Does pre-existing mental illness affect eligibility for hospitalisation insurance?

There will be no loading for hospitalization plans. There will be exclusions and in the worst case, outright declined.

Mental illness is a condition where the underwriting is strict, even more so if it was a severe case. There is no harm trying to apply, but I would manage expectations and do expect lengthy back and forth between the insurers on medical requirements.

Generally yes. There is a specific question in the application pertaining to mental illness, depression & epilepsy etc.

It would affect her likelihood of getting covered, especially since H&S is so strict with the underwriting process. Whether she is offered or not really depends on the insurer. The reason being, it is difficult to ascertain whether the injury/ illness cause was due to self harm.

However, if the condition has been discharged over a couple of years without any relapses or recurrence, your chances of getting accepted would probably increase. I know of someone who was depressed during his NS days but was eventually cleared by psychological wellness centre later on. The process took quite abit of back and forth though.