Stranded in war zone: Travel insurance to cover hospitalisation for illness, but not evacuation to India

War, riots and acts of terror 

Insurers are now reluctant to issue fresh travel policies to those intending to travel to Israel in the days to come. “The government has issued a cautionary travel advisory and given the risks, a trip to Israel will not be eligible for a travel insurance coverage. Now, we cannot stop people from buying policies as some would have purchased it well in advance, while others might purchase travel policies with worldwide coverage (therefore, could include Israel). However, even in such cases, medical and travel inconvenience (such as loss of passport and baggage) claims will not be approved,” says Nikhil Apte, chief product officer for Product Factory (Health) at Royal Sundaram General Insurance.

Travel insurance policies come with medical evacuation feature, but that will not come into play in situations like these. “That clause is applicable if a traveller who is covered under travel insurance were to fall sick and would need to be brought back to India for further treatment,” says Apte. The call to airlift a policyholder is taken when the cost of treatment in the destination country is likely to be higher than in India or her interests are likely to be better served in the country.

Some policies such as ICICI Lombard’s international travel policy also offer political risk and catastrophe evacuation cover. While war is an exclusion under this policy as well, the company had considered evacuation claims - reimbursement of flight fare - under its political risks and catastrophe evacuation cover when the Russia-Ukraine conflict broke out in February 2022.

Also, evacuation will always be managed by the government. It is unlikely that chartered flights to facilitate evacuation will be permitted by any conflict-hit country – only government-operated flights could be allowed to carry out such evacuation operations. “Travellers, in any case, need not worry about their return to India under such circumstances. The government has, in the past, as well as in the present scenario organised evacuation from such zones back to the home country,” says Apte.

Then, there could be cases where the government authorities could arrange evacuation only up to a safe destination closest to the hostile country. “Even in the current case, some governments are evacuating their citizens to Cyprus. They have to bear the cost of travel from Cyprus to their country. In this scenario, too, evacuation costs will not be covered as the operation is linked to a war,” says an insurance official who did not wish to be named.

Hospitalisation due to sickness payable

But what if a tourist is stranded in a war-torn zone and contracts, say, malaria, that requires hospitalisation? “If the policyholder falls sick and has to go to the hospital, ideally, travel insurance policies should cover such expenses,” says Bhabatosh Mishra, director for underwriting, products and claims at Niva Bupa Health Insurance.

As long as your treatment is not linked to any pre-existing disease, your claim is eligible for approval. Treatment expenses related to injuries sustained due to conflicts, however, will not be reimbursed. Also, in a volatile situation, honouring medical claims on the ground will boil down to the ability of network hospitals or healthcare partners in the destination countries to provide the services.

On their part, students and travellers in conflict-hit countries should proactively call their insurers and their partners to ascertain details of coverage and exclusions. Many do not read the terms and conditions in detail and while some do, it is best to contact the insurer for clarity on coverages, given the rapidly-changing scenarios in the case of war-like scenarios.

“In a fluid situation, communication lines may not always be open. Therefore, reach out to your insurer and enquire about potential requirements for availing of, say, cashless hospitalisation due to any illnesses. Get the key information in advance. Also, keep the Indian embassy informed about your whereabouts,” says Mishra.

If a traveller’s policy covers evacuation due to political risks, she should check whether specific advice to her to evacuate will be covered under her travel policy. While only the governments carry out evacuation, insurance companies could pay for economy class airfare back to India due to any political risks that travellers face.