Travel insurance companies will treat swine flu the same as any other illness when assessing claims, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.
In an attempt to clarify the confusion over a swine flu sufferer’s right to claim – even though they may not have a doctor’s certificate – the association today issued a list of circumstances under which people’s costs will still be met if they fall ill.
According to the ABI, a typical policy will cover:
- The cost of medical treatment for people who contract swine flu on holiday, and the cost of rearranged flights and accommodation of anyone covered by the policy.
- The cost of holiday cancellation of anyone diagnosed with swine flu before they are due to travel abroad, and immediate family such as spouse, parents and children, who are due to travel with them.
- The cost of accommodation and rearranged flights of people taken ill on holiday, placed in quarantine and required to stay beyond their planned departure date.
- If an airline prevents a passenger from flying because they believe them to be medically unfit, and it does not have failure of service provisions, the insurance should also cover the cost of rearranged flights and cancelled accommodation – but customers will need written confirmation from the airline’s medical advisers.
- People quarantined as a precautionary measure may be covered, but insurers will consider claims on an individual basis and customers will need written confirmation of the quarantine to validate their claim.
When it comes to making a claim without a medical certificate, the association said it expects insurers to be flexible. Usually one is needed to prove a customer is unfit to travel, but people who think they have the virus have been told not to visit their GPs.
The report said: “Travel insurers are studying details of the government hotline and website to diagnose people who think they may have swine flu, and assessing what evidence will be made available to support a claim that a customer is unfit to travel.”
ABI director of general insurance and health Nick Starling said: “While the outbreak of swine flu is causing concern, people should not overreact or panic and travel insurance is there to help.
“Travel insurance will usually cover the cost if a holiday is cancelled because someone is too ill to travel. It will also cover the cost of medical treatment abroad and any associated delays caused by contracting an illness on holiday.”
ABTA chairman and Advantage chief executive John McEwan has also called for calm and emphasised the importance of insurance. Speaking to Travel Weekly this week, he said: “The underlying message for agents is that customers should go ahead with their holiday plans, but make sure they have adequate cover.”
Last year ABTA issued a warning that more people will travel uninsured in 2009 because of new government regulations which came into force on January 1. Under the rules, sales of travel insurance sold through travel agents and tour operators were transfered to the Financial Services Authority for regulation. ABTA is concerned that less agents will offer insurance due to the complexity and cost of the new system.
For more on Swine Flu go to travelweekly.co.uk/swineflu