TRAVEL INSURANCE
Thinking Beyond Travel
Insurance
L
ike most people, when getting
ready to go on vacation and
planning a trip, you think about
many things: What should I
pack? What will I need? What
time do I need to be at the airport? And
then there’s the dreaded security line,
making sure your itinerary is in order,
and of course, making sure your passport
and travel insurance information are on
hand.
So did I, until my last vacation at least.
Let me briefly describe the event: I was
sitting in the hotel lobby FaceTiming
on my phone with family at home.
When I stood up after the call, I didn’t
realise that the glass top on the coffee
table ahead of me had a broken corner. I
caught my leg on the corner and, looking
down thinking nothing at first, I saw the
damage to my leg—a pretty wide gash
opened up. This resulted in a trip to a
medical clinic where I needed stitches to
close it all up. After getting back from the
clinic to the resort where we stayed and
talking with our travel group, we got to
thinking beyond travel insurance.
We started to think about ancillary facts
like who knew their blood type and who
among those they travel with might
also know if that information was ever
needed? What about medical history?
What if a transfusion was needed by
someone? When traveling, we end up
miles away from home. In my case, we
were in a country where English wasn’t
their first language and, let’s face it, my
Spanish is more than limited. How would
foreign medical staff access any medical
history? They couldn’t unless it was
given to them. How would that impact
treatment?
While your travel insurance is an
essential piece to plan for before traveling,
this personal experience taught me
that it is also a great idea to write down
some of your up-to-date medical history
and make sure your spouse or traveling
companion also has it in case you are in
a position where you couldn’t provide it
yourself.
Danny Corriveau, President of Cooke Capital, has a
passion for consulting with businesses, large and small,
seeking customized Group Health Plan solutions.
His experience serving a broad client base enables
Danny to respond quickly to the unique needs of
both employers and employees enhancing long-term
prosperity for his clients.
BY: DANNY CORRIVEAU,
COOKE CAPITAL
Think about things like medications,
blood type, any chronic problems you
may have (diabetes, etc.) and anything
else that may be relevant to medical
providers if you are away from home.
From an insurance perspective, if you
are part of a group plan, make sure
that you know the stability clause
on any preexisting conditions before
traveling. If you are unsure, make sure
you communicate with your insurance
company prior to your trip—things
like changes in medical conditions or
medications. If you are pregnant, how far
into the pregnancy are you still allowed
to travel? Are you going to a region where
the Government of Canada has issued an
advisory? These are all potential pitfalls
that can create issues when claims are
made. Avoid the surprise and find out
before you leave.
What do all of these things have in
common? They are things many people
don’t think about until it is too late to do
anything about them. Even taking travel
out of the equation, keeping a medical
information sheet on your person is just a
good habit to have.
Do you have a travel information kit with
your medical information in it? It can
be as simple as keeping a card with your
medical info in your wallet or purse. Who
knows? Someday it could be something
handy to have. Give me a call at 902-566-
5666 if you have any questions. +
31