Economic Observer Reporter Wang Qing Entering spring, the epidemic situation in many cities has recurred, and the sales of epidemic isolation allowance insurance have become popular again.
"Recently, the epidemic in Shanghai has begun to recur, and many communities and office locations have been suddenly closed for management. Therefore, there are a lot more people who have recently consulted for purchasing epidemic isolation allowance insurance than before." Zhao Ming, an insurance agent in Shanghai, told the Economic Observer reporter, "The clients we consulted also include some customers who have previously purchased epidemic isolation allowance insurance online. They mainly consulted about how to settle claims after being quarantined. After communicating and understanding, I found that these customers had basically not read the claims details and the disclaimer clause before purchasing, which led to problems with subsequent claims, and even many people's premiums were wasted."
In fact, while the epidemic isolation allowance insurance is selling well, some insurance companies have become the "severely hit" inducing sales during sales, and the problems of "easy to buy and difficult to compensate", which has become a "severely affected area" for consumer complaints. This has also attracted the attention of regulatory authorities and the crackdown on industry chaos has been escalating.
The epidemic has been repeated and sales are booming
html In the morning of December 9, Ms. Qian, a Shanghai resident who was preparing to go out to work, was suddenly informed by the guard that the community was closed for management last night."I heard that there were asymptomatic infection cases in our community, and the entire community was quarantined at home. The company's plan to arrange for my business trip on March 11 was also forced to cancel." Ms. Qian told reporters that the epidemic isolation allowance insurance she had purchased for herself was worried about being quarantined during the business trip. Unexpectedly, now "I have a 14-day home isolation."
Ms. Qian told reporters that due to the nature of the work, she purchased the epidemic isolation allowance insurance for herself in early November 2021. "At that time, I bought this product and saw that my friends who made insurance have been recommending it in their circle of friends. After consultation, I told me that home isolation is also included in the mandatory isolation allowance. I can get a allowance of 200 yuan a day. The premium is more than 40 yuan a year, and the cost-effectiveness is quite high, so I placed an order quickly."
According to the insurance policy provided by Ms. Qian, the epidemic isolation allowance insurance clearly stated in the publicity materials that "home quarantine is at home due to COVID-19, the isolation allowance is 200 yuan/day."
After learning that the community was blocked, Ms. Qian contacted the insurance agent to communicate the claims. "At present, in accordance with the insurance company's requirements, I have gone to the neighborhood committee to issue relevant certificates. I can apply after the quarantine is over. My insurance agent told me that I am the first applicant among his clients."
It is reported that the epidemic isolation allowance insurance currently on sale is essentially accident insurance with additional isolation protection. Generally, the main insurance is accident insurance. The extension of new crown protection, and the protection period is generally one month to one year. That is, on the basis of traditional accident insurance, "a series of guarantees for compulsory isolation due to epidemic prevention and control policies", such as isolation allowances, diagnosis allowances, etc.
It is obvious that the biggest selling point of epidemic isolation allowance insurance is that there are isolation allowances and diagnosis allowances, and the price is cheap and there are no industry or occupational category restrictions. If the terms meet, you can receive a allowance of several hundred yuan per day, and you can receive a maximum of half a month or even one month.
"Agoing a year ago, we have been promoting epidemic isolation allowance insurance through various channels. It was the Spring Festival travel rush, and the sales were good, but it still sold better recently." Zhao Ming told reporters that just before the interview, a customer just bought epidemic isolation allowance insurance for a family of six. "The epidemic isolation allowance insurance itself is not much premium, mainly to expand customers. Only by allowing customers to truly experience the benefits of insurance can they have the opportunity to introduce more suitable products to them in the future." What is the crux of the "difficulty in claim settlement"
As the sales of epidemic isolation allowance insurance are popular, Zhao Ming also found that many policyholders have the problem of "difficulty in claim settlement". According to his observation, most policyholders who have problems with claims basically do not carefully look at the claims details and disclaimer terms before purchasing.
Mr. Xiang from Jiashan did not carefully read the product coverage and claims details before purchasing. Even if he purchased the epidemic isolation allowance insurance, he could only be happy in the end.
"The epidemic has been repeated, and my colleagues have successively bought epidemic isolation allowance insurance. I also followed the trend and bought one. To be honest, I didn't look at the details carefully when buying, and I felt that I might not be quarantined." Mr. Xiang told reporters that after buying, his mental state was very conflicted, and he was afraid of being quarantined, and he was a little inexplicably looking forward to being quarantined.
Never expect that the community where he is located will be closed for management the next day. Mr. Xiang quickly contacted the insurance company for claims. However, Mr. Xiang discovered this time that the epidemic isolation allowance insurance he purchased had a two-day waiting period, and he was currently quarantined and could not settle the claim, so he had to give up the insurance of in the end.
It is reported that there are more than 60 "epidemic isolation allowance insurance" products launched by many insurance companies on the market. After the repeated outbreaks in many cities, sales of each company are also rising.
"After quarantine at home, I posted a circle of friends to express that I was lucky to have purchased the epidemic isolation allowance insurance before. Unexpectedly, many friends came to consult me." Ms. Qian told reporters, "But just consulted my insurance agent. He said that due to the latest regulatory requirements, the epidemic isolation allowance insurance I purchased before has been suspended."
It is worth mentioning that while sales are booming, the dangers of epidemic isolation allowances also occur from time to time. For example, since insurance companies focus on low prices and high compensation, the restrictions on exemptions and claims are relatively weakened, resulting in misleading sales. In addition, some insurance companies refuse to pay compensation without reason.
Based on this, in February 2022, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission issued the "Urgent Notice on Standardizing Issues in the Operation of Insurance Business of "Isolation" Subsidy" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), requiring insurance companies to correct their business philosophy, develop products in accordance with the law and regulations based on the actual needs of insurance consumers, and reasonably set the liability exemption and claims conditions; in the process of publicity and sales, they shall not make misleading publicity or explanations on important situations such as the protection liability of insurance products through deception, concealment or induction; in accordance with the law, prompts and explanations that are sufficient to attract the attention of policyholders.
At the same time, the "Notice" further clarifies insurance liability, requires insurance companies to fully fulfill their explanation obligations during product sales, fully explain insurance liability, liability exemption and claims conditions, and provide reminders and explanations on the terms of exempting the insurer's liability in accordance with the law and regulations to attract the attention of the insured. In case of insurance accidents, claims services should be taken and claims should not be unreasonable, which will affect consumers' normal claims claims and prevent problems that infringe on consumer rights.
After consultation, the reporter found that the name of the product purchased by the former lady has changed to XXX accident insurance, including a daily allowance of 200 yuan per day for compulsory isolation of new coronavirus pneumonia. The current page shows "Product Discontinued Sales".
"The claims details and disclaimer terms of epidemic isolation allowance insurance for different insurance companies are different. You need to understand clearly before purchasing. If there are some ambiguous terms and unclear terms, it is best to call and consult before purchasing." Zhao Ming said that due to the continuous strict supervision of regulatory authorities, some epidemic isolation allowance insurance products on the market that do not meet the requirements have been removed from the shelves one after another, and some products are on the shelves after corresponding rectification.
The "Notice" also requires companies operating such businesses to conduct self-inspection and rectification in accordance with relevant requirements, and report to the regulatory authorities before February 28, 2022. This also means that this type of product has been further regulated since March.
htmlOn December 9, the reporter checked a number of epidemic isolation allowance insurance products on sale. These products clearly marked "home isolation, home health monitoring cannot be compensated" on the promotional page, and reminded the insured to read the specific coverage.
