Travel insurance will cover hospitalization for sickness but not evacuation to India if you are stranded in a conflict zone

 Travel insurance will cover hospitalization for sickness but not evacuation to India if you are stranded in a conflict zone

According to insurers, war and war-like events are excluded from insurance coverage, meaning that only government-operated evacuation planes are likely to be allowed to conduct operations in such scenarios.

Understand what your foreign travel insurance will cover.

Many international travelers, including Indian students, workers, and vacationers, are trapped in a very volatile position due to the Middle East conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas.

The trapped Indian people are supposed to have obtained foreign travel insurance before leaving the country, but these plans won't be much assistance because they often do not cover war and warlike scenarios like invasion, insurrection, and civil war.

For instance, the travel insurance coverage won't cover the costs of an evacuation and medical care if a traveler returns to India to flee the fighting or needs hospitalization after being injured in a rocket assault.

Also read: Student insurance coverage may only provide sporadic assistance to students returning from Ukraine.

Wars, riots, and terrorist attacks 

Insurance companies are now hesitant to provide new travel insurance to those planning trips to Israel in the near future. "Due to the dangers, a journey to Israel will not be covered by travel insurance, according to the government's warning travel advise. Now, we can't prohibit individuals from getting policies since some would have done so far in advance, and others would buy trip insurance with international coverage (which could include Israel). Nikhil Apte, chief product officer for Product Factory (Health) at Royal Sundaram General Insurance, states that even in these situations, medical and travel-related annoyance claims (such as lost luggage and passports) would not be accepted.

Medical evacuation coverage is included in some travel insurance plans, although it is not applicable in certain circumstances. If a traveler with travel insurance becomes ill and has to be returned to India for further treatment, that provision would apply, according to Apte. When a policyholder's interests are expected to be better served or the cost of care in the destination country is projected to be greater than in India, the decision to airlift her is made.

Some insurance, like the foreign travel policy from ICICI Lombard, also include political risk and disaster evacuation coverage. War is excluded from coverage under this policy as well, but when the Russia-Ukraine crisis broke out in February 2022, the business had examined evacuation claims—including the reimbursement of flying costs—under its political risks and catastrophic evacuation coverage.

Additionally, the government will always handle evacuations. It is improbable that any conflict-affected nation would allow chartered planes to help evacuation; only government-operated flights may be authorized to carry out such evacuation operations. In any event, travelers should not be concerned about returning to India in such situations. The government has planned evacuation from such zones back to the nation of origin in the past as well as in the current situation, according to Apte.

The federal authorities could then be able to organize evacuation just as far as a safe location that is near to the hostile nation. "Even now, several states are sending their nationals to Cyprus for safety. The price of their trip from Cyprus to their home nation is on them. Due to the operation's connection to a conflict, evacuation expenses in this case will also not be paid, according to an insurance representative who wished to remain anonymous.

Payable hospitalization for illness

But what if a traveler becomes sick while stuck in a violent area, like malaria, necessitating hospitalization? According to Bhabatosh Mishra, director general insurance underwriting, products, as well as claims at Niva Bupa Health Insurance, "Ideally, travel-related insurance policies should cover such expenses if a policyholder falls ill and has to go to the hospital."

Your claim is acceptable for approval as long as your therapy is not connected to an illness that is already present. Conflict-related injuries, however, will not be covered by reimbursement for medical costs. Additionally, in a dangerous environment, the capacity of network hospitals or healthcare partners in the destination nations to provide the treatments will determine whether medical claims will be honored on the ground.

Students and travelers in conflict-affected nations should make a proactive contact to their insurers and partners to learn more about coverage and exclusions. Given the rapidly-changing situations in the event of warlike scenarios, many people do not read the terms and conditions in detail, and although some do, it is essential to call the insurer for clarification on coverages.

"Communication channels may not always be available in a dynamic scenario. Therefore, get in touch with your insurer and find out what could be needed to use services like cashless hospitalization for diseases, for example. Obtain the important details in advance. Keep the Indian embassy updated on your location as well, advises Mishra.

A traveler should confirm if particular instructions to evacuate will be covered by her travel coverage if her policy includes evacuation due to political threats. Due to any political concerns that travelers may encounter, insurance firms may cover the cost of an economy class flight back to India even if only governments carry out evacuation.