Canadians Are Satisfied with Travel Medical Insurance

Filing a travel medical insurance claim is never something someone looks forward to. But 91 percent of Canadian travelers making a claim say they are satisfied with the customer service experience, from initial contact to final outcome, according to a survey.

Also, more than eight out of ten Canadians are generally satisfied with travel medical insurance, according to new public opinion research by Pollara Strategic Insights and sponsored by the Canadian Association of Financial Institutions in Insurance (CAFII). Furthermore, only 2 percent of travel medical insurance claims were rejected, survey respondents said.

Some 31 percent of claimants had a complaint about the claim experience, mostly about the length of time it took to process a claim, and lack of clarity about what was required.

Canadians also told researchers that at the time of purchasing their travel medical insurance policy, 89 percent felt reasonably confident of their knowledge of the terms and conditions, as well as the limitations and exclusions of their policies.

The Canadian government has been reviewing the travel insurance industry the last two years, after an initial analysis showed that both travel agents and consumers found the industry’s products and terminology to be complex and difficult to understand at times. CAFII last conducted a survey of Canadian travelers in 2015.

When it comes to choosing their travel medical insurance, Canadians said the top six factors influencing their decisions are: 

• features and benefits (87 percent vs 86 percent in 2015);
• overall amount of coverage (85 percent – not asked in 2015);
• ability to speak to someone (83 percent vs 81 percent in 2015);
• price (81 percent vs 76 percent in 2015);
• ease of purchase (77 percent vs 70 percent in 2015); and,
• coverage for pre-existing conditions (71 percent vs 66 percent in 2015).

The online survey represents responses from 1,200 adult Canadians conducted by Pollara Strategic Insights between February 16th and March 5th, 2018, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent.