When you need back up call for assistance

Support role by Jane Archer

When you need back up call for assistance

Companies offer someone to depend on

ASSISTANCE companies are the unsung heroes of the travel insurance world. These are the companies that step into the breach when someone has an accident, illness or other problem while overseas. They make sure medical treatment is satisfactory, liaise with hospital staff and, where necessary, arrange to repatriate people to the UK, as well as pay any outstanding bills in the first instance.

Cega director Geoff Tyler said that 30%-40% of calls are what are termed non-serious, which ranges from sun or alcohol excess, to a broken arm or food poisoning.

He said: “Serious problems – around 10%-15% of calls – are those that are life-threatening, maybe a car accident, stroke or heart attack.”

Other calls might be very straightforward – checking a tap has been switched off or that the milk has been stopped.

In theory, a policyholder or relative should phone the assistance company to report an illness before seeking treatment but this is often not a practical solution.

In practice, the call often comes from the treating hospital – anxious to know who will be paying the bills.

Where an assistance company is used, it pays any bills that have accrued and then claims back from the insurer. As a result, cost management is another important part of their job.

Assistance companies – who’s who

Whatever the size, each assistance company has the same duty – to help holidaymakers who have a problem, no matter how small, while overseas. This might include too much alcohol or missing the flight home or more seriously breaking a leg or losing all their money.

Europ assistance: this French company has 22 companies around the globe and is one of the biggest and best-known names in the assistance world, providing help for in excess of 38 million travellers worldwide each year.

mondial assistance: this less well known name is part of Elmonda, the world’s largest assistance and travel insurance group; smaller companies include Goodwood-based Cega and Mercury Assistance.

In addition, insurance providers such as Hamilton Barr, Primary and Aon Risk Services have their own in-house assistance arms.

Soft landing: an assistance company will step in when clients find themselves in trouble

Once a call is logged, the assistance company swings into action. If the client is in hospital, it talks to medical staff to assess the patient’s condition to ensure the facility is able to cope with requirements.

Where necessary, for instance when doctors do not speak English, thecompany will liaise with the patient and relatives,as well as the patient’sdoctor in the UK.

It might also need to arrange accommodation for a relative near the treating hospital or for someone to be flown out from Britain.

If the hospital is not able to cope with the condition, the patient will be repatriated either to the UK or to the nearest goodhospital – each assistance company has a team of medics familiar with the level of facilities around the world.

The preferred repatriation scenario is on a scheduled airline with a trained medic on hand if necessary. Air ambulances are used only in extreme cases. This is partly due to cost – Mondial said an air ambulance from the Canaries to Shetland would cost £18,000 – but also because on a long flight, small aircraft have to stop frequently to refuel, which is not the ideal thing for a patient in a fragile condition.

Cega director Geoff Tyler said:”For every 1,000 medical cases we get in, there are eight to 10 air ambulances from Europe, 30-40 escorted repatriations and about 60 cases where we have to change someone’s ticket so they can fly home later.

Help line: assistance companies play a vital role

David Lord

David Lord was returning from a holiday in the South of France when he suffered an attack of angina and a leg infection.

Lord, still in the South of France, was admitted to a private clinic in Albi, near Toulouse, where his condition was stabilised, but he was told he had to stay in hospital for 10 days.

He said: “Europ Assistance was in constant touch with the hospital and kept my wife in the UK informed of my progress on a daily basis.”

After two weeks Lord was able to return home but the hospital and Europ Assistance agreed that a doctor should accompany him on the flight. “Europ Assistance arranged everything – from organising the doctor, to booking seats on the plane, to making sure an ambulance was waiting at Heathrow when we landed,” he said.

“The ambulance took me back to my home in Salisbury where my wife was waiting. I cannot fault the service.”

Mr Bradford

Mr Bradford was taken ill just two days into his Turkey holiday. By the fourth day he was unable to walk, and the family became concerned.

A local doctor was called and he diagnosed prostrate and/or bowel cancer.

The doctor tried to make Mr Bradford comfortable enough to fly home the following week but the patient’s condition deteriorated.

The illness turned out to be a burst stomach ulcer that was causing septicemia. Mr Bradford was on a life support machine for some time and the only way he was able to return home was by air ambulance.

This was arranged by Primary Assistance, which was responsible for the cost of treatment in Turkey as well as the repatriation. On arrival in the UK, Mr Bradford was transferred to Guy’s Hospital, London, where he recovered.

Claims facts

&#42 Around 400,000 claims were made on travel insurance policies last year, according to the Association of British Insurers.n Some 90% of these fell into three categories – medical, cancellation and personal baggage.n It is generally accepted that half of all personal effects claims are either inflated or fraudulent, according to Ketteridge group general salesmanager Doug Weston.

&#42 The main reasons claims are rejected are: the claim is for something not covered by the policy; pre-existing illnesses were not declared; there is no evidence to back up the claim; fraud is suspected.