Article
What types of insurance coverage do mission teams need?
David Bosworth
Remember the first time you bought an insurance policy for your car? If you are like me, it was a confusing experience trying to figure out the difference between comprehensive and collision. Taking out the appropriate insurance policies for a short term mission trip can be equally as confounding. Consider four type of insurance that you might need.
Health Insurance. People get sick and injured overseas just like they do here. Know the potential financial liabilities for receiving standard health care out of country. Some team members will have policies which cover them out of the country, but others will not. This feature of a policy is generally not known to participants and it is not usually prominently featured in material they have filed away. Encourage team members to contact their insurance provider to determine the exact nature of their coverage overseas. For those who do not have overseas coverage, many companies provide such coverage for a few dollars per day. There is typically no underwriting process and the policy can be paid for online via credit card. You may locate such policies by searching with terms such as “travel abroad health insurance”. As you would with regular health insurance coverage, verify that the company you choose is reliable. Study the terms of the policy to make sure it meets your needs.
Medical Services. In addition to coverage for the expense of health care overseas, you also must consider the expense related to situations not encountered in the US. Consider acquiring the following types of coverage: upfront payment guarantee, medical evacuation, call center assistance, visitation/accompaniment, and repatriation of remains.
US hospitals are required to admit you in a life-threatening emergency whether guarantee of payment can be verified or not. In some countries, medical personnel might require payment prior to admission, particularly from ‘wealthy’ Americans. Having a medical services company which guarantees upfront payments and can arrange for a transfer of funds within minutes may potentially save a participant’s life.
You may also need medical evacuation services if you find yourself in a remote situation where adequate health care is unavailable. Even if you could coordinate such an evacuation on your own, the cost of doing so without insurance could be astronomical. Some medical services policies offer 24/7 access to a doctor on duty or translation services. Translators may be quite proficient in English and the local language, yet struggle in translating technical medical terms. Having access by phone to a translator proficient in medical vocabulary can assist you in critical and timely decisions.
Other policy options include paying for an injured person to be accompanied back to the US by an RN on a commercial flight. Other policies pay for a relative such as parent or spouse to travel to visit a participant hospitalized overseas. Repatriation of remains is not a pleasant thought to ponder, but if this became necessary, having the appropriate policy to defray such expense will relieve a great deal of stress from the family at a time when they are already burdened with grief.
Liability Insurance. This type of insurance is often packaged for organizations. However, it can be contracted out on per trip basis as well for a group. There are many types of coverage, so it is important to ask questions about the nature of the policy. Does coverage for legal liability extend to both the organization as well as the individual participants (volunteer and paid staff)? Both the orgainzation and participants can be sued over the same incident. Does coverage extend to cases brought only in the U.S. legal system or is foreign litigation underwritten as well? It is best to check with your organization’s insurance broker as to what the general policy covers in terms of overseas incidents and volunteer participants. In some cases, your orgainzation may have contracted an excellent policy, but for overseas coverage an additional rider or supplemental policy will be needed.
Material Loss Coverage. If you rent a car and cause an accident, what will your policy pay? If you construct a roof on a home incorrectly and a national organization sues for damages, what type of coverage would you have? This type of insurance is similar to the policy you would take out on your car or home. It pays for overseas material losses according to the terms specified. Carefully study the conditions and coverage to assure they meet your needs for the type of trips you sponsor.
Travel Interruption Insurance. Variation in travel plans is virtually inevitable. Consider what the potential financial ramifications are and insure accordingly. This type of coverage is taken out individually for each traveler and the cost is affected by the destination and length of travel. This type of policy might cover the cost of the ticket if a personal emergency prevented a team member from travelling. Or, it might reimburse team members for expense incurred due to unexpected layovers or delays. Airlines are not required to assist with food and lodging in weather related delays. Volcanic ash can ground airplanes for days. This is considered a weather-related incident and passengers are responsible for costs incurred during the delay. If your organization sponsors large volume of travel annually, you may consider ‘self-insuring’ in this category. A small surcharge on each trip can create a slush fund to be dipped into when these situations arise.
Since insurance is packaged slightly differently by each company and follows regulations within each state, you have to examine your options closely. You may not need each of the coverages identified above, but determine that prior to an incident rather than finding out what coverage you don’t have during or following an incident!
Have any stories of NOT having the right insurance for your short term mission?
