Will travel insurance cover you if you catch COVID abroad? What to look for in your policy to make sure your vacation is protected

Will travel insurance cover you if you catch COVID abroad? What to look for in your policy to make sure your vacation is protected
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The new travel restrictions announced Thursday may be just the beginning of tightened rules — not only in the United States, but other countries too. If you’re traveling in the next few weeks, especially abroad, experts say be ready for more limits, even border closures that can disrupt your trip.

So will travel insurance cover you?

This may be a time to get some insurance. There are specific COVID-19 policies that cover everything from a potential quarantine, to medical expenses to canceled tours. And with the new rule requiring a negative test result within 24 hours to come back home, experts say plan now.

RELATED: How omicron COVID-19 variant is changing holiday travel plans

Globetrotters were just beginning to come out of isolation, when the new variant brought a fresh set of travel restrictions. And experts say be ready for even more rules during the holiday travel rush ahead.

Travel insurance CEO Omar Kaywan says some countries may enact new restrictions, or even close borders if the new variant spreads.

“We are walking into the next six weeks of complete uncertainty. There’s a lot of last-minute decisions that are being made, a lot of restrictions are being put in place by many countries,” he says.

VIDEO: Travelers react to ‘stress’ of new omicron variant, possibility of new restrictions

New rules already require passengers to show a negative COVID test within 24 hours of their flight back to the U.S.

“This is something that they need to plan, and they need to start as soon as possible, wherever their destination is to book their appointments ASAP, because this is a requirement. and you will not be essentially getting on a plane coming back home, if you don’t have your proof of negative COVID-19 test,” Kaywan says.

A positive result could mean being stranded overseas in quarantine. Border restrictions may mean losing money for tours, lodging and transportation.

However, many companies offer specific COVID-19 travel insurance.

If you’re going overseas, check for policies that cover:

  • Expenses in case you are quarantined
  • Medical coverage if you get sick from COVID
  • Cancelations for lodging, tours transportation and airfare
  • Finally, look for policies that let you cancel for any reason, such as not wanting to travel during a COVID surge.

“From what we’ve seen in the last couple days people are continuing with their travel plans and they’ll see how it goes and what it’s going to end up being,” Kaywan says.

One thing that’s still to be announced: what type of rapid test will be acceptable within that 24-hour window. 7 On Your Side will keep checking so you’re ready if you’re traveling over the holidays.

Take a look at more stories and videos by Michael Finney and 7 On Your Side.

Have a question for Michael and the 7 On Your Side team? Fill out the form HERE! 7OYS’s consumer hotline is a free consumer mediation service for those in the San Francisco Bay Area. We assist individuals with consumer-related issues; we cannot assist on cases between businesses, or cases involving family law, criminal matters, landlord/tenant disputes, labor issues, or medical issues. Please review our FAQ here. As a part of our process in assisting you, it is necessary that we contact the company / agency you are writing about. If you do not wish us to contact them, please let us know right away, as it will affect our ability to work on your case. Due to the high volume of emails we receive, please allow 3-5 business days for a response.

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A check on insurance policy can help home based businesses make sure they’re covered

A check on insurance policy can help home based businesses make sure they’re covered

When Ana Maria Moreno decided to leave her career in social work to start a home-based business last year, she found herself facing a daunting to-do list that included everything from logo design to marketing strategy to customer outreach.

The Calgary woman — who runs her business out of her own kitchen, making and selling empanadas and other traditional foods from her native Colombia — acknowledges checking her insurance policy was the farthest thing from her mind.

“I didn’t think about it. I had all these people telling me I need to advertise, I need a logo, I should work on a trademark. It was a lot,” Mereno said. “I was just busy cooking food. I definitely didn’t think of everything.”

Read more:

Working from home for the foreseeable future? It could impact your home insurance

There are thousands of home-based businesses in Canada, running the gamut from hair salons to consulting firms to daycares — many run by first-time business owners.

Experts say new business owners should be aware that the typical home insurance policy offers only a small coverage limit for books, tools and instruments necessary for a business or profession. But it’s easy for entrepreneurs to get so caught up in the day-to-day demands of their new enterprise that they never even think about insurance, said Patricia Sheridan, Toronto-based director at insurance brokerage Burns & Wilcox.


“We see it a lot. I think a lot of the time it just does not occur to them,” Sheridan said.

“It’s typically not the first thing on people’s minds when they’re starting up a business.”

Not every home-based business operator will require specialized insurance coverage. Depending on the type of business, home-based business operators may or may not require a separate business insurance policy or an extension to their existing homeowners’ policy.

Read more:

‘I am concerned.’ B.C. wildfires could lead to higher home insurance rates

But it’s worth a phone call to find ask, Sheridan said. The last thing any business operator wants is to find out too late that their homeowners’ policy doesn’t allow for their specific type of business activity on the premises.

“The implications are that if they don’t have any other coverage for their business, and they think they’re just covered under their homeowners’ policy, their homeowners’ policy might cancel them if they find out about it,” Sheridan said. “Or if there is a claim they might not cover it.”


Anne Marie Thomas, director of consumer and industry relations with the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said individual business insurance needs vary widely.

“If you’re a one-person operation knitting tuques for babies, then the liability risk for the business is minimal. It’s you and some knitting needles and some wool,” she said. “But if you’re having a business where you’re having clients coming in and out of your home, that’s an increased liability risk for the insurance company.”

One scenario that should be considered by every home-based business operator include the possibility of a client falling and injuring themselves walking up the steps to the home. Another is the risk of being sued because of a problem with a product or service provided by the business. Personal liability on a home insurance policy wouldn’t cover these situations, but commercial liability insurance would.

Read more:

Omicron and travel: What new restrictions mean for refunds and insurance

Some home-based entrepreneurs may also have thousands of dollars worth of products or inventory sitting in their basement. That’s worth talking to your insurance company about, Thomas said.

Any business that involves building or manufacturing something within the confines of a home could also present liability concerns, Thomas added.

“To go to an extreme, if you’re building firecrackers in your home, that’s something where an insurance company is probably going to say, ‘I don’t think so,’” she said.

Read more:

The CPP earnings cap is increasing at the fastest rate in 30 years. Why and what it means

Every business and every insurance policy is unique, so that’s why it’s important for new entrepreneurs to talk to their brokers and be up-front about their specific situation and needs.

Thomas recommends home-based business operators touch base with their insurance representatives as soon as the business is launched, and that they keep in touch regularly as the business grows and evolves. Having a comprehensive risk management plan in place doesn’t have to be a complicated process, and can provide necessary peace of mind, she said.

“With insurance, it’s better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it,” she said.

© 2021 The Canadian Press

New Arizona Chamber Foundation policy brief examines groundwater policy

New Arizona Chamber Foundation policy brief examines groundwater policy

The Arizona Chamber Basis today released a new temporary in its series of whitepapers on Arizona water plan. What Lies Beneath: An Arizona Groundwater Policy Primer, is aimed at policymakers and stakeholders who want to find out a lot more about the public policy historical past of groundwater, the hydrologic dissimilarities in between surface drinking water and groundwater, how groundwater in the state is managed, and a lot more about 1 of the most critical and hard concerns facing Arizona. 

Past Arizona Chamber Foundation h2o policy briefs have examined the 7-point out Drought Contingency Approach, the importance of the Colorado River to Arizona, and the background of h2o preparing and management in the point out. 

“I am energized that when again the Arizona Chamber Basis is contributing to the important and required dialogue on h2o stewardship happening in the state,” Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Business President and CEO Danny Seiden explained. “An comprehending of groundwater’s contribution to Arizona’s economic climate and good quality of daily life is vital as we request ways to maintain the state’s financial progress in our arid desert weather and amid ongoing drought ailments. I believe that legislators, company officials, financial developers and leaders who want to build on Arizona’s longstanding name for intelligent water administration will uncover this new paper practical.” 

As aspect of its water policy instruction endeavours, the Arizona Chamber Basis in conjunction with Small business for H2o Stewardship last yr performed a series of webinars for legislators and the company local community on groundwater administration and groundwater’s good effect on the condition economic climate. 

Continuing its aim on groundwater, the new Arizona Chamber Foundation paper gives readers a historic snapshot of noteworthy achievements in area and groundwater administration, including passage of the Groundwater Code in 1980, which the Ford Basis referred to as 1 of the 10-most modern packages in state and regional authorities. 

As discussed in the paper, the Code has 3 primary objectives: 1) to control the overdraft of groundwater occurring in places of substantial depletion 2) to offer a signifies to allocate groundwater assets in Lively Administration Parts to satisfy switching needs additional effectively and 3) to augment Arizona’s groundwater through development of sustainable provides. 

“We cannot understate the good outcomes passage of the 1980 Groundwater Act has shipped for Arizona,” Seiden said. “More than 40 years back, Arizona leaders worked diligently to be certain that our most treasured organic resource was adequately cared for and managed so that our point out could carry on to prosper economically. That very same will to make certain Arizona’s water security for the a long time to come stays currently, as evidenced by ongoing get the job done by a new era of legislators in each get-togethers and endeavours like the Governor’s Drinking water Augmentation, Innovation, and Conservation Council. I am self-confident that Arizona leaders will when all over again tackle this most challenging challenge with a spirit of collaboration, cooperation, and a honest perception that Arizona’s greatest days are in advance.” 

The Arizona Chamber Basis in the coming weeks will share the paper with legislators and state and area officials, as perfectly as feature the sights of industry leaders and water policy authorities in upcoming editions of Chamber Organization Information.

How To Read The Fine Print Of Your Travel Insurance Policy – Forbes Advisor

How To Read The Fine Print Of Your Travel Insurance Policy – Forbes Advisor

Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor might gain a fee on revenue made from associate inbound links on this web page, but that does not impact our editors’ views or evaluations.

Evaluate & Get Journey Insurance plan For 2021

Examine Prices With In excess of 22 Journey Insurers

If you’re embarking on journey adventures again, it is a lot more essential than ever to invest in a in depth vacation coverage coverage, specifically for intercontinental journey.

“The policy is genuinely your roadmap to employing your gains. It spells out all the things you will need to know about your coverage, which include what is coated, when that protection begins and finishes, and what is excluded,” says Beth Godlin, spokesperson with Aon Affinity Journey Exercise.

A journey coverage policy can defend your trip investment decision in several significant approaches. Glimpse for a coverage that offers these advantages:

Excursion cancellation: Reimburses your non-refundable, pre-compensated deposits if you need to cancel your trip for a cause that’s lined by the coverage, this sort of as dying, disease or personal injury, a job lay-off, military services deployment, spouse and children emergencies or intense climate.

Vacation hold off: Handles the extra expenses you have to shell out if there’s a delay triggered by a reason included by the coverage, this sort of as an airline weather conditions delay. You can acquire reimbursement for resort stays and foods, and non-refundable deposits you lose because of to the delay.

Vacation interruption: Reimburses the non-refundable deposits for bookings and functions you overlook out on if you have to lower your journey limited. For case in point, if you’re hurt and have to return house, this coverage could reimburse you for the lodge deposit you eliminate for the unused evenings. This gain will also cover the fees involved with returning dwelling, these kinds of as a airplane ticket.

Health care price and professional medical evacuation: If you’re unwell or hurt although traveling, this can pay for health practitioner visits, X-rays, prescription medication and extra. If you will need health care evacuation, it pays to medevac you to the closest ample health-related facility.

Baggage reduction: Reimburses you for misplaced, ruined or stolen luggage and individual belongings even though you are traveling.

Discover the Causes Protected for Trip Cancellation

No a single will get up in the early morning and decides it would be enjoyable to browse their insurance coverage policies. Even so, it’s significant to browse your journey insurance policy, in particular the satisfactory motives for vacation cancellation statements. Vacation cancellations are among the top rated claims.

“The ‘covered reasons’ most frequently seasoned by vacationers incorporate harm or illness of the insured traveler, traveling companion or loved ones member,” claims Daniel Durazo, a spokesperson with Allianz Associates, a travel insurance plan supplier. “Other covered factors may consist of targeted traffic incidents, reduction of accommodations or documentation like a stolen passport, all-natural disasters, legal/get the job done/armed forces obligations or even a purchaser being denied boarding.”

Locate the Exclusions Sections

All travel insurance policies policies will include lists of exclusions. In actuality, procedures generally include far more than a single checklist of exclusions. For example, a plan may well have individual exclusion lists for trip cancellation, baggage hold off, health care promises and rental car destruction.

Health care statements exclusions frequently include things like things like:

  • Routine physicals and regimen dental tests
  • Mental overall health treatment
  • Bodily remedy
  • Elective treatments
  • Participation in journey or extreme actions

Check out Out the Protection Caps and Time Requirements

You may well know you have journey delay coverage, but how a lot? Vacation insurance plan policies can fluctuate commonly in phrases of coverage caps and demanded time delays.

For instance, the Gold plan from John Hancock Insurance coverage Company offers $1,000 per particular person for vacation delay, with a $200 day by day cap, following only a three-hour hold off. Other plans might have only $500 per person with a $125 daily cap, after a 12-hour hold off.

Of training course, excellent benefits are normally also reflected in pricing.

Know Distinct Regulations for “Cancel for Any Reason”

If you need the optimum overall flexibility for your vacation strategies, make sure your policy permits you to cancel for factors past what’s detailed in the base policy.

You can do this with a “cancel for any reason” (CFAR) enhance. It provides you partial reimbursement for canceling for any purpose that’s not listed, this sort of as unexpected concern of travel or a large fight with your traveling party. Be certain you recognize the conditions of CFAR. The principles generally include things like:

  • You need to have to terminate your excursion no significantly less than 48 several hours just before departure.
  • You will typically get well 75{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a} of your trip’s price, not 100{1b90e59fe8a6c14b55fbbae1d9373c165823754d058ebf80beecafc6dee5063a}.
  • You must add the upgrade within just a particular time interval right after your to start with vacation deposit, these types of as 14 times.

You May well Be Missing Out on Advantages You are Entitled To

Looking at the plan and plan documents can also support you uncover positive aspects you might not have acknowledged ended up bundled.

For example, states Godlin, trip cancellation insurance plan might protect you if you get into a motor vehicle accident en route to your flight departure. Or the plan could reimburse you for some of your prepaid journey if you have to slice your trip limited mainly because your home floods when you’re absent.

The Fantastic Print Affects Your Claim Results

Godlin at Aon Affinity suggests that two of the greatest factors promises are delayed or denied are because:

  1. The purchaser tries to file a assert for a cause which is not lined under the plan.
  2. The customer does not present the needed documentation (this sort of as receipts).

Your coverage will listing the lined factors to file a claim and the documentation essential.

“For instance, if you cancel for a health care purpose, you may well want to provide validation of the sickness or harm from a doctor,” says Godlin.

Use Your Free of charge Glance Time period

“You should really just take the time to browse all of the information to recognize the specific added benefits a journey insurance policy coverage features prior to getting, but if you don’t do your research before pulling the trigger, most policies come with a ‘free look’ time period,” states Durazo at Allianz. He suggests Allianz prospects have 15 days to go through via a policy to comprehend what is and is not covered.

In the course of this window, you can get in touch with if you have any inquiries and terminate the coverage for a complete refund if you experience it doesn’t satisfy your requirements, Durazo suggests.