Pandemics & Travel medical insurance: What should expats in Germany do now?

Although the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on our personal lives is slowly becoming clear, it will take a lot longer for its effects on global economies to be felt. With this in mind, and because the severity of the forthcoming financial crisis is still unclear, companies are understandably being cautious.

It therefore comes as no surprise to hear that some travel medical insurance providers are having difficulties with their cost calculations. They are slowly coming to the realisation that, if these lockdowns last much longer, their expenses will not be manageable in the long term.

How reliable is your travel health insurance? ERICON broker can find out!

Coronavirus & travel medical insurance: The problem

Taking these additional “corona costs” into account has forced many to make a virtually unprecedented move: not only newly-established, but also well-known insurers on the German market are, at this moment in time, pulling back and simply not renewing certain insurance contracts when they expire – leaving those individuals exposed.

Moreover, the sudden outbreak of coronavirus, with all the disruption it has brought to the travel industry, has laid bare for many people the flaws in their insurance policies. Those who opted for an attractive price tag might now be finding that they possess a limited level of cover (with exclusion clauses for, for instance, a pandemic) or hidden costs. During a time of financial hardship, this extra strain on already limited funds is causing unnecessary stress.

What should expats in Germany with travel medical insurance do?

Whether you too have experienced a situation like this with your insurer, or you are in possession of a travel insurance policy and, reading these lines, are now unsure of whether you might be affected, it’s time to look closely at the small print of your plan.

This is not said to create panic, but to spread awareness. Since the basic idea of medical insurance is to make sure you have the right level of cover to protect your health – which in these unprecedented times is being highlighted more than ever – the best advice is to be proactive rather than reactive.

What this means is that you should find out how reliable your current health insurance provider really is – taking into account the broader picture, for instance their policy when it comes to pandemics.

Now is the time to contact them.

ERICON can help

This is where ERICON broker steps in. Rather than simply presenting you with a new health insurance policy, their first step is to verify your current health plan and – only if necessary – find a new insurance product that suits you best, taking into account your personal needs and health status.

Choosing ERICON broker gives you access to a wide range of both international and German health insurance plans.

With multi-lingual staff and many years of experience in the health insurance sector, ERICON has never yet encountered a scenario they have not been able to handle. As a matter of course, all of their policies are easily renewed, EU friendly, visa approved and fully compliant with German legislation.