Whatever the size of the company, the first level of cover is provided by the payment cards - lodged or not - used to pay for the plane tickets. The second level of cover is provided by voluntary or optional insurance policies taken out by the company for its travellers. Assistance companies are generally subsidiaries of insurance companies. For example, Mondial Assistance is an offshoot of AGF, Mutuaide is controlled by Groupama and Gan, Europe Assistance is controlled by Generali and Axa Assistance is part of the Axa group. Under the Insurance Code, assistance providers are authorised to provide medical assistance to policyholders on long-term trips, i.e. lasting more than 90 days, as well as short-term trips. They can also provide vehicle assistance for fleets of vehicles travelling in France or even Europe.<\/p>\n
Whether or not they are housed in the company, payment cards come with standard guarantees. For these guarantees to apply, public transport tickets must be paid for using the card. This is an essential condition. If an employee uses his or her personal card to pay for a plane ticket for an extension that was not originally planned, he or she will not be covered by either the company card or the corporate card. With this caveat in mind, corporate cards, which are based on a centralised billing system, include an assistance insurance component. For example, the BNP Paribas Airplus corporate card insures both company employees and their guests against the risk of accident. \"By guest, we mean any person who is not a member of the company, but whose ticket has been paid for using the company's accommodation card\", explains Claire Castier, Airplus Marketing Manager. When the price of the ticket is debited from this card, the traveller is covered for all journeys made for business reasons, including those between the airport of arrival and the venue of a business meeting. And this applies regardless of the means of transport used: taxi, public transport, public or private vehicle, including of course car hire. At Airplus, insurance and assistance do not apply in the case of a country at war. But they do apply in a country facing conflict... The subtle difference generally lies in whether or not aircraft landings are possible. Terrorist acts perpetrated with nuclear weapons and conflict-related accidents are not covered. However, the insurance does cover \"classic\" acts of terrorism and repatriation of the insured person up to a limit of 100,000 euros. Cover even rises to 600,000 euros in the event of the policyholder's disability or death. Insurance and assistance cover is also available with the Mastercard card, but this can be arranged at the request of the issuer (Soci\u00e9t\u00e9 G\u00e9n\u00e9rale or Cr\u00e9dit Mutuel) or the company. For its part, the American Express business travel card account provides travellers with accident insurance cover for the entire duration of the business trip, up to a maximum of 30 days. In the event of disability or accidental death, compensation can reach up to 350,000 euros. When employees hold an American Express corporate card, they are entitled to insurance covering travel incidents - such as delayed or lost luggage - and to \"global assist\" assistance. This service, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week worldwide, provides information and assistance in the event of a medical, legal or personal emergency.<\/p>\n
Corporate cards are not left out. Holders of the American Express Gold card automatically have access to a range of travel insurances that cover travel accidents (in the event of death or permanent disability), travel incidents (flight delays or cancellations, missed connections), personal belongings, travel documents and cash, and even trip cancellations. With this top-of-the-range card, medical expenses are covered up to \u20ac200,000 in the event of illness or injury while travelling. If necessary, repatriation is also covered. In addition to this range, car hire insurance covers all costs and excesses up to \u20ac75,000 in the event of theft or damage to a hired vehicle. Whether or not the driver is responsible for the accident. Mastercard cardholders also benefit from insurance and assistance cover. \"Travel accidents, plane or train delays, lost, stolen or damaged luggage, damage to rental vehicles, fraudulent or abusive use of the card are all covered by the insurance included in our cards\", explains St\u00e9phane Thiry, Head of Corporate Products at MasterCard.<\/p>\n
Generally, with the help of its broker, the company takes out a contract with an assistance company to cover the policyholders named on the subscription certificate. Depending on the size of the company, the assistance provider will offer basic cover, with options to meet specific needs. On a global scale, International SOS assists companies in managing risks relating to the health and safety of their travelling employees and local staff. This includes medical assistance, crisis management and international health services. Its global offering includes international assistance services (medical evacuation and repatriation, crisis management), online prevention and information (health check-ups, online solutions for informing and supervising employees when travelling), and on-site medical services. \"We are used to implementing international medical care standards in difficult environments and in areas where there are serious cultural or language barriers\", explains Dr Olivier Barles, Assistance Medical Director. The company has clinics in countries such as Algeria, Angola, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Chad, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Nigeria, Russia and Vietnam. In the event of a problem, its customers are hospitalised there before being repatriated.<\/p>\n
A leading specialist in the sector, Europ Assistance has launched the \"pass mission one\" for SMEs, company directors and their employees, as well as the self-employed and members of associations who need to travel for professional reasons in their home country or abroad. This solution covers all business trips, regardless of their duration in the country of origin and for a maximum of 180 consecutive days in the other countries covered, depending on the zone subscribed to. The \"pass mission multi\" is aimed at companies incorporated under French law with their registered office in mainland France, wishing to protect their employees on business trips and their spouses accompanying them on business trips. An option, \"Extension vie priv\u00e9e famille\", even covers the family.<\/p>\n
Take the case of an oil group with 8,000 employees who regularly travel to Africa, the United States and Europe. \"The assistance company will draw up a tailor-made group contract, taking into account its specific destinations\", explains Anne-Laure Gogeon, an expert in non-production purchasing management at Epsa. This determination of geographical zones is all the more important as it influences pricing. Generally speaking, three geographical zones are defined: zone 1, which includes mainland France and the principalities of Andorra and Monaco; zone 2, which roughly corresponds to Europe; and zone 3, which covers the whole world. Of course, if cover is taken out for zone 3, the premium will be higher than for zone 2. Note that certain zones are excluded: \"countries in a state of civil or foreign war, whether declared or not, countries affected by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves or other cataclysms\".<\/p>\n
Despite these restrictions, assistance providers spare no effort in rescuing their policyholders. In December last year, they responded to an attack in Algiers. In January, they deployed emergency units to Mombasa during the unrest in Kenya.<\/p>\n
Valid in the chosen geographical area, cover includes reimbursement of medical expenses, hospital transport, repatriation for medical reasons and the cost of a company employee to replace the policyholder. In general, this cover is personal for frequent travellers, i.e. those who are on the move all the time. For occasional travellers, the company must give 48 hours' notice and provide their names so that they can benefit from the same services. \"Reimbursement of medical expenses is an essential guarantee, especially when you realise that a day of resuscitation costs 10,000 euros a day in the United States\", explains Nicolas Gusdorf, President of the SNSA (Syndicat national des soci\u00e9t\u00e9s d'assistance).<\/p>\n
Depending on where company employees travel, it is advisable to take out a policy to supplement medical cover. For example, if the business payment card, which may or may not be held by the company, covers medical expenses up to 10,000 euros per claim, it may be a good idea to take out additional cover up to 100,000 euros, or even 200,000 euros. At this stage, it is in the risk manager's best interests to run several simulations with his intermediary, insurance broker or agent, to find the most appropriate level of cover. And estimate the impact of extended cover on the premium payable to the assistance company.<\/p>\n
When \"mobile\" employees on an assignment abroad fall victim to an attack, their employer may be condemned for inexcusable misconduct. On 15 January 2004, the Saint-L\u00f4 social affairs court ruled against the Direction de la Construction Navale (DCN) for minimising the risks faced by its employees in Pakistan.<\/p>\n
In the court's view, the Karachi attack was indeed a workplace accident and \"was only made possible by DCN's inexcusable fault\". The judges therefore ordered DCN to pay around 765,000 euros in compensation to the six families of the victims. \"This case law encourages companies to take a more proactive approach to information, prevention and safety systems for their mobile employees\", emphasises Sabine Schirrer, travel marketing manager at Europ Assistance France.<\/p>\n
With the increase in international risks, the development of specific assistance products for expatriates and frequent travellers faced with unstable geopolitical situations is essential to guarantee the safety of policyholders in the most complex environments.<\/p>\n
Europ Assistance markets the Mission Pass and Expatriation Pass to companies, with access to \"ea-my safepass\", an Internet portal dedicated to travel risks. For this portal, the assistance company has called on Crisis Consulting, a recognised player in political risk prevention and crisis management. Version 2 of the site, which has just been launched, provides online information on medical infrastructures in more than 180 countries and territories around the world, and can be accessed by subscription using a simple login and password for company employees and decision-makers. For each country, the portal presents a risk rating, giving an initial rapid assessment of the area concerned, an evaluation and analysis of security, health, political and natural risks, and practical information (culture, entry and exit formalities, safety of different modes of transport, etc.). For its part, the CarlsonWagonlit network is offering companies the CWT Guardian package designed by Ijet. Combining intelligence and technology, it is available as either a standard service or a more advanced one. The basic service provides free information on more than 200 destinations.<\/p>\n
With this type of service, which focuses on safety and risk prevention, employees register their trips abroad directly in this traveller tracking database before departure. Using this information, the tool anticipates stays in sensitive areas and can react effectively in the event of a crisis. Let's imagine that health or safety conditions deteriorate in the area where employees of an oil company are based. Thanks to this tracking database, travellers can be located and receive safety instructions by e-mail in real time. At this stage of the risk management process, a safety expert can even advise travellers in a delicate situation by telephone, helping them to identify hostile manoeuvres and recommending behaviour to minimise their exposure to risk. In the event of danger or crisis, CWT Guardian contacts expatriates or travellers as quickly as possible and, if necessary, puts in place a medical system or even an evacuation plan. If the company decides to repatriate one or more of its employees for political reasons, Crisis Consulting works with local partners on the ground to coordinate their evacuation to a secure location in the country where they are on mission, or in a neighbouring country, or in their country of residence. The costs of organisation and repatriation are borne by the company subscribing to this service, unless the French government has requested the repatriation of French nationals. In assistance contracts, only the \"medical expenses\" cover does not apply in the country of assignment. Explanation: with \"expatriate\" status, employees lose their entitlement to French health insurance, unless they take out insurance with the Caisse des Fran\u00e7ais \u00e0 l'\u00e9tranger (CFE). This membership, which can be taken out individually or through the employer, does not exempt the employee from paying contributions to the compulsory scheme in the country of expatriation.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"