6 situations you never knew personal accident insurance plans cover

What counts as a ‘personal accident’? You’d be surprised at what insurance companies allow you to claim under their personal accident plans.

If you trip over your shoelaces, fall down the stairs, and break your ankle—and you have a good personal accident insurance plan—the ‘good news’ is that you will be covered.

This includes your medical bills, physiotherapy expenses, and even the costs for mobility aids like crutches or wheelchairs.

That is obvious, and you should expect no less from your personal accident insurance plan. But it doesn’t stop there.

You see—fortunately for us—the insurance industry takes a very wide definition of the term ‘personal accident’.

They allow you to claim for many things under the personal accident umbrella, many of which will leave you scratching your head thinking, “how is THAT a personal accident?”

One thing’s for sure: we’re not complaining.

Here are six situations you (probably) never knew personal accident insurance plans could cover.

1. Damage to electronic devices

So, back to the scenario at the start: you fell down the stairs and shattered your ankle. But not only that, you were also carrying your laptop in one arm while scrolling through Instagram in your other (that may be why you fell down the stairs).

Now, both your laptop and your phone are damaged to the point of needing a total replacement, and you’re stuck in the hospital without any digital entertainment. A true nightmare.

But fret not, because you can claim for the replacement costs under some personal accident insurance plans.

A disclaimer though: this coverage only applies if you are hospitalised. So, no, dropping your phone in the toilet bowl doesn’t qualify.

ALSO READ: Personal accident vs life & medical insurance: What you need to know

2. Taxi fares

Now, because of your broken ankle, comes the transport dilemma.

Public transport will be a humongous hassle, and might even hamper your recovery. And even if you have a car, you’ll still need someone to drive you around.

Your safest method of transportation is then taxis. But we all know that taxis in Singapore aren’t the cheapest (otherwise the MRT wouldn’t be so crowded). Well, guess what—you can claim for your taxi fares too!

Not forever, of course; most plans limit the taxi claims period to two weeks.

But that first two weeks after any serious injury is the most crucial, and a good personal accident insurance plan can take your transport cost worries off your mind so you can focus on recovering.

3. Covid-19 (and other infectious diseases)

With the global media coverage surrounding the pandemic right now, we doubt anyone is actually taking the herd immunity theory seriously and deliberately contract Covid-19.

By definition then, contracting Covid-19 is 100 per cent an accident, which is why many personal accident insurance plans cover a list of infectious diseases.

Keep in mind, however, that not all personal accident insurance plans offer Covid-19 coverage.

Right now, the personal accident plan that has the most comprehensive infectious disease coverage (including Covid-19) is FWD’s Personal Accident and Infectious Disease plan.

4. Traditional Chinese medicine

Let’s say, for some reason, you think the Chinese bonesetter your uncle recommended to you last Chinese New Year will do a better job at fixing your broken ankle than Singapore’s first-world medical system.

That’s your prerogative, and the insurance company will not interfere. In fact, you can claim for that too (as long as they’re legally licensed, of course).

ALSO READ: Your guide to buying health insurance for Singapore kids

5. Cancellation of events due to pollution

In October 2015, the Pedestrian Night event on Orchard Road was cancelled due to the haze.

The event, organised by the Orchard Road Business Association, would have involved a stretch of the road being closed to accommodate live performances and flash sales, among others. This was no minor event.

In that instance, the event was free to the public, so you would not have lost anything.

But what if it was something you had paid for, for instance, an F1 race? Singapore’s 2019 F1 race proceeded despite the haze, but there was a clear risk of cancellation.

If that had happened, and you had the right personal accident insurance plan, you could have claimed the cost of your ticket!

Yes, haze doesn’t appear to have anything to do with personal accident, but like we said—we’re not complaining.

6. Child support

But not the kind of child support one spouse must pay after a divorce, OK? No, this is the kind that is far more serious (and tragic).

Basically, this kind of child support benefit—also known as guardian angel benefit—will pay out a lump sum amount to your surviving children if you or your spouse die or are rendered permanently disabled from an accident.

Yes, it is a little dark, and not something you would want to claim for, if possible. But it is something important to consider when evaluating personal accident insurance plans.

ALSO READ: 5 pieces of home content you can claim under your home insurance (but didn't know you could)

As always, terms and conditions apply

You know the refrain when it comes to insurance plans: terms and conditions always apply. And not all insurance plans are created equal, but that’s what SingSaver is here for.

In our estimation, the most comprehensive personal accident insurance plan right now (that won’t break your budget) is FWD’s Personal Accident and Infectious Disease plan.

Read our detailed review to learn more — and find out how you might be eligible for family discounts as well.

This article was first published in SingSaver.com.sg.