High-Risk Insurance... (including War & Terrorism Cover)

In terms of coverage, benefits and policy triggers, Membership works in the same way as an emergency medical, crisis and evacuation insurance policy. 

What sets our Membership apart is that it was developed by Inherent Risks, in partnership with Lloyd’s and other specialist underwriters, from extensive experience of providing Travel Risk Management and Duty of Care services to thousands of international and local staff working and volunteering in Ukraine.

Membership can be easily purchased online, day or night, at www.UkraineResponse.com with the flexibility to extend travel online for as little as one day; even if you are already in Ukraine. Membership includes War & Terrorism cover and is not a ‘self-rescue’ policy.

Members can call the 24/7 emergency response phone number to request assistance.


 

War & Terrorism Cover, often referred to as War Risk Insurance, is an insurance policy that provides financial protection to the policyholder against losses from events such as invasions, insurrections, riots, strikes, revolutions, military coups, and terrorism.

In Ukraine it is extremely important to check that your insurance/membership policy covers War & Terrorism related incidents.

For example, if you are injured/killed in Ukraine as a result of an act or war or terrorism, if your policy does not cover War & Terror, then you will not be covered for treatment.

Definitions can vary between insurers. If you are not sure if you are covered or not, through our insurance risk advisors and affiliate insurance brokers, we can assist you in choosing the right risk control measures and levels of cover for you and your organisation.

To speak to a Risk Advisor, please email: support@inherentrisks.com 


 

'Self-Rescue' is a term that Inherent Risks penned in 2022 to describe insurance policies sold to unsuspecting travellers' who do not know that the Emergency Assistance provider contracted by certain insurers have no capabilities in Ukraine whatsoever.

This essentially means that when a traveller has become sick or been injured while in Ukraine, upon calling the Emergency Assistance and Claims phone number to request help, they are told to arrange their own ambulances, pay their own bills, and make their own way to Poland before the Assistance/Claims provider can help them.

Unfortunately this has happened many times. And, there are still several of these 'self-rescue' type insurance policies being sold to travellers who are entering Ukraine.

Finding out that help is not just a phone call away when you need help the most is far too late. It is extremely important that you conduct your own due diligence on capabilities and limitations of insurance providers.

Inherent Risks works in the best interest of the policyholder. If you have questions about a specific insurance policy, through our duty of care advisors and affiliate insurance brokers, we are here to help.


 

The associated costs of a medical repatriation from Ukraine all depends on your medical condition and country of domicile (where you call home). Different illnesses and injuries can require specific and specialised ground and air ambulances.

Before a medical repatriation is considered, you will have likely been rescued from the point of incident (where you became ill or injured), quite possibly by ground ambulance, and taken to the nearest medical centre for immediate assessment and treatment.

Once triaged and stabilized, it's likely then that you will be transferred from the initial medical centre to a more suitable hospital (further west in Ukraine and therefore considered safer), for further medical assessments and treatment. 

At this point, a medical doctor will also assess you for travel (by road and air).

Depending on the specific medical condition(s), due to the complexities of operating in Ukraine, the security situation on-the-ground, and the vast distances across the country; medical treatment and evacuation costs up to this point could reach over $50,000 USD.

Each and every medical case is different, but for a medical repatriation by air, you would need to be evacuated out of Ukraine into one of the border countries, either Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania or Moldova.

This could involve being transferred onto a helicopter at the border and being transported by air to an airport, then onto an air ambulance that will fly you home.

The costs involved for this could reach over $200,000 USD, especially if where you call home is the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that ALL foreign nationals have appropriate medical and evacuation insurance, that includes medical repatriation, with a minimum coverage amount of at least $250,000 USD.



 

Every single insurance policy is different and there are exceptions to every rule. However, for a vast majority of travel insurance policies included with credit card benefits, the policy is designed for typical vacation destinations and risks (not travel in a war zone).

At Inherent Risks we have been asked this question every single week since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24th February, 2022. As a result, with our broker affiliates, we have reviewed hundreds of insurance policies on behalf of travellers'. 

A vast majority exclude Ukraine for travel. For those that still include Ukraine, they are typically a standard travel insurance policy and as such, they do not have in-country medical assistance services or up-to-date medical networks. And typically, they do not cover War & Terrorism.

Travel in Ukraine requires a specialist high-risk insurance policy or membership programme that is designed specifically for the risks and complexities associated with operating in Ukraine.