President's Podium: ACTA and Travel Health Insurance

Dear members,

Before I get into travel health insurance I want to recognize all the press surrounding NDC these days. ACTA has been very busy on this topic as witnessed in stories listed in our "News & Views" section of our newsletter. From filing comments in Canada with the Competition Bureau, to supporting our North American friends at ASTA and BTC, to our global allies at WTAAA, everyone has been weighing in. Let me take a moment to share the most recent player to chime in on NDC. A company known as Google...Google chimed in on airline distribution changes, criticises closed shop and speed issues.

TRAVEL HEALTH INSURANCE

The sale of travel health insurance in Canada comes with differing provincial licensing regulations. With the differing provincial models that are currently in place ACTA has embarked on a mission that sees us sitting down with each province to present a workable solution for the travel agent channel.

From BC to Newfoundland every province has different requirements for the sale of travel health insurance. Some have none at all. We found those that do have standards in place for the sale of travel health insurance have some commonalities that ensure that; only individuals who have passed an exam can sell travel health insurance.  In all instances the consumer is well protected, continuing education resources are available, and companies must be registered with the province (paying fees of course).

So where is ACTA going with this? The answer is to each province one by one and present a case for a standard that will see travel agents who are qualified have the ability to sell travel health insurance anywhere in Canada. A standard that can be compared to the provincial driver's exam. You can pass your driver's exam in your local province and be licensed to drive anywhere in North America

We are off to a good start and there is some good news to report on our progress. Our first chats with the BC insurance council established that they would be open to recognizing other provinces that have a standard in place. We have just sent our letter to the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan and expect to sit down with them early next month. We will keep you updated on the progress.

Feel free to weigh in on this issue. It is a big one and any information you can share with us can only help in this effort.

Sincerely,

President & COO | ACTA