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Overlapping accident insurance policies can have significant financial benefits

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Keksi_Ytk_Pia Inberg_Valmis

Topics

  • Insurance
  • Member benefit
  • Well-being and leisure

As a member of YTK Worklife, you have access to comprehensive leisure time accident insurance valid anywhere in the world. Sometimes we get questions about whether accident insurance is useful if you are already covered for accidents during your leisure time in other ways. Absolutely,” assures Marianne Noori, Service Manager at LähiTapiola.

The leisure accident insurance included in your YTK Worklife membership covers an accident that is a sudden, involuntary event caused by an external cause and results in bodily injury. The medical costs of an accident during your leisure time can be reimbursed according to the medical costs you have incurred, up to a maximum of 8 000 € without a deductible.

“In principle, you can claim for the medical expenses of an accident under one insurance policy at a time. However, if you are covered by a policy, you can claim under another policy that is valid at the same time. It can therefore be useful to have more than one valid accident insurance policy,” says Marianne Noori.

Hip operations, knee or shoulder injuries and injuries, for example, can be expensive to treat.

“For example, if an accident requires surgery, there is often a need for physiotherapy and medical treatment after the operation. In such cases, the sums involved, including medicines and travel costs, add up to a large sum, so there can be a significant financial benefit from several insurance policies,” he says.

Report immediately when an accident occurs

“It’s always a good idea to notify your insurance company as soon as possible, even if you don’t see a doctor until later. This is especially true in the case of major accidents. It is good for the insurance company to be aware of the accident as early as possible.”

When claiming compensation from the insurance company, the customer is asked for information such as the number of visits to the doctor and the treatment received. The treatment chain should be as clear as possible.

Compensation for permanent damage and death is higher, but fortunately rare

If a leisure accident causes you permanent damage, as a member of YTK Worklife you can receive compensation up to 50 000 €. Fortunately, fatal accidents are extremely rare, but even in these situations it is possible to get compensation of more than 20 000 €.

“Usually, the death is reported to the insurance company by a close relative or relative of the insured person. This is the starting point for the compensation procedure, and the insurance company will ask the relatives or the estate for the necessary information.”

Marianne Noori points out that even in cases of permanent disability and death, compensation can be claimed and obtained from all existing insurance policies.

For permanent damage, a percentage of the sum insured is paid to the customer (well over 50 000 €). In the event of death, the amount reimbursed also varies depending on the case.

“In a situation where a person has been paid compensation for permanent damage and later dies as a result of an accident, the amount of compensation for damage is deducted from the amount of the death benefit.”

However, to have a clear idea of what compensation you will receive from which party, Noori recommends using one policy at a time. If one policy is not enough to cover several physiotherapy sessions, for example, you can of course apply for compensation from several policies at the same time.

Noori says that in cases of permanent damage, the claims process is often lengthy.

“When we talk about permanent damage, it can be as severe as a quadriplegic or the loss of a finger, which in turn affects the ability to function in a more limited way. An impairment can be considered permanent if it does not recover with treatment or time. In general, the permanence of the impairment can only be assessed at the earliest one year after the accident.”

Always read the insurance conditions carefully

Marianne Noori encourages everyone to read the insurance conditions as carefully as possible, as there can sometimes be differences between policies. Familiarising yourself with the insurance conditions beforehand will also make the claims process smoother.

“The beginning of the year is often a busy time for insurance companies, especially when the weather is still slippery and many people spend their winter holidays or Easter doing sports and other activities. This can lead to a backlog of claims.”

During the summer, padel and electric scooters are the main causes of leisure accidents. Read more!