Page 28 - Insurance Times May 2022

To start with, it would be important to correctly fill in the reimbursement claims. Moreover, all important documents
Proposal Form and not withhold any information which would which help to substantiate a claim must be preserved and
prejudice claims later on. For smooth claim payment under presented properly at the time of claims.
travel policies it is important to be very clear about the policy
terms and conditions and particularly the exclusions. For Needless to mention, fraudulent or false claims must be
example, pre-existing conditions are excluded in most travel avoided under all circumstances as otherwise not only will
policies. So claims may be excluded for that reason. This is in the claim be rejected, but the policy would also be cancelled
fact a common reason for rejection of medical travel insurance forthwith and the customer blacklisted.
claims and should not come as an unpleasant surprise at a
critical time and cause fund problems. There are well-established grievance-redressal mechanisms
in case of disputes with the insurer. However, it would be
If one presents an adventure sports related claim, that too advisable to read the "fine print" of the policy one is opting
would also be rejected under most policies, unless it has been for up-front and to clarify all doubts in advance, so that lengthy
specifically covered. It is common to indulge in alcohol during and protracted procedures subsequently are not at all
holidays. However this is again a reason to exclude claims by required.
insurers. So it is important to know at the outset as to what is
not covered by the insurer. Insurance Regulatory Development
Authority of India (IRDAI) and travel
To give another topical example it has been reported that
the onset of Covid-19 caused many persons to cancel their policies
overseas trips to the affected countries, even before advisories In my opinion, this sector needs more attention from the
and flight cancellations started. But they did not get the Regulator. In line with standard health policies, there are
payouts they expected under their Trip cancellation Cover many areas which could do with a relook. Customers are
because the onset of a pandemic or pandemics in general often confused with the variety of different products from
are not listed in reasons why trip cancellations are allowed. various insurers with varying terms and conditions. The
introduction of one universal travel policy with similar
In this context, it would also be relevant to say that advisories
coverages and exclusions across all insurers, such as Arogya
by the insurers which are available on their website from
Sanjeevani in Health Insurance, would be of immense help to
time-to-time should also be checked to avoid unexpected
customers . Common definitions for different coverages such
setbacks later on, even if one has already purchased a policy
from them. This will avert problems under multi-trip annual as Trip Cancellation Cover is also required urgently.
policies at the time of claims. For example many insurers Incorporation of coverage for pre-existing diseases by all
have issued advisories about their policies with the onset of insurers, would also be a welcome addition to travel policies.
Covid-19.It would also be prudent to check with the insurance Conclusion
advisors or the insurer's Helplines on their toll-free numbers
for any queries in this regard, before embarking on a trip,in One hopes that the Covid-19 threat soon stops looming over
case of doubt, to avoid confusion later on. the travel horizon and the travel sector which is practically
at a standstill, improves once again. The need of the hour is
The claim procedure for medical and non-medical claims is that insurers come out with more innovative and affordable
also mentioned clearly in all websites. The requirements for travel products. Some combined domestic and overseas
say a baggage loss claim, would be different from a medical travel covers, global health insurance policies and low-cost
claim. So the procedure has to be carefully adhered to for policies for the customer to utilize, with the encouragement
smooth and hassle-free claim payment. and under the supervision of a vigilant Regulator will
transform this field appreciably. The American travel blogger
Last but not the least, it would be better if some basic and New York Times bestselling author Nomadic Matt says
documents are always maintained carefully as well as keeping "travel safe, travel far, travel wide and travel often". I would
a soft-copy of each, as they will always be required for claims. like to add that it would be advisable to do all this but with a
These documents include the original policy copy, claim form, good travel insurance policy packed with your luggage.
air-tickets or trip tickets, correspondence with airport officials
for baggage loss/baggage delays, FIR or Report with police References
authorities for theft and hospital documents in case of Various Sources. T

28 The Insurance Times, May 2022