Does foreign health insurance cover coronavirus incidents?
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has brought about a significant shift in the travel industry, causing uncertainty and concern among travellers. This article offers a comprehensive guide to understanding travel insurance during these challenging times.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic, leading to a surge in cases worldwide. As a result, the Foreign Office recommends checking travel health insurance directly, as the question of how a repatriation to the home country can succeed is important.
Having travel health insurance abroad is crucial for adequate and affordable care in case of an emergency. The BDAE Group maintains its coverage even in the case of corona, and medically necessary treatments, examinations, and medications in the event of a Covid-19 infection are covered. The treating quarantine measures abroad are also considered stationary stays in their travel health insurance and are covered to the same extent.
In light of the pandemic, many insurance companies have introduced Covid-19 supplementary coverage. For instance, ERGO offers comprehensive travel insurance that provides protection even during official travel warnings, covers costs related to Covid-19 illness, quarantine measures, and medical treatments abroad worldwide, with coverage periods up to 365 days. Deutsche Familienversicherung (DFV) also offers foreign health insurance covering medical costs abroad for up to two months per trip, including in Covid-19 cases.
However, it's important to note that a travel cancellation insurance does not apply in crisis situations in the destination country. Some travel insurers are refusing to cover corona cases, while others cover the corona test abroad under specific conditions, such as the treating doctor prescribing the test and the case definition of the Robert Koch Institute being met.
The coronavirus outbreak has also led to an increase in demand for cheap flights. On the other hand, tour operators and airlines are canceling planned flights due to the general, worldwide travel warning from the Foreign Office.
This article also discusses the impact of the coronavirus on various sectors such as the tourist travel industry, expats, business travelers, healthcare systems worldwide, flight passengers, tourism, USA entry for Europeans, and consumer issues.
For more detailed information, Reiseversicherungen.com has published a compilation of which insurance covers cases caused by a corona infection to what extent. If you have any specific queries, feel free to contact Christian Kniese at [email protected].
Stay safe and informed as we navigate through these extraordinary times.
