Yesterday
Aon announced it was launching Ebola liability coverage for hospitals and other health care institutions.
Insurance companies have been frantically adding exclusion clauses to their standard policies or developing new products to meet the threat of a virus that has killed some 5,000 people worldwide – mostly in West Africa – but is now spreading to North America and Europe.
“There are several areas where there has not been certainty about coverage for Ebola,” Gigi Norris, managing director of Aon Risk Solutions' Western Region Health Care Practice, told Reuters. “This is something our health care clients are extremely worried about.”
Aon’s Ebola coverage will be for situations where “existing liability programs may not apply,” providing up to $25 million in coverage.
The coverage will also protect hospitals from cases related to their response to Ebola brought by employees, patients, or even potential patients who have been refused admission, Norris told Reuters.
Although the Aon coverage has been designed for U.S. hospitals, the company said that it could be adapted for the international market.
According to Aon, the policy has been developed with British insurance company
Hiscox, and will be available through other brokers after 60 days.
