Insurance Experts: Coronavirus Is Not Covered Under Your Medical Policy

If in any case you get infected by the deadly Coronavirus, you will not use your medical insurance cover to get treatment.

Unfortunately, the policy started applying as soon as the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

Insurance experts say that once a disease is declared a pandemic, the burden of the medical expenses is transferred from the insurer to the Government.

Prior to the declaration by WHO, Coronavirus patients could have received treatment under their medical insurance cover but according to the Insurance Regulatory Authority, the option is now not applicable.

“The insurers will not be able to offer medical insurance cover for the condition at this moment. The insurers have this category of exclusion properly indicated in the policy documents,” Insurance Regulatory Authority Chief Executive Officer Godfrey Kiptum.

The experts say that a condition like Coronavirus has not been included in medical covers yet since it is a new pandemic thus including it in the cover would be costly.

“Insurers now have to think very quickly but I haven’t heard of anyone in the industry who has included coronavirus in their medical offerings,” said AAR Insurance chief executive Nixon Shigoli.

Nixon Shigoli opines that a good number of Kenyans would not go for the cover due to its cost and thus insurers would not meet their goals.

“The truth is, we might introduce a product that caters to coronavirus but the uptake may not be as promising. Very few Kenyans are conscious enough to buy such a cover,” he adds.

Mr. Shigoli said the insurance companies are currently working on new policies where “chronic illnesses, pre-existing conditions and in the event of epidemics would be covered.”

“Even for travel insurance, those who decide to travel will have to pay from their own pockets to cater for any corona-related treatments.”

Globally, the Coronavirus continues to spread and claim thousands of lives. As of March 11, 2020, 4,628 deaths have been reported with over 120,000 infections.

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