epilepsy in a parent over 60 is often secondary to a past stroke or head injury. If so, that cause is a second condition with its own stability test; see stroke and TIA.
What do insurers ask about epilepsy?
Most questionnaires ask whether the parent has a neurological condition or seizures, whether medication changed in the stability period, whether any test or referral is pending, and whether the parent has been hospitalized in the last 12 months. GMS asks at 55 and over about unexplained fainting more than once, which an undiagnosed seizure can resemble.
| Typical question | Why it is asked |
|---|---|
| Diagnosed with epilepsy, seizures or a neurological condition? | Establishes the condition is pre-existing |
| Any medication started, stopped or dose changed in the stability period? | Tests the stability clause |
| Any seizure in the stability period? | A new or recurring symptom breaks stability |
| Any EEG, MRI or neurology referral pending? | A pending investigation is unstable everywhere |
| Fainted or lost consciousness more than once, unexplained? | GMS ineligibility at 55+ |
| Hospitalized in the last 12 months? | Manulife excludes a condition hospitalized more than once, or 2 consecutive days |
A yes to a controlled seizure disorder moves to the stability questions. A yes to unexplained fainting more than once ends the GMS application at 55 and over. A yes to a seizure admission in the last 12 months brings in Manulife’s hospitalization exclusion.
What does stable mean for epilepsy?
Stable means the same anti-seizure drug at the same dose, no seizure reported to a doctor, no emergency visit, no pending test ordered to review treatment, and no referral. A seizure the family managed at home and never reported is harder to assess; if it appears in the records later, the insurer will treat it as a symptom.
| Event in the stability period | Stable? |
|---|---|
| Same anti-seizure drug renewed at the same dose | Yes |
| Switched to an equivalent generic at the same dose | Yes at Manulife, GMS and TuGo |
| Dose increased, decreased or a second drug added | No |
| Seizure reported to a doctor, no medication change | No, new symptom |
| Emergency visit for a seizure | No |
| Routine neurology review, no change | Yes |
| EEG or MRI ordered to review treatment, result pending | No |
| Drug being tapered off under supervision | No |
Allianz requires no new or worsening symptoms and no new diagnosis, as well as an unchanged treatment plan. A supervised taper is a change in frequency and fails that test until it is complete and the period has run again.
Which insurers cover stable epilepsy?
All 8 insurers we compare cover stable epilepsy within their stability periods. None applies an epilepsy-specific exclusion in the wordings we checked. Travelance excludes brain conditions existing in the prior 180 days for applicants 70 to 79, which can catch long-standing epilepsy at that age.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Stability at 65 | Stability at 72 | Rule that matters for epilepsy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 for one unstable condition |
| Destination (Zurich, Canadian Branch) | 120 days | 180 days | Pre-existing excluded 80+ |
| Allianz (CUMIS General Insurance) | 180 days | 180 days | No new symptoms; plan unchanged in type and frequency |
| Manulife CoverMe Plan B (Manufacturers Life) | 180 days | 180 days | 12-month hospitalization exclusion |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 days | 180 days | Unexplained fainting more than once ineligible at 55+ |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 days | 180 days | Questionnaire 55 to 85 |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 days | 180 days | Brain conditions in prior 180 days excluded at 70 to 79 |
Stability periods seen October 2026 — verify in the policy wording. The full age matrix is on the stability periods by insurer page.
What should you document?
Get the neurologist’s most recent letter, the prescription with drug, strength, dose and the date of the last change, the pharmacy record if a generic switch happened, the date of the last seizure reported to a doctor, and the last EEG or MRI report. Add the doctor’s written confirmation that no test or referral is pending.
Keep the completed questionnaire; the THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy before the policy starts. At claim time the insurer compares the home-country file to those answers.
What typically voids a claim?
The common patterns are a seizure in the stability period that was reported to a doctor but not declared, a dose change after it, and a Canadian chart entry of “known poorly controlled epilepsy.” Manulife exclusion 7 denies benefits where the application was not truthful; GMS General Condition 8 denies related claims for non-disclosure.
Any misrepresentation can void the whole policy. TuGo adds a $15,000 deductible to any claim where a questionnaire answer at 60 or over was inaccurate. The claims page explains the records request.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer for epilepsy?
No. A seizure admission, a fall during a seizure and an injury from one all trace to the declared condition, and a no-pre-existing plan excludes each. If a seizure or dose change is too recent, move the start date until the period has run, or use TuGo’s 7-day rider to 79 for that one condition.
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 a test is open, read pending tests and referrals.
Questions people ask
Is epilepsy covered by super visa insurance?
Yes, when stable. Epilepsy on the same anti-seizure drug at the same dose for the stability period, with no seizure needing medical attention, is covered by the insurers we compare. A seizure reported to a doctor, a dose change or an EEG ordered to review treatment resets the clock. Well-controlled epilepsy rarely changes the premium.
My mother had a seizure two months ago but her medication was not changed. Is she stable?
Not at most insurers. A seizure reported to a doctor is a new or recurring symptom, and TuGo's second test is no new symptoms or findings. If the doctor saw her and recorded it, the clock restarts on that date. Secure Travel at 90 days to 69 is the shortest wait.
Does switching to a generic anti-seizure drug count as a change?
At Manulife, GMS and TuGo, switching to an equivalent generic at the same dose is not a change. Some neurologists avoid generic switches for epilepsy and record a reason; if the switch caused a seizure or a dose adjustment, that is a change. Keep the pharmacy record showing the drug and strength.
Is an EEG or MRI booked for routine monitoring a pending test?
A test ordered to decide on a treatment change is pending and makes the condition unstable until the result is in. A routine monitoring test with no change expected is treated as monitoring by most insurers. Ask the neurologist to write down which it is, and keep that note with the questionnaire answers.
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