The Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR) in late May 2017 released its Travel Health Insurance Products Position Paper detailing final recommendations to the issues it identified in travel health insurance, to enhance consumer protection and confidence, including:

• Development of common standardized definitions and terminology
• Improvements to the application, screening and claims process
• Simplifying and improving disclosure documents
• Ensuring adequate controls and oversight mechanisms are in place throughout the product life-cycle
• Improved training and information for sales forces

According to the position paper’s non-binding conclusion and recommendations, “Overall, Canada does have a strong and reliable travel insurance market. However, […] there are opportunities for improvements […], especially in the fair treatment of consumers.”

In other words, Canadian travel insurers do well, however this is at the expense of their clients. According to the CCIR document, undue complexity of products and processes as well as (generally involuntary) misselling by intermediaries often result in conflicts with consumers when claims arise. Greater transparency at all levels is called for.

The position paper is available by clicking here (PDF download)

Established in 1914, the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators is a non-governmental, national association of insurance regulators. Its mandate is to support an efficient and effective insurance regulatory system in Canada to serve the public interest. Website: http://www.ccir-ccrra.org/en/