The swine-flu outbreak has insurance brokers and carriers, not just doctors and nurses, fielding more calls.
Take the question of whether catching the flu while at work qualifies as a claim under workers’ compensation coverage.
“We would investigate, and you would have to prove exposure on the job,” said Suzi Stolte, spokeswoman for Pinnacol Assurance, the largest provider of workers’ compensation coverage in the state.
Workers who treat flu sufferers would have a strong case, and that has some of their employers worried.
“We have been receiving calls from our health care clients, who would most likely see the most exposure,” said Todd McRae, vice president of claim services with IMA Colorado, one of the state’s largest insurance brokers.
Workers who have to travel to areas with high infection rates as part of their job also have a strong case.
Employers are concerned because workers’ compensation premiums are based on the number of claims. One worker with a highly infectious disease has the potential to infect an entire office or plant.
Does it matter whether an employer orders a sick worker to come in and others get infected?
Stolte recommends employers and employees follow directives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about washing hands frequently and staying home if they show symptoms.
Either way, workers would have to be able to prove they were infected at work, she said.
Proving that is easier when infections are isolated, as is now the case. But if a bigger pandemic takes hold, that could be harder to prove.
Businesses also are calling about obtaining event-cancellation insurance. Although the outbreak has shown signs of moderating, some experts fear the virus could mutate and pick up steam again when the regular flu season kicks off in the fall. A client who refused event-cancellation coverage before the outbreak called later trying to get it, said Tracy Pride, director of IMA’s real-estate practice. The coverage, a relatively inexpensive $1,500 given the size of the event, wasn’t available anymore, she said.
“I did speak to underwriters last week, and they won’t offer it,” she said.
Aldo Svaldi: 303-954-1410 or asvaldi@denverpost.com
