Super visa insurance covers chronic kidney disease when it has been stable 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. Dialysis is different. It is an ineligibility condition, named in the Manulife, GMS and Travelance wordings, so the parent cannot buy the plan.
What do insurers ask about kidney disease?
Insurers ask whether the parent has a kidney condition, whether it requires or has ever required dialysis, whether there has been a transplant, and whether medication or blood results have changed. GMS at 55 and over asks about dialysis and transplant as eligibility questions. Manulife asks about dialysis for any kidney condition.
| Typical question | Why it is asked |
|---|---|
| Diagnosed with a kidney condition or reduced kidney function? | Establishes the condition is pre-existing |
| Ever received dialysis, or advised to start? | Ineligible at Manulife, GMS and Travelance |
| Ever had an organ transplant? | Ineligible at GMS and Travelance |
| Any change to medication or dose in the stability period? | Tests the stability clause |
| Any specialist referral, scan or repeat test pending? | A pending test or referral is unstable at every insurer |
A yes to dialysis ends the application. A yes to a pending nephrology appointment means the condition is excluded until the appointment has happened and no change followed.
What does stable mean for kidney disease?
Stable means the same medication at the same doses, blood results the doctor regards as unchanged, no new symptom such as swelling or reduced urine output, no new restriction on diet or fluids ordered as treatment, and no referral or test pending. A routine creatinine or eGFR check with a result the doctor calls unchanged does not break stability.
| Event in the stability period | Stable? |
|---|---|
| Same blood pressure and kidney medication renewed | Yes |
| Routine eGFR with a result the doctor calls unchanged | Yes |
| eGFR fall the doctor records as a decline | No, deterioration |
| New medication added to protect the kidneys | No |
| Dose of an existing drug adjusted because of kidney function | No at most insurers; GMS and Manulife exempt only specific drug classes |
| Nephrology referral made or pending | No |
| Ultrasound or biopsy ordered | No |
| Dialysis started or planned | Ineligible |
GMS exempts routine adjustments of blood pressure and cholesterol medication from its definition of alteration, but a drug added or changed because of kidney function is not routine. TuGo treats any new finding, including a lab result, as a potential break.
Which insurers cover stable kidney disease?
All 8 insurers we compare cover a stable, non-dialysis kidney condition within their stability periods. Dialysis and transplant are eligibility questions, not stability questions, so no stability period helps.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Stability at 65 | Stability at 72 | Kidney-specific rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secure Travel/RIMI (iA Financial Group; claims by MSH) | 90 days | 180 days | Pre-existing cover to 84; confirm dialysis rule at quote time |
| TuGo (iA Financial Group) | 120 days | 180 days | Ongoing dialysis is ongoing treatment; confirm at quote time |
| 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 | Dialysis ineligible |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 days | 180 days | Past dialysis or transplant ineligible at 55+ |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 days | 180 days | Questionnaire 55 to 85; dialysis ineligible |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 days | 180 days | Dialysis-dependent kidney condition or transplant ineligible per PolicyAdvisor |
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 last two sets of kidney blood results with dates, the nephrologist’s most recent letter, the full prescription list with the date of each change, and the doctor’s written confirmation that no referral or test is pending. If the parent has diabetes or hypertension, document those separately; see diabetes and hypertension.
Keep the completed questionnaire. The THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy of the medical answers before the policy starts. At claim time the insurer will match the home-country file to those answers.
What typically voids a kidney claim?
The common denials are a nephrology referral that was pending on the effective date, a declining eGFR trend that the records show and the questionnaire did not, and an admission for a complication such as fluid overload or a urinary infection that the chart links to known kidney disease. Manulife also excludes any pre-existing condition hospitalized more than once, or for two consecutive days, in the 12 months before the effective date.
Any material misstatement lets the insurer void the whole policy, not only the kidney claim. The claims page explains how the records request works.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer for kidney disease?
Only for a parent on dialysis, who cannot buy anything else, and then only to meet the IRCC paperwork rule. A no-pre-existing plan excludes every kidney claim, and dialysis sessions in Canada are not emergency treatment under any visitor plan. For a parent with stable stage 1 to 3 disease, a plan that covers stable pre-existing conditions is the safer choice.
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 or referral is pending, read pending tests and referrals first.
Questions people ask
Is chronic kidney disease covered by super visa insurance?
Yes, at stage 1 to 3 when stable for the insurer's period, with no change in medication, no worsening blood results and no nephrology referral pending. Stage 4 and 5 are assessed individually and often excluded. Dialysis is an ineligibility, not an exclusion: the parent cannot buy the plan at all.
Can my father get super visa insurance if he is on dialysis?
Not from the 8 insurers we compare. Manulife, GMS and Travelance name dialysis as an ineligibility condition. The others require a stable condition and dialysis is ongoing treatment. A no-pre-existing plan such as 21st Century Basic can be bought, but it excludes every kidney-related claim, and dialysis in Canada is not covered.
My mother's eGFR dropped at her last test. Is she still stable?
A worse result is a deterioration at every insurer, even with no change in medication. TuGo's first test for stability is no deterioration as determined by a physician. If the doctor records the drop as clinically meaningful, or orders a repeat test or a referral, the clock resets.
Does diabetes-related kidney disease count as one condition or two?
Two. Diabetic nephropathy is assessed as a kidney condition with its own stability test, and the diabetes is assessed separately. Both must be stable. If the kidney diagnosis is new, it is unstable until the full stability period has passed with no change in treatment.
Is a kidney transplant covered?
A past transplant makes the parent ineligible at GMS and Travelance per their published eligibility lists. Other insurers may cover a stable transplant on long-term anti-rejection medication, but any dose change breaks stability. Confirm with the insurer at quote time before paying.
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