Vaccine Damage Insurance: The Big Business With Fear Of Vaccination

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So far, writes a user on Facebook, vaccines have taken many years to get approved.

But because of Corona everything is different - also with the vaccines, which are supposed to protect against Covid 19 infection.

“Are you going to get vaccinated?” He asks in a post that he published on his Facebook page for the first time in September.

After all, a year of research is “very little”.

The Facebook user is not a renowned virologist, but a sales partner of Axa insurance.

And as such, he has a solution for a supposed problem ready: Should there be permanent consequential damage from a corona vaccination, the financial consequences would be covered by an Axa accident insurance.

The insurance agent advertises that the “Comfort Extra” tariff offers adequate insurance protection, since vaccination damage is also explicitly insured.

"For less than 15 euros a month, a 40-year-old can insure himself here with reasonable sums."

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The Axa man himself left a question unanswered.

His Facebook entry, which was public until last Thursday, was deleted.

But like him, numerous insurance brokers are currently promoting private accident tariffs: They want to use the protection against corona vaccination damage included as a sales argument.

Insurance agents draw attention to the options in Facebook entries, and some customers even report personal letters that they are said to have received.

Consumer advocates sharply criticize dubious offers

Brokerage firms are also involved.

Sometimes they advertise vaccination protection as part of the accident insurance of large corporations on specially set up websites.

The tone is often the same: the vaccines were approved faster than expected, the empirical values ​​are low.

Accident insurance with vaccination coverage brings security.

Consumer advocates sharply criticize advertising with protection against corona vaccine damage.

"Money is earned here with the fear of the citizens," says Roland Stecher, insurance expert at the Bremen consumer center.

Awaken the need, meet the need?

The expert is certain: the vaccine damage insurance should only be used for marketing purposes.

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“It is easier to sell accident insurance through feelings,” says Stecher.

According to the figures from the German Insurance Association (GDV), more than 25 million people in this country already have accident insurance.

And that would usually bring in high commissions for intermediaries, because other services such as hospital daily allowances can easily be built in.

“Such sales practices are the reason why the insurance industry has fallen into disrepute,” says Stecher.

The offer is diverse.

It was only in January that the online comparison portal Verivox examined the insurance companies' tariffs.

The result: Over 90 percent also offer protection against consequential damage from vaccinations.

It is true that insurers often limit their benefits to measures against specific infections.

With 39 tariffs from 16 providers, the protection goes beyond that.

In addition to the Axa offers, this also includes Allianz, Ergo and VHV tariffs.

"Then possible vaccination damage after a corona vaccination would also count as an accident," says Verivox.

You don't want to stir up fear

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The insurance companies themselves attribute the advertising contributions of their sales partners to increased demand on the part of customers.

"First of all, we would like to make it clear that the Axa Group AG fully supports the federal government's goal of vaccinating as quickly as possible to protect the population and cope with the pandemic," explains an Axa spokeswoman.

For many people, however, there is currently a certain amount of uncertainty due to the controversial and sometimes irrelevant public discussion of this topic.

"For a few weeks now, our sales partners have been receiving more and more questions about whether possible vaccine damage can be insured and advising their customers," it says.

You do not want to stir up fear under any circumstances, explains the VHV insurance on request.

In addition, accident insurance should never only be taken out because of the possible consequences of a vaccine damage.

The scope of coverage goes well beyond that, and every person should find out more about it.

"We have made a conscious decision at the present time not to focus on the benefits in the event of vaccine damage when applying for accident insurance," explains a spokeswoman.

At the end of January it looked like this at the VHV: "Vaccine damage is also insured in the VHV accident", wrote the insurance company about an article in an online magazine aimed at sales partners.

It is true that partners could not relieve their customers of the fear of serious vaccine damage.

"But you can promise them that the VHV accident insurance will pay for any vaccine damage - this also applies to Covid-19 vaccinations," the article says.

Vaccine damage is extremely rare

But are vaccination safeguards even necessary?

"The risk of vaccination damage is negligible," says consumer advocate Stecher.

Figures prove him right: According to them, serious side effects with permanent consequences are extremely rare.

According to the Medical Center for Quality in Medicine (ÄZQ), which is supported by the German Medical Association and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, an allergic shock occurs with a measles vaccination only in a good two in a million people vaccinated.

Brain inflammation after a measles vaccination is even less common.

Compared to other health risks, this applies even to AstraZeneca's recently discredited vaccine, says Stecher.

In Germany, a little more than 30 suspected cases of sinus vein thrombosis in connection with the vaccine from the British-Swedish manufacturer have become known - for almost three million vaccinations.

The low risk of vaccination damage can already be seen in the amount of most premiums, explains the consumer advocate.

Accident insurance with vaccination protection is usually much cheaper than, for example, occupational disability insurance.

"The insurance company does not give away anything, it calculates," says Stecher.

This means that if the costs are low, the insurance company does not expect many claims.

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And if the unlikely event does occur, the hurdles for the insurer to step in are high: "In order for the insurance to pay for vaccine damage, there must generally be a degree of disability up to full disability," explains the expert.

“The damage must therefore be permanent.” If a thrombosis can be treated after a vaccination, the accident insurance is unlikely to pay.

Damage covered by the disability insurance

From the point of view of the consumer advocate, people should carefully plan their protection from the outset.

"We always advise you to take out insurance against the insurance-related meltdown first," explains Stecher.

This included liability and disability insurance.

Only then should consumers think about accident insurance, as the risk of accidents with permanent impairments is significantly lower than occupational disability, explains the expert.

In addition, most employees are already covered by the statutory accident insurance during their work and the way there.

In addition: Accidents with permanent impairments lead in many cases to occupational disability, so that this damage is already covered by the occupational disability insurance - usually also in the extremely rare case of vaccination damage.

"Covid-19 is a disease like any other for insurers," says GDV General Manager Jörg Asmussen.

"So if someone becomes unable to work due to the consequences of a Covid-19 illness or the consequences of a vaccination against Covid-19, the insurance pays."