Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
This article is from Australia but it likely applies to the insurance industry in other countries as well. The moral of the story is check coverage with your insurer before you hit the road! You may have to prove that you did everything possible (including wearing a mask) to get reimbursed for health expenses!!!
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/business...1243708407950.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Feverish claims
By John Kavanagh
June 3, 2009
The flu scare makes it even more important to check your travel insurance.
Travellers have been getting mixed messages about where they stand when it comes to making claims on travel insurance policies if they get sick with swine flu or travel to Mexico.
The feedback from most insurers is they do not apply blanket exclusion policies in these circumstances and, while there are situations where they will reject claims, they are prepared to consider each case on its merits.
As reported cases of swine flu increased sharply last week, one newspaper ran a story that two big Australian insurers would exclude cover for medical costs and other travel expenses if policy holders got sick with swine flu overseas.
This was denied by the insurers named. The result has been a serious outbreak of confusion.
A spokesperson for insurer CGU, Iwona Polski, says if a pandemic or epidemic is "actual or likely", a policy exclusion would arise and a policyholder who became sick in an affected destination, such as Mexico, might have a claim rejected.
Travellers who became sick in other countries would still be covered. Travel insurance policies usually do not cover medical expenses incurred in Australia.
In determining whether such a situation has arisen, CGU, like other insurers, looks at notices issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and media coverage.
The company has no strict rule about when it will impose an exclusion.
The company will look at when the travel cover was purchased, where the person is going and what level of warnings were current at the time the travel arrangements were made.
DFAT issued a warning on April 28 to reconsider travel to Mexico, so it would be reasonable to assume that anyone who booked travel to Mexico after that date would not be covered for swine flu.
But Polski says this is not necessarily the case. "We would look at what precautions the customer took while they were there. For example, they would need to give us evidence that they wore a face mask and that they stayed away from hospitals and other places where they could expect to come into contact with sick people."
If the travel to Mexico was booked before the DFAT warning, the traveller would be covered if they became sick and would be covered for any additional costs incurred in changing travel arrangements if they decided to delay their trip or travel somewhere else.
Polski says an exclusion applies to only one aspect of a policy. Coverage for loss of luggage, theft, accident and other illness would still apply. She recommends people contact their insurance companies because policy conditions vary.
A spokesperson for NRMA, Trish Shadforth, says if a policy holder went to Mexico and could demonstrate that adequate precautions had been taken, cover would apply even if the travel was after the DFAT warning.
If travel bookings are made for travel to a destination that is subsequently subject to a travel warning, NRMA will cover costs for rescheduling.
A spokesman for Zurich, Rob White, says once DFAT or WHO has issued a warning about a country or declared the country is affected by a pandemic or epidemic, policy holders who subsequently make arrangements to travel to that country would not be covered for illness.
Polski says CGU will give assistance to policy holders whose travel is disrupted or delayed by the effects of an epidemic. In Queensland last week travellers on a P&O cruise ship were quarantined. In such a situation the insurer would cover any additional costs involved in making new travel connections. And in cases where the cruise line operator or the Government did not cover accommodation costs while the travellers were held in quarantine, CGU would cover those charges.
CoverMore Travel Insurance, a large online insurer, says it will cover claims for emergency overseas medical expenses for policyholders who get sick with swine flu anywhere but Mexico. Its policies do not cover medical expenses incurred in Australia.
CoverMore will cover costs involved in changing travel arrangements if travel to Mexico was booked before the DFAT warning but not for policies issued after that date.
All insurers recommend travellers refer to the Government website smartraveller.gov.au.
Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/business...1243708407950.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
Feverish claims
By John Kavanagh
June 3, 2009
The flu scare makes it even more important to check your travel insurance.
Travellers have been getting mixed messages about where they stand when it comes to making claims on travel insurance policies if they get sick with swine flu or travel to Mexico.
The feedback from most insurers is they do not apply blanket exclusion policies in these circumstances and, while there are situations where they will reject claims, they are prepared to consider each case on its merits.
As reported cases of swine flu increased sharply last week, one newspaper ran a story that two big Australian insurers would exclude cover for medical costs and other travel expenses if policy holders got sick with swine flu overseas.
This was denied by the insurers named. The result has been a serious outbreak of confusion.
A spokesperson for insurer CGU, Iwona Polski, says if a pandemic or epidemic is "actual or likely", a policy exclusion would arise and a policyholder who became sick in an affected destination, such as Mexico, might have a claim rejected.
Travellers who became sick in other countries would still be covered. Travel insurance policies usually do not cover medical expenses incurred in Australia.
In determining whether such a situation has arisen, CGU, like other insurers, looks at notices issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and media coverage.
The company has no strict rule about when it will impose an exclusion.
The company will look at when the travel cover was purchased, where the person is going and what level of warnings were current at the time the travel arrangements were made.
DFAT issued a warning on April 28 to reconsider travel to Mexico, so it would be reasonable to assume that anyone who booked travel to Mexico after that date would not be covered for swine flu.
But Polski says this is not necessarily the case. "We would look at what precautions the customer took while they were there. For example, they would need to give us evidence that they wore a face mask and that they stayed away from hospitals and other places where they could expect to come into contact with sick people."
If the travel to Mexico was booked before the DFAT warning, the traveller would be covered if they became sick and would be covered for any additional costs incurred in changing travel arrangements if they decided to delay their trip or travel somewhere else.
Polski says an exclusion applies to only one aspect of a policy. Coverage for loss of luggage, theft, accident and other illness would still apply. She recommends people contact their insurance companies because policy conditions vary.
A spokesperson for NRMA, Trish Shadforth, says if a policy holder went to Mexico and could demonstrate that adequate precautions had been taken, cover would apply even if the travel was after the DFAT warning.
If travel bookings are made for travel to a destination that is subsequently subject to a travel warning, NRMA will cover costs for rescheduling.
A spokesman for Zurich, Rob White, says once DFAT or WHO has issued a warning about a country or declared the country is affected by a pandemic or epidemic, policy holders who subsequently make arrangements to travel to that country would not be covered for illness.
Polski says CGU will give assistance to policy holders whose travel is disrupted or delayed by the effects of an epidemic. In Queensland last week travellers on a P&O cruise ship were quarantined. In such a situation the insurer would cover any additional costs involved in making new travel connections. And in cases where the cruise line operator or the Government did not cover accommodation costs while the travellers were held in quarantine, CGU would cover those charges.
CoverMore Travel Insurance, a large online insurer, says it will cover claims for emergency overseas medical expenses for policyholders who get sick with swine flu anywhere but Mexico. Its policies do not cover medical expenses incurred in Australia.
CoverMore will cover costs involved in changing travel arrangements if travel to Mexico was booked before the DFAT warning but not for policies issued after that date.
All insurers recommend travellers refer to the Government website smartraveller.gov.au.