International Medical Group (IMG) today introduced “PTOgo,” a first-of-its-kind travel medical insurance offering for employers and employees that provides accident and sickness coverage for international trips during paid time off.
Offered as an employee benefit, PTOgo includes a customizable number of days of travel medical insurance coverage for employees, their spouses, and their children to take leisure trips internationally in the year following a company’s open enrollment period.
By offering PTOgo, employers can raise their duty of care standards by encouraging the use of paid time off while also offering employees industry-leading travel medical insurance coverage when traveling the world. Often for less than $5 per day, Indianapolis-based IMG says PTOgo can be offered as a voluntary benefit via payroll deduction or as an employer-paid program and can easily be integrated with third party benefits providers.
When utilizing their bank of days, travelers with PTOgo will have a range of benefits including up to $1 million in eligible medical coverage per trip and access to a 24/7 global assistance hotline during their trip.
“Based on research we conducted for PTOgo, we found that most U.S. employees are underinsured while traveling abroad, with many incorrectly assuming that their employer-provided health insurance will cover them outside the country,” said Steve Paraboschi, IMG President and CEO. “We are delighted to introduce PTOgo to the market to address this gap in both coverage and employee benefits.”
SiriusPoint Ltd. (SiriusPoint), a leading worldwide insurer and reinsurer, is one example of a global company that will be rolling out PTOgo to more than 1,000 employees beginning in 2022. SiriusPoint staff will have access to IMG’s coordinated care across borders and healthcare providers, including 24/7 multilingual support and in-house medical staff to assist in the event of an emergency.
“With ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19’s impact on international travel, PTOgo offers our employees some security when booking leave and traveling abroad,” said Sid Sankaran, Chairman and CEO of SiriusPoint. “Our people are our company’s most valuable asset, and their safety and well-being are paramount. PTOgo offers us a way to support our team and encourage them to use their vacation, which everyone is excited to do after spending the majority of the last two years at home.”
IMG Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Geoff Tothill, says taking time off is one of the many ways in which employees can take care of their mental health. With PTOgo, employees can use their paid time off and travel internationally with the peace of mind that they’ll be covered in the case of an unexpected accident, sickness, or emergency.
“Carving out personal time for relaxation is highly important for one’s mental health, and taking a trip for leisure is a great way to do that,” said Dr. Tothill. “The coverage included in PTOgo allows people to take time for themselves, explore what the world has to offer, and not have to worry about who to call if a medical issue arises while overseas.”
For more information regarding PTOgo and its purchase options, visit https://www.imglobal.com/travel-medical-insurance/ptogo.
