Travelers beware: Zika not covered by some travel insurance plans

As the threat of the Zika Virus looms, some travelers are choosing to cancel trips to highly affected locations like Venezuela, Cape Verde and Brazil, which is set to host the Summer Olympics this August.

Fear of the virus has led athletes, spectators, and reporters to back out of plans to attend the games. However, Zika is not considered an acceptable reason to cancel by all travelers' insurance policies. 

"Cancelling a trip due to fear of something potentially happening, Zika concerns or otherwise, is typically not covered by most travel protection plans," said a spokeswoman for Aon Insurance.

The virus, which is spread by mosquito bites and sexual intercourse, can cause symptoms of fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. However, most people do not show symptoms. In pregnant women, Zika is known to cause severe birth defects, including microcephaly. 

Jennifer Durst Lussier, a pregnant woman who tried to cancel her trip to Antigua, was surprised find that despite paying $98 for travel insurance, Allianz Global Assistance would not approve her claim.

"When you start reading the fine print, it doesn’t cover hardly anything unless you died" she said, speaking with the New York Times.

A survey by Allianz Travel Insurance found that half of responders "believe that the 2016 summer Olympic games should be delayed or canceled due to Zika, and almost two thirds have no interest in traveling to Rio de Janeiro or Brazil due to the virus." The survey also found that people who will be attending the games are only going to stay in Rio for an average of 13 days — half the time people stayed in London for the 2012 games. 

Daniel Durazo, Director of Communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA, added that sales of insurance policies for travelers visiting Rio in 2016 are up 63% compared to the same period last year.

“If you are going to buy a policy, take a look at it,” said chief executive of InsureMyTrip, Jim Grace. If an insurance plan is inexpensive, “there’s a reason,” he stated.