Exclusions from travel insurance must always be checked before departure, experts respond to the case of Czech climbers, to whom the Uniqa insurance company refuses to pay the costs of their rescue from the Pakistani mountain Rakapoši. They allegedly committed an act which is twice in conflict with the provisions of the insurance conditions. What to watch out for before traveling abroad?
Czech climbers Jakub Vlček and Petr Macek had valid travel insurance arranged through the Czech Mountaineering Association. It is an insurance policy for which the maximum performance is set at three million crowns and covers mountaineering, alpine hiking, ferrata, ski mountaineering, water sports, mountain biking, kitting and other sports.
However, as you can read on the union’s website, the insurance does not apply in countries that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not recommend to travel due to the war and other serious circumstances.
And the fact that Mount Rakapoši is in an area that is listed as not recommended / banned on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a big problem for climbers.
“Travel insurance does not apply in these areas, which for various reasons are identified as not recommended / prohibited by the state administration. This is clearly stated in the insurance conditions and applies in general to all trips abroad,” states the reason why Uniqa rejects rescue costs. to reimburse Czech climbers, spokeswoman Eva Svobodová.
As a second complaint, the insurance company stated that both climbers probably violated locally applicable legal norms. They are not allowed to climb the mountain without the official permission of the local competent authority. “This has not yet been fully confirmed, but it is evident from all the media reports. This action also establishes an exclusion from insurance coverage,” the spokesman added.
He adds that the insurance company will pay the costs of the rescue mission, or part of it, to the Pakistani forces, but at the same time it can later recover the costs from the climbers. “But the investigation of the event is still ongoing, we are also waiting for a personal meeting with the climbers,” the spokesman added. The amount it will pay is not yet known to the insurance company, the Pakistani side has not yet quantified it. But it will be hundreds of thousands of crowns.
Aktuálně.cz also received a statement from the Czech Mountaineering Association. “We are communicating with the insurance company to help resolve this unfortunate matter. The decision not to reimburse this insured event, however it appeared in the media, has not yet been taken. does not recommend traveling mainly due to the risk of terrorism, which affects the validity of the insurance, “says association spokeswoman Michaela Košatková.
She added that the union does not allow itself to judge the behavior of its members due to the limited information it has.
The area is not covered by the insurance
According to some insurance experts, exclusions in the form of banned or unrecommended destinations, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, are common in most insurance companies. Therefore, they should be watched by every traveler, whether they go abroad for any purpose.
“If a person interested in insurance is going to an area that is formally prohibited, then travel insurance does not apply to it,” confirms Jan Marek from Generali Česká pojišťovna and adds: “If we look at the facts, then on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs it is for Pakistan has stated that a special permit is required to stay above 6,000 meters above sea level. We do not have more verified information available at this time, so we cannot say unequivocally whether we would take such an expedition individually into insurance. ”
Historically, however, this insurance company has experience with alpine expeditions, they have already insured several climbers up to heights of over eight thousand meters above sea level. “We cover risky routes up to an altitude of six thousand meters above sea level. Staying above this limit can no longer be insured under normal conditions. Insurance, which is to cover a higher altitude, is always solved individually with regard to the client’s specific requirements,” adds Jan Marek.
He does not want to state the price at which such insurance climbs. “It’s an individual type of contract with all the aspects that come with it. It doesn’t make much sense to estimate the price in that case,” the spokesman said.
Annually, this insurance company arranges the units of such individual cases. “Of course, we are interested in, for example, how the expedition is organized and safety is ensured,” the spokesman said.
Arrange the insurance in person, not over the Internet
The Czech Insurance Association recommends people who are preparing for a risky journey, whether it is adrenaline sports or an area that is not very safe, to study the insurance conditions of travel insurance contracts. “We also recommend that people ask more insurance companies, find out in advance that all the risks of their journey and the area they are heading to are covered,” says Veronika Nová, a spokeswoman for the association.
As Jiří Matusík from Partners states, by reading the insurance conditions and especially by interpreting the exclusions, an ordinary citizen who does not know the “official language” will not learn much. “An expert or an employee of the insurance company must advise, who should draw attention to the exclusions, or answer questions,” says Matusík. Therefore, it is definitely better to take out a risk insurance in person, not through the web.
In the case of “normal travel” abroad – to cities, to beaches, to nature, according to him, there should be no major risk within the lockouts.
“But where to look out is on the way to the mountains, to areas above three thousand meters above sea level. Furthermore, when I am going to do risky sports and then in the case of expeditions to uninhabited areas. In such cases, it is necessary to find insurance to take out additional insurance, “says Matusík.
He cited as an example the non-fulfillment of insurance contracts for travelers who visited Peru and only as tourists moved at higher altitudes, which, however, were already mentioned in the contract as exclusions.
There is also the world-renowned Alpenverein insurance for alpine tourism, which is offered by the company of the same name. According to its employees, however, in the case of riskier destinations, it is necessary to take out additional insurance – for example, for trips to Canada, the United States or for ascents above 6,000 meters above sea level.
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