This is my most asked question right now. As much as I would advise my clients to NOT travel at this time, some of us feel this is not an option for them. If you go on the Canadian Travel Advisory Website, they are also advising you not to travel out of country.
I have put the wording from the Canadian Travel Advisory at the bottom of the Blog.
This seems pretty clear, DO NOT Travel.
In a perfect world we would all stay home and be paid to be safe. However, that is not everyone’s reality. So what do you do if you have to travel for business?
Met Life has partnered with Empire Life and they have a Business Out of Country Contract called Voyageur. It has some of the following features, and many more:
- Urgent and Emergency Care: requires immediate action or attention
- Examples – Pink eye, food poisoning, fever, Car Accident, Heart Attack, Broken Leg, Covid-19 Symptoms, the Flu, Unforeseen complications related to a pregnancy (prior to travel I would want to check up on how many weeks along for pregnancy to be covered)
- Covers employees and their dependents traveling on business for six months or less at a time
- No Pre-Existing Condition
- No Exclusion for a Pandemic
The benefit includes:
- 100% reimbursement on covered expenses
- Up to a $300,000 USD insurance benefit
- No Deductible
- Evacuation $250,000
- Prescription Drug Use Unlimited
- And did I mention NO pre-existing condition
What we did for one client is he is travelling and he is covered under his Employee Benefit Out of Country Coverage which has a $5,000,000 maximum. Due to the trip advisory, there is no coverage under this contract should he contract Covid while out of country. If there was an accident or an illness not related to Covid, he and his dependents would have coverage under this contract. This is where the Voyageur contract came into play, to cover the missing piece.
The two benefits combined will provide him and his dependents with the best coverage possible while travelling out of country on business.
If you are looking for unique solutions to your insurance plans, contact Glendinning Insurance Services at 250-764-0142.
we are your Trusted Advocates
“Official Global Travel Advisories
Avoid non-essential travel outside of Canada and avoid all cruise ship travel until further notice.
Many countries continue to have strict travel restrictions in place, and the availability of options for international transportation remain limited. As a result you may have difficulty returning to Canada. While some countries are partially opening their borders, we continue to advise against non-essential travel outside of Canada. We also continue to advise that you avoid all cruise ship travel until further notice.
The governments of those destinations that have opened their borders to tourists could impose strict travel restrictions suddenly, should they experience an increase in cases of COVID-19. International transportation options could be reduced significantly, making it difficult for you to return to Canada. There are no plans to offer additional repatriation flights. Should you decide to travel despite our advisories, know that you might have to remain abroad longer than you expected.
If you choose to travel despite these advisories:
- you may have difficulty obtaining essential products and services
- you may suddenly face strict movement restrictions and quarantines at designated facilities and at your own cost
- your insurance may not cover your travel or medical expenses
- we may have limited capacity to offer you consular services.
If you are currently outside Canada or you are returning home, see COVID-19 safety and security advice for Canadians abroad.”