Health insurance

The employer is liable in case a traveling employees suffers an accident while working abroad. This means the employer is obliged to cover the medical costs. Although it might appear that the work to purchase extensive travel health insurance must be conducted by the employee, the legal frameworks stating what is an occupational accident during workations is ambiguous. Therefore, employers might be enjoined to cover the medical expenses if it is deemed as an occupational accident. Another concern is the quality of medical services employees get in case of an accident. The medical insurance coverage we would receive in destinations might not be as broad as expected, even if you carry public or private insurance and your home country has a social security treaty with the destination country. It is important to bear in mind that public insurance is only valid in the EU countries, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Iceland. Generally, it is advised to carry the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to prove the insurance coverage of your home country’s insurance while travelling abroad. Though public insurance is helpful, will it be able to cover all the different situations you may encounter during your temporary work abroad?

Consequences

· Medical expenses exceeding hundreds of thousands of euros

· Neglected Duty of Care

· Tremendous Brand damage

· Other non-financial losses Example: one mother required an early emergency delivery of her baby and post-natal treatments while travelling in a foreign country. After being discharged, she is facing a $950,000 bill for medical rehabilitation because she was not sufficiently educated on what is included in her existing insurance of the home country and because she did not procure a suitable travel health insurance (Nelson, 2014).

Handling of risk

To assess and mitigate risks the following information is needed:

· Insurance status of employee

· Duration of trip

· Insurance Coverage Conditions

WorkFlex solution

WorkFlex offers a comprehensive travel insurance to eliminate the risk of employers and employees in covering medical expenses in the event of a medical emergency abroad.

· Unlimited medical coverage to suit your and your employee’s needs while in a foreign country, including any emergency situation in any clinic, dental treatments, cases of Covid-19 and medical repatriation

· No restrictions on home & destination countries: Many insurance providers have great restrictions on countries their packages cover. With the WorkFlex solution there are no restrictions on home & destination countries eligible for the insurance package

· Easy-to-use & integrated with WorkFlex platform for a seamless and easy application

· No administrative burden: WorkFlex team takes care of applying, communicating and managing the insurance package throughout the whole employee workation period

· Comprehensive & easy-to-grasp guide of the insurance policy provided for the employee and employer. The Hallesche Emergency Line also provides 24/7 phone and email support for any questions about the insurance coverage or assistance while abroad.

If you want to learn more about WorkFlex’s insurance feature, feel free to book a demo or reach out to your WorkFlex consultant!

Deep-dive articles about health insurance

· How to keep you and your employees safe during workations?