travel insurance: what to look
for
Travel insurance is often taken for granted these days - after
all, it is often given away with motor or household insurance and
is usually an expected benefit in any remuneration package.
However, for the traveller, whether for business or pleasure, it is
important to have the right travel insurance policy. It is not a
case of one size fits all.
Checking the small print on insurance policies is hardly
entertaining bedtime reading, although it probably will send you to
sleep. Unfortunately however, finding out how good your travel
insurance is, should not be left until you need it.
Below are highlights of some of the key issues to look for.
medical expenses cover
One of the essential component parts of any travel insurance
policy is medical expenses cover. This covers the cost of your
medical treatment in the event of accident or illness whilst
abroad. When treatment is necessary in somewhere like the USA, the
cost will be significant. Relatively straightforward procedures
there will run into tens of thousands of dollars. More complex
procedures, like heart bypass surgery, will run into hundreds of
thousands of dollars.
Travel insurers will decline to cover anyone whose treatment
abroad is related to an undisclosed pre-existing medical condition.
It is therefore essential to make sure that, if you are required to
disclose any pre-existing medical condition, that you do so. If one
insurer will not cover you or you have to pay an increased premium
to be covered, it does not matter; this is preferable to having to
pay the cost of your treatment personally.
hazardous pursuits
It is essential that your travel insurance policy covers you for
any activity you intend to undertake whilst abroad. If you are
injured doing something which is excluded under your policy, you
will again be left to pick up the cost personally.
The most obvious hazardous pursuit is skiing and most insurers
do provide standard ski policies. However, for anyone intending to
go skydiving or white water rafting, for example, a specialist
policy must be obtained.
Less obviously, a travel insurance policy will not cover the
driving of a car or riding of a motorcycle, so separate insurance
must be taken out, usually in resort.
It does always pay to check what your travel insurer considers
to be a hazardous pursuit; surprisingly, many consider cycling to
fall into this category. Finally here, on a related issue, most
insurers will decline coverage if you are drunk when you injure
yourself.
personal accident benefit
All travel insurance polices will make a lump sum payment in the
event of death or loss of limb. However, the amount insurers will
pay out and the injury they will pay out on, varies enormously. The
payment for death is frequently as low as £5,000. For injuries, an
individual may have to be unemployable for over one year before
being eligible for even modest payments.
elective surgery
There has been great publicity recently about patients
travelling abroad for medical treatment, to avoid NHS waiting
lists. Great care must be taken by these individuals, as there is
no travel insurance currently on the market which covers them for
this. Travel insurance is there to cover emergency medical
treatment and specifically excludes travelling abroad for the
purpose of medical treatment; elective surgery. Consequently for
these individuals, if something goes wrong, perhaps on the journey
home after having had the surgery, they are very much on their
own.
Notwithstanding the current gaps in travel insurance policies or
the attitude and approach taken by less reputable insurers
sometimes, one essential message must be remembered: it is far
better to have some form of travel insurance than none at all.
For further information please contact Nish Kanwar in the Travel
team on 020 7814 5483 or email nish.kanwar@bllaw.co.uk
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