Insurance: confusion over medical cover for swine flu
There may be a political debate raging over the naming of the new and deadly disease that has been called "Swine Flu" but which many say has no connection with pigs, but equally disturbing is the confusion over whether travel insurance covers those who become infected with whatever the disease is.
UK insurer LV= (don't blame us, someone in a marketing department obviously thought that was a good idea for a name) says that its travel insurance policies will cover those who decide to cancel travel plans to Mexico/
LV= says that those who booked their trip before the UK's FCO issued its travel warning against all but essential travel to Mexico (here) can regard that warning as an event that would lead to a covered cancellation.
But, and here is the the rub: those that do go may well not be covered if they do catch the disease.
Most travel insurance policies include a provision that cover will not be afforded for trips where the Foreign Office warns against travel.
Usually, these warnings are for personal safety in violent places and the warnings for health matters are rare.
It is not, at this point, clear whether a traveller who visits Mexico, breaks a leg but does not contract flu will be afforded treatment.
In principle, it should be covered but it is possible that some insurers would seek to invalidate the policy all together.
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