Super visa insurance covers a parent who has had a stent or bypass when the underlying heart condition 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. Manulife and 21st Century also exclude any heart condition that needed nitroglycerin in the 180 days before the effective date.
The procedure is history. What the insurer tests is the coronary artery disease that caused it, and whether anything about it changed in the stability window.
What do insurers ask about a stent or bypass?
Insurers ask whether the parent has had a heart attack, angioplasty, stent or bypass, when, what medication followed, whether nitroglycerin has been used, and whether any cardiac test is pending. GMS asks at 55 and over about expected or pending treatment or tests for heart disease, and about a surgically untreated aneurysm.
| Typical question | Why it is asked |
|---|---|
| Ever had a heart attack, stent, angioplasty or bypass? | Establishes coronary artery disease as pre-existing |
| Used nitroglycerin in the last 180 days? | Excluded at Manulife and 21st Century |
| Any heart test or treatment pending or expected? | GMS ineligibility at 55+; unstable everywhere |
| Any change to heart medication in the stability period? | Tests the stability clause |
| Taking heart medication and insulin? | Combined, a GMS ineligibility at 55+ |
| Hospitalized for the heart in the last 12 months? | Manulife excludes a condition hospitalized more than once, or 2 consecutive days |
A yes to nitroglycerin use is an exclusion of the heart condition at Manulife and 21st Century for 180 days from last use. A yes to a pending stress test or angiogram is an exclusion everywhere until the test is done and no change follows.
What does stable mean after a stent or bypass?
Stable means the same antiplatelet, statin, beta blocker and blood pressure drugs at the same doses, no chest pain or breathlessness, no nitroglycerin use, no emergency visit and no pending test. Cardiac rehabilitation that has finished is fine. A follow-up angiogram that has been ordered is not.
| Event in the stability period | Stable? |
|---|---|
| Same post-stent medication renewed at the same doses | Yes |
| Antiplatelet stopped on schedule by the cardiologist | No at most insurers; confirm at quote time |
| Beta blocker or statin dose changed | No, except GMS for routine cholesterol adjustments |
| Nitroglycerin used for chest pain | No, and a 180-day exclusion at Manulife and 21st Century |
| Stress test or angiogram ordered, result pending | No |
| Routine cardiology follow-up with no change | Yes |
| Second stent or further bypass recommended | No |
TuGo tests “no change in treatment by a physician” and “no new treatment received, prescribed or recommended.” A planned stopping of dual antiplatelet therapy at 12 months is a change in treatment. Ask the insurer in writing how it treats a scheduled stop before buying.
Which insurers cover a stable stent or bypass?
All 8 insurers we compare cover stable coronary artery disease after a stent or bypass within their stability periods, subject to the heart-specific screens. Travelance excludes heart conditions existing in the prior 180 days for applicants 70 to 79, which excludes a long-standing stent at that age.
| Insurer (underwriter) | Stability at 65 | Stability at 72 | Heart-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 for one unstable condition |
| Destination (Zurich, Canadian Branch) | 120 days | 180 days | Pre-existing excluded 80+ |
| Allianz (CUMIS General Insurance) | 180 days | 180 days | Not awaiting referral, surgery or test results |
| Manulife CoverMe Plan B (Manufacturers Life) | 180 days | 180 days | Nitroglycerin in 180 days excluded |
| GMS (Group Medical Services) | 180 days | 180 days | Pending heart tests, untreated aneurysm or valve replacement ineligible at 55+ |
| 21st Century Enhanced (Manulife) | 180 days | 180 days | Questionnaire 55 to 85; nitroglycerin rule as Manulife |
| Travelance Premier (Old Republic) | 180 days | 180 days | Heart conditions in prior 180 days excluded at 70 to 79 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 discharge summary from the stent or bypass admission, the most recent cardiology letter, the last stress test or echocardiogram report, the prescription list with the date each drug started or last changed, and the date nitroglycerin was last used. Add the doctor’s written confirmation that no test or procedure is pending.
Keep the completed questionnaire; the THIA Bill of Rights entitles the buyer to a copy before the policy starts. The claims page explains the records request.
What typically voids a cardiac claim?
The common denials are nitroglycerin use the family did not report, a medication change inside the stability period, a stress test that was pending on the effective date, and a chart entry of “known CAD, recent angina.” GMS General Condition 8 denies related claims for any material misrepresentation; Manulife exclusion 7 denies benefits where the application was not truthful.
A wrong answer can void the whole policy. TuGo adds a $15,000 deductible to any claim where a questionnaire answer at 60 or over was inaccurate.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer after a stent?
No. Every likely cardiac admission traces to the known disease, and a no-pre-existing plan excludes it. If the parent’s surgery or last medication change is too recent, move the start date until the period has run, or use TuGo’s 7-day rider to 79. See recent surgery for the post-operative clock.
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.
Questions people ask
Is a past stent covered by super visa insurance?
Yes, if the coronary artery disease behind it has been stable for the insurer's stability period: same medication, no chest pain, no nitroglycerin use and no pending cardiology test. The stent itself is a past procedure. What is tested is whether anything changed in the 90 to 180 days before the effective date.
My father had bypass surgery eight months ago. Can he be covered?
At most insurers, yes, if his medication has not changed in the last 180 days and he has had no angina or new test. The clock runs from the last change after surgery, not from the surgery. Travelance counts coronary artery disease toward its two-condition screen, and GMS declines pending or expected heart tests at 55 and over.
Does carrying a nitroglycerin spray break stability?
Carrying it does not; using it does. Manulife and 21st Century exclude any heart condition that required nitroglycerin in the 180 days before the effective date. Using the spray is also a symptom, which breaks stability at every insurer. Ask the doctor to record the date of last use.
Does a statin dose change after a stent matter?
At GMS a routine cholesterol medication adjustment is excluded from the definition of alteration. At most other insurers a dose change is a change, and the clock resets. Because the statin was prescribed for the heart condition, the insurer links the two at claim time. See the high cholesterol page.
Is a no-pre-existing plan safer after a stent?
No. A heart attack, a blocked stent or heart failure all trace to known coronary artery disease, and a no-pre-existing plan excludes every one of them. A plan covering stable pre-existing conditions, bought after the stability period has run, is the only version that pays for a cardiac admission.
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