It was evident that the fever, nausea and lack of appetite that Vlastimil Gajdoš felt on his wedding day were not for fear of getting married.
Gajdoš, 65, became ill in Honolulu, Hawaii, in March after arriving with his girlfriend from the Czech Republic. Gajdoš and Sylva Di Sandro, 58, intended to get married and spend their honeymoon on the island.
They got married, but, at the same time, they started an unexpected battle against the new coronavirus. The boyfriend was hospitalized for two weeks, part of the days in intensive care, connected to a ventilator. Like many tourists aware that medical care in the United States is more expensive than at home, Gajdoš bought a travel health plan that covered up to $ 300,000 in medical expenses.
But after Gajdoš was diagnosed with COVID-19 and his wife called to verify coverage, the newlyweds discovered a catch: The insurer said it would not pay in advance. And that he would consider reimbursing the expense only after Gajdoš was released from the hospital.
“He was very afraid that the doctors would not help him if they were unsure of coverage,” said Di Sandro, who had a mild case of COVID and did not have to be hospitalized.
The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the tourism industry, including insurance companies.
Even beyond the current crisis, travellers should pay special attention to the fine print on these covers.
Many plans offer health care coverage in case the person needs care during a trip. But these vary greatly by company, as they contain limits on payments, copays, and the circumstances surrounding medical necessity, such as whether or not they cover evacuation care.
Most traveller health plans exclude known or “anticipated” events, said Kasara Barto, a spokeswoman for Squaremouth, an online service that allows travellers to compare insurance options.
In some situations, a traveller can anticipate risk depending on their destination. For example, a regular policy may not cover a mountaineering accident while climbing Mount Everest.
Pandemic exclusion is also common, in which the insurer will not pay a traveller’s medical expenses if they are related to an outbreak like the coronavirus.
The language about exclusions can be vague, which could make it difficult for travellers to figure out if their plan will pay for COVID-19-related care, industry experts said. In principle, some plans do not specifically mention a pandemic as a covered or excluded circumstance, or the coverage time of a pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of the coronavirus as a global outbreak on March 11. Travellers who purchased tickets after that date should confirm that they have medical coverage for COVID-19, said Christopher Mosley, an insurance attorney at Sherman & Howard.
However, those times may be different in certain plans. Some insurers consider COVID-19 to be a risk in certain areas as early as January, Mosley added.
“There is no one-size-fits-all coverage,” said Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications for the Insurance Information Institute, a research organization backed by the insurance industry.
Perhaps the risk is higher for foreigners visiting the United States, which has the highest health care costs in the developed world. Many of the national health systems in European countries will treat foreigners at no cost or for much lower fees.
In the United States, embassies are intervening to help their citizens decipher these medical plans. In a notice, the Slovenian embassy in Washington, DC, specifically advises its citizens arriving in the country to check whether their insurance covers pandemics.
Officials at the Spanish embassy also said that insurance is an issue that has come up in talks.
The Czech Republic intervened in the case of Gajdoš and that of another Czech citizen who also had problems with his health plan, said Zdeněk Beránek, director of the mission for the Czech embassy in Washington, DC.
“This is not the cheapest country in the world when it comes to health care,” Beránek said, “so it’s better to be careful.”
Given the chaos of the pandemic, some insurers are choosing to stop selling traveller’s health policies entirely, including LV , a UK-based company.
But others, like Allianz, are expanding the benefits to include COVID-19 care. The company said it will accept some travel cancellations and medical claims related to the virus that is generally not covered in its plans, according to a press release.
Travel Health Plans (Health Insurances) May Not Cover Coronavirus Pandemics
“This is unknown territory for all insurance companies in this market,” said Don Van Scyoc, vice president of individual sales for travel insurer GeoBlue. The company sells plans for Americans travelling abroad and for foreigners who are away from their home countries for long periods. His plans cover COVID-19 care, he said.
Gajdoš and Di Sandro asked the Gajdoš embassy and employer for help after being denied coverage by their travel insurer. The employer promised to help him if his plan didn’t cover his hospital stay, he said, but the government intervention worked.
The insurer finally agreed to cover Gajdoš’s expenses.
The marriage did not disclose the final bill, but a typical 10-day treatment in an intensive care unit can cost several hundred thousand dollars.
Gajdoš was released from Queen’s Medical Center on April 8, grateful for the care. He said his insurer’s actions took him by surprise. She had intentionally bought a more expensive plan in the expectation that she would receive help, not that they would refuse to cover her care.
“You don’t have the energy to fight,” said Gajdoš. “You are focused on fighting for your life.”
