A harsh winter may have many Lloydminster residents considering a vacation, but some agencies are warning residents to make sure they’re covered before leaving.
The Saskatchewan Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority recommends reading travel insurance policies carefully and in detail before leaving, making sure they understand any exclusions and pre-existing conditions that may affect their policy and know how to make a claim before leaving.
Jennifer Doree, a client service representative with the Lloydminster branch of the Co-Operators, says that travel insurance polices are not all the same, and residents should buy based on need.
“You can get your emergency hospital and medical, which is your basic medical coverage, we offer ten million [dollars] per person that’s on the policy. Then you have options above and beyond that, so you can have trip cancellation, trip interruption, baggage, a type of life insurance. It really depends on what you need.”
One thing both the FCAA and Doree recommend to avoid added stress is knowing how to file an insurance claim before leaving.
“We advise on our end that anything that you’d go to a walk-in clinic for, pay it out of pocket and then claim it when you get back. Every company has a different way of doing claims, but we do if you need to be hospitalized, then you would immediately start the claim as you’re being admitted so that you’re not paying anything out of pocket.”
Doree says travellers should ask as many questions as possible to an insurance agent to avoid common pitfalls.