Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Family
travel insurance expanded to include unmarried households
A press release issued today over PR Newswire reports that Access America has announced the August debut of its groundbreaking family-friendly travel insurance coverage which will include unmarried household members and live-in attendants of travelers.
This extraordinary coverage, which the release
says is not offered by any other travel insurance company, will take effect
on Aug. 1, 2003, as part of the company's travel protection plans. "We feel
strongly that these innovative new offerings will better serve the traveling
public. We're proud to be the first U.S. company to offer such wide-ranging
coverage," according to Beth Godlin, senior vice president of marketing.
The definition of family member now includes persons with whom the
policyholder has lived with continuously for 12 months prior to the
effective date of coverage, or a live-in employed caregiver, such as a nanny
or health aide. Trip cancellation for normal pregnancy or attending the
birth of an immediate family member applies if the pregnancy occurs after
the effective date of coverage.
Recent data illustrate the changing portrait of the American family.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, some 82 million people are unmarried, and
many cohabiting partners who travel together are counted in that number.
Recent data from the American Association of Retired Persons counts more
than 22 million Americans who act as caregivers for their parents, older
relatives or friends. Furthermore, many
families rely on caregivers -- nannies and home health aides -- to help them
travel.
Access America is the travel division of World Access. World Access provides
travel insurance products and emergency assistance services through top
travel agencies, credit card issuers, travel Web sites and insurance
companies to millions of people every year as they travel on both domestic
and international trips. World Access is a member of the Mondial Assistance
Group, the international leader in business-to-business assistance, services
and travel insurance, with operations centers in 28 countries. All benefits
may not be immediately available in all states, depending on rules set by
each state's department of insurance
