Insurance to cover hotels for quarantine

My reading is that being quarantined for EXPOSURE or government policy reasons doesn’t qualify but being quarantined for a confirmed diagnosis does. The pertinent part of what you quoted is this:

If you contract COVID-19 while on a covered trip, you would be covered
for Medical Expense and Trip Interruption/Curtailment benefits if you have a confirmed and
documented diagnosis.“

So whatever interruption and curtailment benefits are in the policy should apply if you have a documented positive.

Not a lawyer or insurance professional and I can’t say for sure but the policy certainly reads that it’s the documented diagnosis that is important.

I purchased my usual Nationwide travel policy, which includes Quarantine as a Hazard that can trigger Trip Cancellation (before departure) and Trip Delay (after departure) if required to quarantine by a doctor or government official. The amount of hotel coverage depends on the Nationwide Trip Delay benefit.

There is a similar policy branded byTrawick, which is a wrapper around a policy underwritten by Nationwide that had explicit coverage for hotels in the event of quarantine. When I reviewed the Trawick branded policy a few months ago, the hotel coverage was much higher (might have been $2000, but I'm not certain) than the Nationwide policy that I purchased. The Trawick branded policy was also more expensive than Nationwide.

"Trip Delay provides coverage for transportation, meals, and lodging when you are quarantined by a physician or government."

You should check each policy carefully to see which part of the policy (in Nationwide/Trawick case Trip Delay) covers hotel costs in the event of quarantine after the start of the trip, and know the coverage limits of that provision.

I bought a Tin Leg Gold policy specifically for the reason you are wondering. Under their "Medical Coverage for COVID-19" and under the "more detail" it states, "Hotel room, not already included in the cost of Your Covered Trip, if recommended as a substitute for a Hospital room for recovery from an Emergency Sickness);".

Since insurance policy’s vary from state to state and you are asking a very specific question may I suggest: call insuremytrip.com. The customer service folks are insurance agents. They can steer you toward the coverage you are requesting.

After reading many entries on travel forums, I called my Seven Corners insurance company yesterday regarding the policy I purchased for a Portugal/Spain trip next month. I wanted further clarification. I had previously also purchased the optional travel protection policy that the tour company offers through AON but I wanted more coverage for medical if needed. The additional policy does not cover trip cancellation but it does cover travel delay before during and after the established “end date” of the tour/coverage due to medical reasons. Both policies require a doctor’s note stating that I must quarantine if my test to return to the US is positive, resulting in extra days hotel stay. The positive test report is not sufficient to make a claim. Also - I’ve learned that most policies require you select your US state of residence in the drop down on their site to find the maximum daily hotel/meal allowance and total maximum overall trip delay allowance and the number of days past the end of the tour date that would be covered. I was not aware that my state of residence determines the amount of coverage.

@pj. That is because insurance is regulated on a state by state basis.

Some insurance companied are not licensed in specific states.

As I understand it the key phrase is TRIP EXTENSION which covers the 7-10 days depending on the policy if you have to quarantine as a result of testing positive.

And yes insurance is regulated state by state so not all policies are offered in all states.

My policy calls it Trip Delay… delay can be to begin the tour, to join a tour in progress or to add days past the trip end date due to illness/accident. Terminology among insurers is not consistent, adding to confusion.

The insurance I had bought prior for my trip to Portugal had that doctor note requirement. As countries recommend versus mandate quarantine /isolation how is that coverage going to work? If the country only recommends quarantine and you can't board a plane home, then what? Doesn't sound like that situation would be covered.

Thanks for all your feedback. Appreciate the help!

I found this statement in Travel Guard website (different company might have different rule):
https://www.travelguard.com/travel-news/coronavirus-advisory

• What happens if I am quarantined due to contracting COVID-19 while on a trip? If you are quarantined as a result of COVID-19, you could be covered under the Trip Interruption/Curtailment, Trip Delay, and/or Medical Expense benefits. A confirmed diagnosis and proof of illness from a physician is required. Coverage is subject to the terms and conditions of your insurance policy. Please click here to access a copy of your policy.

I interpret it as one must get a confirmed positive diagnosis and document from a doctor stating that quarantine is required.
A positive test using a home test kit with tele-health video service likely won't cut it.

We are traveling to England in June. I'm researching trip delay coverage in case we test positive prior to returning to the U.S. at the end of June. (We already have medical coverage and cancellable flights/hotels.) Apologies for being dense, but has anyone actually received trip delay coverage for testing positive for Covid prior to flying home from England under the wording discussed by these policies? I am thinking of the "quarantined by a physician or a government". That seems like it could leave the travel insurance companies some wiggle room. I don't know that an English physician would quarantine me even after a documented positive test, as that is not a requirement in England? Similarly, the English government would not issue a mandatory quarantine either (if I understand the current guidance).

Maybe I am being too skeptical, but my experience has been insurance companies are good at finding reasons not to pay! I will ask the insurance companies specifically but am interested in folks' personal experiences. We have planned to just cover the additional costs ourselves, but it seems like the Rick Steves Covid weekly reports have strongly recommended the Covid trip insurance so now I'm rethinking that. Thank you in advance for your help with this question!

This is such a tough subject! First of all, none of us want to be in the position of having to make a claim. Secondly, there is fear that the claim won’t really be approved if we do make one.

I think the best approach is to contact your travel insurance company as soon as you get an official positive test ( can be at clinic or telemedicine) and ask specifically what their directions are and what you will need to file a claim. They can direct you to the specific type of documentation required at that time. If a doctor’s note is required, they should be able to tell you that. Document all conversations.

Apologies for being dense, but has anyone actually received trip delay coverage for testing positive for Covid prior to flying home from England under the wording discussed by these policies?

Sharon, My thoughts as well.

We have rarely bought trip insurance and have never wished we had. Even through Covid cancellations we either got our money back or received vouchers. My H will be 81 on our next trip. After reading the numerous posts on this subject and doing research at well known companies. His insurance which we'd get just for the Covid coverage for positive test result before the flight home would cost 20% of his trip cost because you have to buy all the other stuff he doesn't need. Also, it seems to me the positive rate has been, at least for RS tours, less than 2% of the people. I also figure if we stayed 11 more days the cost would come to less than $4000.00. While I don't like that figure, it certainly isn't retirement breaking. The only coverage he really needs is evacuation, which he can get reasonably...if he passes their review...for much less money. So, am I missing something? This seems to be fairly low risk, low cost exposure. Where the actual payout by the insurance companies seems risky. What is the thought process for you because I'm missing something here...

Wray, you are not missing anything. Our thought process and experience pricing travel insurance has been similar to yours. The reason I asked is that given how strongly the Rick Steves organization has been recommending trip interruption insurance in case of a positive Covid test, I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything from a financial standpoint. We have never used trip insurance and my husband figures we've come out ahead even paying for the occasional hiccups. BUT, just want to make sure I'm really understanding our options. Appreciate you sharing your perspective.

I usually don't purchase trip insurance in addition to that provided by my Chase Credit Card. I decided that this summer is probably I time I might want to mitigate my financial risks a bit more. I bought a policy from Allianz and they sent me this email clarifying their covid coverage. It seems quite reasonable to me. Note: a doctor's note is not required if you have an official covid test.

"However, for a temporary period in response to the ongoing public health and travel crisis, we are currently accommodating claims for:

Under Emergency Medical Care Benefit: Emergency medical care for a customer who becomes ill with COVID-19 while on their trip.
Under Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption Benefits: Trip cancellation and trip interruption if a customer becomes ill with COVID-19 either before or during their trip.
Customers who become ill with COVID-19 while on their trip will not be subject to the Trip Interruption benefit's five-day maximum limit for additional accommodation and transportation expenses (however, the maximum daily limit for such expenses and the maximum Trip Interruption benefit limit still apply).

Please note, to confirm COVID-19 illness, we require a physician's diagnosis or confirmation, or the verified record of a positive molecular (e.g. PCR) or antigen COVID-19 test performed by a third party testing service provider."

Hi Carol, I just got off the phone with Allianz and confirmed (as you stated above) that a test from a pharmacy will suffice. But, don’t you still need to see a doctor (online or in person) to get a recovery statement to fly home?

Donna, that is a different issue.

You need an official positive test so you can claim isolation or medical expenses for travel insurance.
You need an official positive test so you can get a certificate of recovery from a physician if necessary. Some people will test negative prior to when they would be applying for a certificate of recovery and not need one.

Hi Carol, you’re correct. I thought about the various scenarios after I posted. Guess I’m just focusing on worse case; test positive, still positive (but ok) 10 days later. Thanks.