HOW DO YOU CHOOSE TRAVEL INSURANCE THAT COVERS COVID-19?

160

In 2020 the covid-19 virus was officially named as a world pandemic. This affects how travel insurance works. If you purchased a policy before it was officially named, you may have some troubles filing a claim that involves covid-19. If you are purchasing a policy now, you should be covered, but you want to double check each section of your policy.

According to Investopedia travel insurance is a policy that covers the costs and losses associated with traveling. There are four different sections of your comprehensive travel insurance that you need to look through. If the policy does not specifically talk about covid-19 coverage, ask questions before committing to it. 

  • Emergency Medical Coverage-If you get sick, or injured, at any time while on your trip this section of the policy will make sure that your costs are covered. This needs to include illnesses related to the prevention, or treatment, of covid-19. Everyone knows that if you get some of the common symptoms of the virus that you are supposed to get evaluated immediately. Long gone are the days when you could chalk it up as a cold or flu and let it run its course. It is best to play it safe these days to ensure that if you do contract it that you get treatment quickly, and that you do not spread it to everyone that you come into contact with.
  • Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage-You may take for granted the fact that if you have a medical emergency, you can make a call, or someone nearby can, and within minutes paramedics and an ambulance will arrive. That is not always the case when you are on vacation. There are areas of the world that do not have medical facilities within easy reach. You may be in an isolated area that is hard to gain access to in a hurry. When you do get to a facility that can treat you, they may refuse to help you, even if you are dying, without a travel insurance policy, or cash up front. This section of your travel insurance must include any instances were covid-19 may be the cause for the emergency evacuation.
  • Trip Interruption Coverage-If you are not able to continue with your trip because you have become sick or injured, you do not want the money that you have paid out to be lost. This section of the coverage will reimburse you for any money that you had paid out for your trip, after the incident that has made you unable to continue. This section must include covid-19 and any instances that could be related to it. 
  • Cancel For Any Reason-Many travel policies will reimburse you the costs associated with a trip if you must cancel. But they may list instances that are considered to be valid reasons for you to cancel, according to your insurer. In these cases, the policy will cover the expenses. If you do not fall under one of there listed reasons, however, you may be out a decent amount of money. This includes covid-19. Before you agree to a contract with an insurance carrier make sure that it is listed as a valid reason. The best thing for you to do would be to find a policy that has no restrictions. A ‘cancel for any reason’ section will ensure that you are covered for any reason, whether it was in your control or not.

Travel insurance today should include coverage due to covid-19 because of the worldwide pandemic status. If in doubt, ask your agent to specify. Companies that do not offer riders and provisions to include instances caused by the coronavirus will soon find themselves struggling to make it in todays world. Never assume that it will be covered though. If it is not mentioned in your policy, ask for it to be added. If the agent refuses, move on to the next insurance carrier.

BUSINESS NEWS DAY