Swine Flu Claims To Be Honoured By Insurers

TRAVELLERS suffering from swine flu will be able to claim for treatment abroad or the cancellation of their holiday on their travel insurance, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has confirmed.

The illness would be “treated no differently” from any other illness by travel insurers, the trade body has confirmed, and policies will cover the cost of rearranged flights or accommodation as a result of contracting the disease.

Nick Starling, director of General Insurance at the ABI, said: “People diagnosed with swine flu before they are due to travel abroad, and any immediate family members (spouse, parents and children, with some policies covering other relatives) due to travel with them, will be covered for the cost of holiday cancellation. Under normal circumstances a doctor's certificate is required to confirm that the customer was not fit to travel, but given the current circumstances we would expect insurers to be flexible on the time it takes to obtain such a certificate.

“Airlines have standard procedures for dealing with passengers who they believe are medically unfit to travel for any reason, and have medical teams available to make assessments. Travel insurance policies should cover the costs of rearranged flights and cancelled accommodation in these circumstances, if the airlines do not have ‘failure of service' provisions. Customers will need written confirmation from the airline's medical advisers that they are unfit to travel in order to validate a claim.

“The costs of accommodation and rearranged flights for people who are ill and placed in quarantine abroad and have to stay beyond their planned departure date will be covered by travel insurance policies. Those who are quarantined as a precautionary measure may be covered - insurers will consider claims on an individual basis. Customers will need written confirmation of the quarantine to validate their claim.”

In the absence of a medical certificate or written confirmation from a GP or other medical practitioner, insurers will accept the unique ID number, plus the label on the prescribed anti-flu drugs as a means of validating a claim for related cancellations. The label will include the person’s name and the date the drugs were issued. 

The confirmation comes following discussions between the ABI and the Department of Health about the new National Pandemic Flu Service hotline and web site.

Mr Starling, added: "Travel insurance is there to help people who are too ill to travel, or who become ill on holiday. We understand that the National Pandemic Flu Service will only authorise an anti-flu prescription to people who are genuinely displaying symptoms of swine flu.
“Customers who use the National Pandemic Flu Service to obtain anti-flu medication and need to make a travel insurance cancellation claim should ensure that they keep all the original documentation they receive, including the label from their medication, as insurers will need it to validate the claim.”