Travel Insurer Gets Picky January Next Year Will Be Subject to Enhanced Security Requirements
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NOW INSIDE: privatehealthcarenews GLOBAL HEALTHCARE • IPMI • CORPORATE BENEFITS Page 24 Page 26 Page 46 Page 22 Page 32 ESSENTIAL READING FOR TRAVEL INSURANCE INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS noveMBER 2008 • ISSUE 94 Not so routine transport In the last issue of ITIJ, we reported on a patient who was denied boarding by a pilot at Ercan airport in North Cyprus, an independent republic of Turkey. Less than two weeks later, a repatriation was held up at Istanbul airport. ITIJ tells Air Ambulance Worldwide’s bizarre story On 15 September this year, John Ray of Air Ambulance Worldwide was sent on a flight to escort a 26-year-old male, Reid Sanders, from the German Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey, to his home residence in Bend, Oregon. Sanders was an entertainer on a cruise ship, and had a history of diabetes. Having fallen unresponsive and unalert he had been transported via ground ambulance from the cruise ship port in Istanbul to the German Hospital. After a week in the hospital, Sanders’ doctors determined that he was fit to fly home, and could follow up with his personal care physician upon arrival. His mother and sister had come to Istanbul to accompany him home, and on the morning of 18 September, they all travelled with Ray to the airport. They arrived several hours early, in the small hours of the morning, and Sanders’ mother and sister went through to the departure gate whilst Ray and Sanders rearranged Sanders’ heavy luggage in order to avoid excessive weight charges. After the luggage was continued on page 6 Visa changes to US travel Important information for air ambulance companies and medical escorts: under the terms and conditions of the US Visa Waiver Program, all international travellers who wish to enter to the US from 1 Travel insurer gets picky January next year will be subject to enhanced security requirements. From that date, entry requirements Australian travel insurer QBE is allegedly travellers the importance of taking out appropriate customers. Understandably, this approach is causing for the country will change and visa waiver forms dropping travel agent clients who are too insurance for both local and international travel. It considerable concern within the industry. must be completed at least 72 hours in advance much of a strain on their bottom line. Roger is somewhat disconcerting, therefore, to hear that Most travel agents have a wide range of customers, of required entry. If a person does not have entry Allnutt reports QBE, one of the two main Australia-based travel and it has been the case in the past that the risk approval prior to embarkation of the aircraft, they insurance companies, has been allegedly telling some profile of the individual applicant is the determining could be denied boarding. For further information, For many years, the message in Australia, as well travel agents that they will no longer be accepting factor of whether the travel insurer accepts the risk. interested parties have been instructed to visit the as other parts of the world, has been to stress to their business because of the claims history of their However, given continued on page 8 Department of Homeland Security’s website. 2 IN THIS ISSUE ITIJ CONTRIBUTORS REGULARS Roger Allnutt is a freelance travel writer based in Can- berra, Australia and a member of the Australian Society of News continued 4 Travel Writers. He travels widely each year and his material Company brief 10 is published in Australia, New Zealand, US and the UK. Insurance matters 11 Other interests include classical music, food and wine and Editorial comment 12 tennis. Health matters 16 Air ambulance news 18 Stewart Farr is a freelance journalist with 30 years expe- Travel matters 20 rience in writing on insurance matters, especially in the areas Profile 38 of life, travel and business insurance, investment and pension Private Healthcare News 39 planning and in healthcare provision.For 25 years, he edited a Service directory 48 monthly journal for life insurance and pension practitioners. Grapevine 54 Diary dates 54 Petra Kendall-Raynor is a freelancer with experience On the move 55 writing for daily, weekly and monthly national publica- tions. She covers news, news analysis and features on many FEATURES subjects and has written extensively about the healthcare system, with work published in Care and Health, Nursing News analysis: Banking woes 22 Standard, Health Insurance and Planned Savings magazines. Stewart Farr details the downs and downs of the financial markets around the world Milan Korcok is an award-winning freelance health poli- Feature: Acceptable cover? Part 1 24 cy and economics writer who covers travel insurance, public Alan Berry asks what acceptable cover is, both for consumer and insurer health, and medical education issues in Canada and the US. He has been writing about health fi nancing and policy issues Feature: Who can you trust? 26 in these countries since the 1960s and is a frequent contribu- Milan Korcok asks whether travel insurers are losing their clients’ trust, and if so, why tor to leading North American professional journals and consumer media. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Assistance world markets: Turkey 32 Roger St Pierre charts the changing face of Turkish healthcare and assistance provision Roger St Pierre is an avid traveller who has visited 119 countries and rising. He writes and broadcasts extensively PHN feature: A place in the sun 46 on the tourism industry, motoring, cycling and music. He is Petra Kendall-Raynor looks at European expatriate movements and the factors also fascinated by how the global economy works. At 15, he influencing them already had fi ve regular newspaper columns covering sport but also happens to be a qualifi ed associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and writes regularly on business and fi nancial matters for a number of prestigious publications. 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Materials in this Illustrations: Chris Duggan WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE? publication may not be reproduced in any form without permission VISIT www.itij.co.uk INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL INSURANCE JOURNAL ISSN 1743-1522 International Travel Insurance Journal ■ www.itij.co.uk International Travel Insurance Journal 4 NEWS Whiteley ruling allows for return of premium claims Nanny insurance vital part of trip In June 2005, UK company Whiteley Insurance of premium. The resultant judgement was handed entitled to claim on their policy in respect of events Consultants was forced into liquidation when it was down at the end of July this year, and does allow for or losses that may have been incurred after that date, Taking a nanny on holiday with the family to help found that the company, together with its subsidiary such claims to be made. but they are entitled to a proportionate refund of out with childcare was formerly the preserve of the Kingfisher Insurance Services, had been selling travel However, only those people who purchased a policy their premium. In addition, policyholders may have very rich, but experts these days are seeing a change insurance policies that were not underwritten. between 1 November 2001 and 13 January 2005 further claims against Whiteley, such as damages in the type of family willing to pay for some help Subsequently, policyholders, insurers, travel agents are entitled to claim back the cost of their policy, and for breach of contract, in particular relating to the with the kids whilst abroad. However, it has been and suppliers were asked to submit any potential only if a claim has not been made or is pending on additional cost of replacement policies. highlighted that there are risks associated with taking claims against the company in order to help assess the policy. On 14 January 2005, Whiteley became Creditors have been warned that they should only a nanny on holiday, from visa problems and tension Whiteley’s solvency. It was later concluded that authorised as an insurance intermediary following a expect to receive a dividend in respect of their over accommodation and responsibilities, to what Whiteley had insufficient assets to pay creditors’ change in UK law, so anyone with an unauthorised claim and the Joint Liquidators are unable to say happens if the nanny were to become ill. claims in full, and the liquidators had to ask the courts policy purchased on or after this date cannot claim. at the moment what the final level of dividend will As Chris Harvey, CEO of US insurance comparison for direction on whether or not policies purchased Furthermore, holders of an unauthorised policy be.