Insurance follow-up

I'll clarify a few things further. Here's a chart comparing the two policies (both attached).

SOS’s Plan (through TIPS)	UW’s Plan
Emergency Medical $1,000,000 Trip Cancellation & Interruption $5,000 Trip Delay $200 Missed Connection $1,500  Added Air Related Expenses $200 Baggage & Personal Effects $800 Limit Per Item $300 Mislaid Baggage $100 Personal Money $100 Lost or Stolen Passport/Travel Visa $500 Lost or Stolen Travel Tickets $250 Airflight Accident $25,000	Emergency Medical $1,000,000

The UW insurance plan is okay, but it is not a travel insurance plan. It misses a lot of potential scenarios that you don’t want to be stuck in:
If you happen to get sick prior to departure and can’t go (has happened to volunteers in the past), UW will not reimburse you for your flight cost.

If you lose your passport on the trip, it can cost upwards of $500 to coordinate with the Canadian embassy to get a new one

If your bags are lost or damaged, the insurance provider will reimburse you on top of what the airline does.

Costs incurred for a missed connection (if weather is bad or there are mechanical problems) are fully covered

Although these are unlikely situations, we have had some of these come in previous trips (trip cancellation due to sickness / unforeseeable issues a big one). UW's basic travel plan simply does not cover a lot of instances that we want to ensure you are safe from.

Additionally, it is important to us as an organization that all volunteers on a trip are covered under the same plan so that we are able to take any necessary course of action to assist participants, so you are cared for in the best way (which doesn’t cost you lots of additional money to do so).

Lastly, although we acknowledge that some individuals may have coverage through their parents' plans (only 10 of you are covered under this UW policy), with over 60 students travelling around Latin America in August, we cannot make specific arrangements for each individual's insurance situation. To expect your volunteer leaders and SOS national here in Canada to know the in’s and out’s of every insurance plan could result in missing a step in a particular insurance policy process, which could result in having to pay for any issues that arise. Therefore, in order for us to offer the optimal amount of care, all participants have insurance included in their base trip fee.

Once again, we are not trying to circumvent the unique situations of each volunteer, but rather taking the proper measures to ensure participants receive the best care, mitigate any/all potential issues, so you can have the best experience possible (and your parents can have the peace of mind that your health and safety are in good hands).

Hopefully this makes sense, please let me know if there is any questions or issues with this.  Click here for the UW Insurance Policy.

Thanks,

Mark McLean | National Outreach Director
mmclean@studentsofferingsupport.ca
Students Offering Support