What can an insurer do in the event of an untimely confinement to a hospital or hotel? Séverine Lacroix, Marketing Director of Europ Assistance, answers.
How do you manage the Covid-19 element?
Séverine Lacroix - At Europ Assistance, we consider Covid-19 to be a "classic" illness. This means that we will treat cases of Covid contracted abroad as we would any other type of illness: we will cover medical and hospitalisation costs, and any medical repatriation. In fact, this is the main challenge facing our business in this crisis: providing medical care abroad, particularly for serious cases, most of which require medical repatriation.
In the case of a business trip, the company normally insures its employees for this type of risk, and it's important to make sure that it has the right cover! Indeed, the conditions for repatriation have become complex, due to health regulations or untimely border closures, and the conditions for obtaining repatriation authorisations can sometimes be absurd. It is therefore advisable to choose solid, experienced and reliable service providers.
How, for example, do you assess a hospital stay in a case of suspected Covid?
S. L. - If the stay in hospital is dictated by medical imperatives, i.e. if the traveller requires hospital medical attention, we will pay for it in full, as explained above. On the other hand, a compulsory stay in hospital in the event of suspicion (i.e. without the need for medical treatment) is more akin to an administrative quarantine that we cannot cover.. It is important to explain that no insurer can cover the consequences of government administrative decisions. This is a so-called "mass risk" which is not really insurable.
Which countries have complicated repatriation conditions?
S.L. - The top 5 countries where repatriation formalities are currently difficult are Morocco and Madagascar, because of the difficulty of obtaining authorisations for our medical flights, but also Dubai, Tunisia and Israel, which require a PCR test on entry. In the event of an emergency intervention for seriously affected people, the PCR test is a source of delay in sending medical staff on site.
What cover do you offer in the event of confinement to a hotel or an extended stay?
S. L. - There are several different cases:
- In the event of compulsory isolation on arrival in a country, there is unfortunately nothing we can do. A basic rule of law in our insurance business is that of randomness. This is article 1964 of the Civil Code, which confers a random nature on insurance contracts. So you can't cover a risk that has a 100% chance of materialising - it's forbidden.
- In the case of a trip to country X where the risk of testing positive leads to quarantine in a hotel, hotel costs will not be covered as long as the trip is within the original dates. Of course, medical expenses will be covered, and we can offer remote consultation with a doctor and follow-up by our services. This is an important psychological element in relieving stress.
- On the other hand, if a person contracts Covid on the spot and is obliged to extend their stay, leading to changes in flight reservation dates for example, this extension is covered (accommodation and flight change costs). This also applies if the person, who is asymptomatic, tests positive when they get on their plane.
Could the insurance cover be extended to include more cases?
S. L. - We're working on it! But Covid is changing fast, and so is the health situation. We're adapting our cover, but it's sometimes difficult to keep up with the pace: new needs appear and then sometimes disappear in a matter of weeks.
One of the first changes we had to make as an insurer was to adapt our cover to include people who were not actually ill, as Covid is a disease that people can contract and transmit without showing any symptoms. After 2 years of crisis, this seems obvious to us all, but this has never happened before.
So, since 2020, we have been constantly mobilised to adapt as the crisis evolves and new situations arise.
What other services do you offer for corporate travel?
S. L. - For business customers, we offer the TRIP portal (Travel Risk Intelligence Portal), which provides all the information needed to plan a trip to a given destination: health situation, restrictions, Covid regulations, etc., as well as more traditional information, particularly relating to security. Companies use it extensively, and TRIP enables them to decide whether or not to authorise travel to a given destination.
