ITIC REVIEW:
Bristol A full roundup of the recent International Travel & Health Insurance Conference in the UK
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FEATURE:
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FEATURE:
The cost of doing business
No room at the hospital
Travel insurance as a corporate risk management tool
Oh Canada … what’s with the bed shortages?
ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL & HEALTH INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS
Ebola strikes back Travellers have been warned against travelling to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following a new outbreak of Ebola
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JUNE 2018 • ISSUE 209
Brexit worries still increasing With the outcome of Britain’s Brexit vote still in limbo, new research from travel insurance comparison site Medical Travel Compared has found that over half of UK travellers over the age of 45 are still concerned about the impact that the outcome of the negotiations may have on their travel plans within Europe
Following the announcement of the outbreak in the Equateur Province in the DRC, the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice, warning British travellers to avoid the area. Advising against ‘all but essential travel’ to the DRC, the FCO also said: “If you become ill during or immediately after travelling to the country, seek medical advice immediately. Medical care is extremely limited.” The outbreak was first reported on 8 May and followed laboratory results that confirmed two cases of the disease, at which point the Ministry of Health of the DRC informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that two out of five samples collected from five patients tested positive for Ebola at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) in Kinshasa. Upon learning of the lab results, WHO established its Incident Management System to fully dedicate staff and resources across the organisation to the response. It deployed epidemiologists, logisticians, clinicians, infection prevention and control experts, risk communications experts and vaccination support teams, determined supply needs and helped fill gaps, and alerted neighbouring countries. “Our top priority is to get to Bikoro to work alongside the Government of the DRC and partners to reduce
With the UK leaving the EU officially on 29 March 2019, the lack of clarity as negotiations continue means only nine per cent of respondents feel less concerned about the impact on travelling to Europe as negotiations progress. Tommy Lloyd, Head of Retail & Customer Interaction at Medical Travel Compared, commented: “With Brexit less than a year away and the effect it will have on travelling still awaiting clarification, it was to be expected that the level of confidence amongst consumers is low.” It seems that the older travellers get, the less worried they are about the outcome, with 63 per cent of travellers aged 44 to 53 responding that they were concerned, while only 17 per cent of over-65s gave that response. Older travellers have expressed some concern about the loss of access to the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) scheme, with almost half worrying about the entitlement of the card. “At the moment, people do not
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Cruisers warned over cover caveats Compare Cover has warned holidaymakers who may be heading on cruise holidays this summer to check that they are suitably protected for their trips The insurance comparison site, recognising that many people may have taken advantage of various deals available in the run up to the summer season – 27.2 million passengers are expected to cruise this year, according
to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) – has warned that those with travel insurance provided by packaged bank accounts may be unaware of coverage limits. For example, many packaged bank accounts purport to offer worldwide travel cover, but some policies do not cover cruises at all (those that do will specifically state as such). Some policies will also only cover a single trip for a finite length of time – between 22 and 45 days, for instance – which could
pose a problem for an extended sojourn on a cruise ship. Some policies, meanwhile, only cover certain hazardous activities such as shark diving, while some insurers will specify certain countries, entry into which will not be covered (as part of a stopover, for example). Simon Williams, Compare Cover’s Head of Travel, also warned: “Whilst the demographics around cruise travel are changing, CLIA
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