Medical Evacuation Insurance

[CULater]

Just read a travel advice article that pointed out the importance of medical evacuation insurance when traveling abroad. One's medical insurance might provide coverage for emergency medical care when out of the country, but few provide coverage if you might happen to need to be transported back home due to medical reasons. Hadn't thought of that before. Has anyone had any experience with this?

[slick_dealer_05]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

[Kennedy]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

Would your answer be different if you had a heart attack while on vacation in say Jamaica?

[Cyclesafe]

Medical evacuation insurance costs "chips". A month overseas for two costs $200 from AIG. You can't buy this policy online, but must call and resist their upselling to the full enchilada. Just say you are "self insured" on the non-medical stuff.

[Broken Man 1999]

Just read a travel advice article that pointed out the importance of medical evacuation insurance when traveling abroad. One's medical insurance might provide coverage for emergency medical care when out of the country, but few provide coverage if you might happen to need to be transported back home due to medical reasons. Hadn't thought of that before. Has anyone had any experience with this?

Even if your medical insurance will pay, many plans require you to pay for services, then submit for reimbursement. Mine is capped at $25,000, also. Though, in many countries, that would buy a great deal of medical services.

Transportation is the great bugaboo. Even if you receive excellent medical care for a pittance, one might not be able to travel home in the usual manner.

Broken Man 1999

Edit for spelling.

[Jazzysoon]

A couple in my bike group were injured day 1 of a bike tour in Italy. It wasn't their fault. Years later they were still trying to deal with Ins companies and being repaid, and the $25,000 air flight to get him back home was on them. Ever since then I've gotten sep policy when I travel usually less than $70 for a month of travel. Recently in my town, there was a fundraiser to get someone home who was a passenger in car in Ireland badly injured, (drive fared much worse). Her costs were very significant and not covered by her US ins.

[CULater]

My understanding is that Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, and Medicare Advantage plans might provide some coverage for emergency medical services outside the U.S. but they will not pay for protracted hospital or physician care. They will not pay transportation charges if you needed to be transported back home and were not able to do that via normal transportation means on your own. So medical evacuation insurance would be of particular importance if you're over 65 and traveling abroad with Medicare or Medicare Advantage health insurance.

[ResearchMed]

Just read a travel advice article that pointed out the importance of medical evacuation insurance when traveling abroad. One's medical insurance might provide coverage for emergency medical care when out of the country, but few provide coverage if you might happen to need to be transported back home due to medical reasons. Hadn't thought of that before. Has anyone had any experience with this?

www.CruiseCritic.com has a very active sub-forum on travel insurance; most topics/issues are not cruise-specific.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/4 ... insurance/
and
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2 ... estorecom/

You might want to start browsing through those posts, and also ask your own questions.

We get full coverage travel insurance through a broker (no extra charge to traveler), and they were *very* helpful early on when we were still "learning" what was what. We've used www.TripInsuranceStore.com and through them, purchased policies from Travel Insured. All claims were paid promptly, without lots of the "problems" we've read about with other insurers

We've had several claims, including a couple of large ones, but we include coverage for trip cancellation or interruption, which some people don't want. Most policies also include coverage for medical care. (Plain vanilla Medicare offers almost no coverage for medical care outside the USA, and some add-on policies provide very limited additional lifetime coverage.)
At this point, we are actually "ahead of the game", in terms of having received more in insurance payments than we've paid in. However, we hope that does NOT continue!
But with our own assorted health issues plus a parent who is about to turn 100... there are just too many times/ways that health could - did - interfere.

We also get MedJetAssist, which is a specialized medevac company, not insurance per se. IF one is admitted as an INpatient at least 150 miles from home (for USA based policies, anyway), then the patient can have MJA "take me to my home hospital" (or some other specialized hospital), and one does *not* need the approval of beancounters or for local medical staff to declare themselves unable properly to treat the condition, etc.
IF one is stable enough for a fully staffed air ambulance, they'll get you back. (If lesser transport services would suffice, MJA will use those, such as business class seats with a nurse accompanying, etc.)

RM

[CULater]

Thanks. Wondering if traveling to close destinations such as Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, etc. would fall in this category? I guess so, but who thinks of this when making short-term vacation trips to such locations?

[retired early&luv it]

I have never needed or filed a claim under such insurance. But I have bought travel insurance when I leave USA for the unlikely chance that I am badly hurt. My health insurance before I turned 65 and now my insurance under medicare is limited only to emergency medical care when outside USA.

For the last few years I bought the travel insurance offered by Expedia when I bought a plane ticket from them through AARP/Expedia travel. I thought that the insurance was inexpensive compared to my total cost of the trip.

That said, on my last trip I learned that Expedia buys plane tickets in bulk and re-sells them for profit, Expedia sold me a plane ticket for a flight that had been canceled months earlier. So, not sure where I will be buying insurance from in the future.

Thanks. Wondering if traveling to close destinations such as Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, etc. would fall in this category? I guess so, but who thinks of this when making short-term vacation trips to such locations?

My last trip was five weeks in the Canadian Maritimes. Outside of USA means outside of USA.

[marielake]

I always buy trip insurance and include medical evacuation. I have used squaremouth.com and insurebytrip.com. It does not cost that much more and provides peace of mind.

[ResearchMed]

Thanks. Wondering if traveling to close destinations such as Canada, Mexico, Bahamas, etc. would fall in this category? I guess so, but who thinks of this when making short-term vacation trips to such locations?

Not sure what you mean by "fall in this category", but in most cases, the destinations listed would *not* be covered by original flavor Medicare. (And the lifetime limit can be very low, considering the number of years - and trips - that might be involved.0
The cases that are covered/incuded are very specific, such as on a cruise ship positioned <specific disttance, near a USA port> or in Canada IF "en route" from one USA city to another. I don't remember the specifics, and I also don't trust the "exclusions", but those are moot for us, given our third-party policy coverage.

Many people prefer to "self insure" (meaning, no insurance) for trip costs, but they DO want the coverage for medical care. The former costs are known (mostly), but the latter cost could skyrocket something fierce in an unfortunate situation.
Ditto the cost to be medevac's to a "better" hospital. Most regular medical insurance policies, if they cover such transport, typically word the coverage as something like, "... to the nearest suitable facility..." - and each of us may have a different idea of what is "suitable", vs. what the insurer may categorize that way...

RM

[marielake]

I always buy trip insurance and include medical evacuation. I have used squaremouth.com and insurebytrip.com. It does not cost that much more and provides peace of mind.

[BolderBoy]

Has anyone had any experience with this?

Some years ago a friend's 50ish y/o husband suffered a big stroke while they were vacationing in Central America. The local MDs recommended he be air evac'd to Dallas for definitive treatment. The uninsured plane ride cost >$25k. Her husband died anyway.

[sawhorse]

My understanding is that Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, and Medicare Advantage plans might provide some coverage for emergency medical services outside the U.S. but they will not pay for protracted hospital or physician care. They will not pay transportation charges if you needed to be transported back home and were not able to do that via normal transportation means on your own. So medical evacuation insurance would be of particular importance if you're over 65 and traveling abroad with Medicare or Medicare Advantage health insurance.

Traditional Medicare does not provide any coverage outside the US. A few Medigap policies provide limited coverage outside the US.

[slick_dealer_05]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

Would your answer be different if you had a heart attack while on vacation in say Jamaica?

My comfort level is much higher than others as I grew up in 3 countries and have visited 30+ over the years. Never purchased any trip insurance.
For people buying medical evacuation insurance, have you personally ever used it?
Not asking about your friends or hearsay, but have *you* specifically even taken advantage of this insurance?

[quantAndHold]

Medical evacuation insurance costs "chips". A month overseas for two costs $200 from AIG. You can't buy this policy online, but must call and resist their upselling to the full enchilada. Just say you are "self insured" on the non-medical stuff.

A RV affinity group we belong to (FMCA) has worldwide medical evacuation insurance as part of the membership. I think we pay $80/year to be members.

We’ve never used it.

[NavyIC3]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

Would your answer be different if you had a heart attack while on vacation in say Jamaica?

My comfort level is much higher than others as I grew up in 3 countries and have visited 30+ over the years. Never purchased any trip insurance.
For people buying medical evacuation insurance, have you personally ever used it?
Not asking about your friends or hearsay, but have *you* specifically even taken advantage of this insurance?

I have Homeowners, Auto and Umbrella insurance and I have never used them but I still carry them.

[Grogs]

A lot of the time if you're doing a trip with some sort of a group, like a guided tour or a cruise, they will require you to provide them with proof of some minimum amount (usually ~$100,000) in medical evacuation insurance.

I've used World Nomads for this purpose on my last couple of trips. For a 2-week trip, about $150 provided $500k in medical evacuation, trip cancellation up to $7500, lost luggage, flight delays, and a whole host of other things. The only problem is that it's only available for people 69 and under. I tried to help my 70+ friend find trip insurance and all of the policies available to her priced out to $850 or more for the same type of package. She decided to decline all the cancellation piece and it was ~$250 for medical evacuation/treatment only.

[boglegirl]

Keep in mind that most of the insurances mentioned only pay for medically necessary transportation; example wording: "Their medical condition warrants immediate transportation from the medical facility where they are located to the nearest medical facility that is capable of furnishing the required level and type of care for the applicable illness or injury as determined by the attending physician in consultation with the Seven Corners Medical Director."

Medjet Assist actually pays for you to travel back to a US hospital if you are hospitalized overseas (and is correspondingly more expensive than the other policies). Does anyone know of others with this coverage?

[SciurusVulgaris]

Some credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve provide emergency medical evacuation insurance (max $100,000), as well as some sort of emergency medical and dental benefit (max $2,500) if you buy travel through their card.

I don't know how it compares to a standalone policy.

[Watty]

Some credit cards that provide limited travel insurance dropped travel insurance and car rental coverage last year. If you think your credit car provides this then it would be good to double check that it still does.

In some countries you may not get treated at an emergency room unless you can prove that you can pay for it so even if you are willing to self insure that might not work. I have read stories of large credit card charges at a hospital being blocked by a credit card company because it triggered a fraud alert.

[ResearchMed]

Keep in mind that most of the insurances mentioned only pay for medically necessary transportation; example wording: "Their medical condition warrants immediate transportation from the medical facility where they are located to the nearest medical facility that is capable of furnishing the required level and type of care for the applicable illness or injury as determined by the attending physician in consultation with the Seven Corners Medical Director."

Medjet Assist actually pays for you to travel back to a US hospital if you are hospitalized overseas (and is correspondingly more expensive than the other policies). Does anyone know of others with this coverage?

MedJetAssist's critical advantage is that the patient (the insured) gets to decide whether to be transferred to another hospital, and if so, precisely WHICH hospital - as long as one is admitted as an INpatient at a hospital at least 150 miles from home.
No need for beancounters to approve. No need to put local medical staff in awkward position of declaring themselves not qualified to care for situation...

But MJA doesn't just "pay" for the evacuation. THEY make the arrangements, and there is no additional cost to the patient/insured. [This means that if YOU make the arrangements, MJA will *not* pay anything at all. You need to contact MJA and have them make all arrangements.]

But also note that MJA does not pay for *any* of the actual medical care in the hospital, before or after the transport... just the care while being transported, be it air ambulance with medical staff, or perhaps a business class seat/bed accompanied by and RN, etc., depending upon medical need.

We get the annual policy, which then covers us for major trips, and also for routine trips to friends/family or business, throughout the year, as long as we are at least 150 miles from home. Even if we were cross-country, we'd much prefer to be at "our" hospital, where our "medical idiosyncracies" are known, along with how to deal with them.
Also, it would be so much more convenient for the non-hospitalized of us to be able to be "at home", rather than at a hotel some distance from home.

RM

[Mapmaker]

MEDJET SERVICES ALERT

Due to government imposed travel restrictions resulting from the Coronavirus,
MEDJETASSIST and MEDJETHORIZON services are currently suspended in the following countries:
China
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Macau

Services to additional countries may be restricted in the future.

Please contact Medjet prior to your travels if you have any questions or concerns, at 1.800.527.7478.

Please acknowledge your understanding of the above and potential future limitations prior to continuing your enrollment.

[ResearchMed]

MEDJET SERVICES ALERT

Due to government imposed travel restrictions resulting from the Coronavirus,
MEDJETASSIST and MEDJETHORIZON services are currently suspended in the following countries:
China
Hong Kong
Taiwan
Macau

Services to additional countries may be restricted in the future.

Please contact Medjet prior to your travels if you have any questions or concerns, at 1.800.527.7478.

Please acknowledge your understanding of the above and potential future limitations prior to continuing your enrollment.

Were/Are they planning to tell those already enrolled?

RM

[anoop]

Required when applying for a Shengen visa.
https://www.insubuy.com/schengen-visa-insurance/
The consulate wouldn't accept regular insurance as proof of adequate coverage.

[Jablean]

AAA Emergency Assistance Plus membership. Would have used it if I had had it when my dad had a stroke while visiting Vegas and his AARP Medicare Advantage plan wouldn't cover any rehabilitation there.

[orlandoman]

Medjet is often recommended.

I suggest reviewing the Transport Criteria at the bottom page 4 of the policy https://medjetassist.com/docs/default-s ... f?sfvrsn=4. For those that cruise, at the top of that page it also says, "Due to the limited medical facilities and testing available on cruise ships, the Member must be admitted to a hospital on shore before scheduling medical transport to another hospital."

[WildCat48]

We use Medjet Assit.

[kaufeegurl]

We always get a medical insurance policy through Allianz - they have a One Trip Medical Only Insurance plan that is excellent and very reasonable. It provides concierge service and covers medical costs and evacuation with generous limits. They also include some minimal trip incidentals like delay and lost luggage. We've never had to make a claim but they have great customer service and an app that puts everything at your fingertips while traveling. We use Chase Sapphire Preferred for our travel expenses - they provide great trip insurance so we don't need to buy an expensive trip insurance policy. However, medical coverage is minimal thus the need for a separate policy.

[thursdaysd]

My comfort level is much higher than others as I grew up in 3 countries and have visited 30+ over the years. Never purchased any trip insurance.
For people buying medical evacuation insurance, have you personally ever used it?
Not asking about your friends or hearsay, but have *you* specifically even taken advantage of this insurance?

I have lived in two countries and visited over seventy. I always travel with additional medical insurance (now I am on Medicare) and medical evacuation/repatriation insurance.

I did use my evacuation insurance, bought from https://travelersemergencynetwork.com/ when I broke my wrist in Switzerland. I was near the beginning of a two month trip and traveling solo. The insurance provided a car and driver to get me to Geneva airport, and plane tickets to get me home.

When buying evacuation insurance it is critical to make sure that it will not simply get you to the nearest "suitable" facility, but will also get you home. I now buy mine from https://www.sevencorners.com/#start

[Kennedy]

I learned some interesting information regarding how at least one of the more popular med-evac companies works. I had previously assumed that an insured would be stabilized at a local hospital and then immediately whisked away on a private jet back to their home town or to a different hospital of the patient's choice. However, I now know there can be several days delay in picking up the patient while the company is making arrangements on their end to coordinate the jet and the doctor or nurse who will accompany the patient on the flight.

I had assumed that the jet and the medical personnel would be located at company headquarters and ready to go at a moments notice, much like a local fire department. Instead, if a Canadian patient is in say New York and is waiting for transport back to Canada, the jet might be in California after dropping off a previous patient and the doctor (independent contractor who accepts that particular assignment) may be in say Florida. Once the med-evac company approves transport, they may then buy a commercial airline ticket to fly the doctor to meet up with the jet (in California in this example) and then the jet takes off for New York to pick up the patient. I've also seen it where the company flies the doctor (commercially) to where the patient is and then just meets the jet there to transport the patient to Canada. This whole process can take several days.

[ResearchMed]

I learned some interesting information regarding how at least one of the more popular med-evac companies works. I had previously assumed that an insured would be stabilized at a local hospital and then immediately whisked away on a private jet back to their home town or to a different hospital of the patient's choice. However, I now know there can be several days delay in picking up the patient while the company is making arrangements on their end to coordinate the jet and the doctor or nurse who will accompany the patient on the flight.

I had assumed that the jet and the medical personnel would be located at company headquarters and ready to go at a moments notice, much like a local fire department. Instead, if a Canadian patient is in say New York and is waiting for transport back to Canada, the jet might be in California after dropping off a previous patient and the doctor (independent contractor who accepts that particular assignment) may be in say Florida. Once the med-evac company approves transport, they may then buy a commercial airline ticket to fly the doctor to meet up with the jet (in California in this example) and then the jet takes off for New York to pick up the patient. I've also seen it where the company flies the doctor (commercially) to where the patient is and then just meets the jet there to transport the patient to Canada. This whole process can take several days.

Could you please share which company this is? MedJetAssist?

Many thanks!

ETA: They also need time to determine that the patient IS stable enough for transport, and what level of transport, etc.

RM

[halfnine]

I had a relative of mine use MedJet to fly back to the US when they were hospitalized abroad. And, yes, it took a few days. They have to verify that the patient can be flown safely. They also have to get the plane there including the appropriate rest for the pilot not only on the way there but before the return trip. Depending on distances this could also require stops along the way.

[ResearchMed]

I had a relative of mine use MedJet to fly back to the US when they were hospitalized abroad. And, yes, it took a few days. They have to verify that the patient can be flown safely. They also have to get the plane there including the appropriate rest for the pilot not only on the way there but before the return trip. Depending on distances this could also require stops along the way.

Was the medical care and equipment satisfactory/what was expected?
How sick was the patient.

I haven't had any "almost first hand" reports of actual experiences yet, so we'd love to hear a bit.
Can you say where the pickup was, even if you don't want to say where your relative's home was?

Many thanks!

RM

[Kennedy]

I learned some interesting information regarding how at least one of the more popular med-evac companies works. I had previously assumed that an insured would be stabilized at a local hospital and then immediately whisked away on a private jet back to their home town or to a different hospital of the patient's choice. However, I now know there can be several days delay in picking up the patient while the company is making arrangements on their end to coordinate the jet and the doctor or nurse who will accompany the patient on the flight.

I had assumed that the jet and the medical personnel would be located at company headquarters and ready to go at a moments notice, much like a local fire department. Instead, if a Canadian patient is in say New York and is waiting for transport back to Canada, the jet might be in California after dropping off a previous patient and the doctor (independent contractor who accepts that particular assignment) may be in say Florida. Once the med-evac company approves transport, they may then buy a commercial airline ticket to fly the doctor to meet up with the jet (in California in this example) and then the jet takes off for New York to pick up the patient. I've also seen it where the company flies the doctor (commercially) to where the patient is and then just meets the jet there to transport the patient to Canada. This whole process can take several days.

Could you please share which company this is? MedJetAssist?

Many thanks!

ETA: They also need time to determine that the patient IS stable enough for transport, and what level of transport, etc.

RM

The situations I am referencing, the patient had already been stabilized and triaged as to which level of medical personnel (doctor or nurse) was required per the patient's needs. The delay was definitely in making arrangements in the back-end for coordination of getting the jet and the doctor to the patient.

In other words, with this particular company, the jet and the doctor weren't just hanging around in a central facility waiting for a transport call like a traditional fire department.

[jayk238]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

Would your answer be different if you had a heart attack while on vacation in say Jamaica?

Just curious- if a patient's prosthetic hip fails due to an infection while on an extended european stay requiring staged surgery (antibiotic spacer AND total revision) - please tell me where you would go in Europe that offers this? Approximately 1% of all total joint replacement patients deal with this- while small can be catastrophic without prompt treatment. In the USA every major city will provide this care.

[jayk238]

Just read a travel advice article that pointed out the importance of medical evacuation insurance when traveling abroad. One's medical insurance might provide coverage for emergency medical care when out of the country, but few provide coverage if you might happen to need to be transported back home due to medical reasons. Hadn't thought of that before. Has anyone had any experience with this?

someone mentioned this already, but- as a physician and frequent european traveller I would recommend Allianz insurance.

[halfnine]

I had a relative of mine use MedJet to fly back to the US when they were hospitalized abroad. And, yes, it took a few days. They have to verify that the patient can be flown safely. They also have to get the plane there including the appropriate rest for the pilot not only on the way there but before the return trip. Depending on distances this could also require stops along the way.

Was the medical care and equipment satisfactory/what was expected?
How sick was the patient.

I haven't had any "almost first hand" reports of actual experiences yet, so we'd love to hear a bit.
Can you say where the pickup was, even if you don't want to say where your relative's home was?

Many thanks!

RM

I don't recall the exact ailment but it was quite serious and left the person non-ambulatory and completely in a haze during the periods of time when they were conscious. This occured within less developed Europe and while the healthcare there was probably fine the language barrier and fact that the person was completely out of it was incredibly stressful for the spouse. On return home they remained hospitalized for quite a while. There were no complaints about Medjet and the service provided.

I know you are aware of this, but I do think that it important to be realistic that if the ailment is serious enough an individual might not be well enough to travel. And the logistics are going to take a few days to sort out regardless. And if you happen to fall ill during times of war, terrorism, pandemic, etc. you are just going to be out of luck.

[nanciT]

This is something I would consider if traveling overseas.

I did not have an injury or illness that required being evacuated, but a year ago did get injured in Oslo while visiting close friends who live there.
My experience with an injury( the dresser fell on my leg in the hotel) very odd but it happened and knocked me down. I was alone at the time and was able to crawl to the phone. The hotel offered to call a MD for me. I waited a short time for my husband to return with ice and then checked myself out. I am an RN and checked to see if I felt it was a fracture. The manager arrived in the room and stated a doctor would possibly be an hour to two, I was not able to go to an ER without the permission of the doctor. I called my Norwegian friend and he also told me I would need the MD permission to go to the ER. He also told me the wait there would be very long unless it was life threatening and the cost would be high.

I was able to get up and walk so I declined, we had a very tight timeline there. I guess my point is every country has their own rules. I will always make sure we have some type of travel insurance in the future and consider the Med Assist

[sawhorse]

Health care is so much cheaper outside the USA and can easily be paid out of pocket. The last thing u want is to be transported back to USA...

Would your answer be different if you had a heart attack while on vacation in say Jamaica?

Just curious- if a patient's prosthetic hip fails due to an infection while on an extended european stay requiring staged surgery (antibiotic spacer AND total revision) - please tell me where you would go in Europe that offers this? Approximately 1% of all total joint replacement patients deal with this- while small can be catastrophic without prompt treatment. In the USA every major city will provide this care.

You make it sound like you can't get the treatment in Europe. In reality both one stage and two stage revision surgery for periprosthetic joint infection following total hip replacement are available everywhere in western Europe. The NHS does over 1000 revisions every year, 60% of which are two stage revisions.

The cost of a hip replacement at a private clinic in the UK is about £10-12k. It costs about 3 times that in the United States. The cost of a revision is higher, but it would still be much less than the cost of the primary surgery in the US. Nonetheless, if the surgery had to be done in the UK, it's an expense that I would have hoped to have had insured for. Sure it's several times less than in the US, but it's still tens of thousands of dollars.

[jimmieg]

My understanding is that Medicare, Medicare supplement insurance, and Medicare Advantage plans might provide some coverage for emergency medical services outside the U.S. but they will not pay for protracted hospital or physician care. They will not pay transportation charges if you needed to be transported back home and were not able to do that via normal transportation means on your own. So medical evacuation insurance would be of particular importance if you're over 65 and traveling abroad with Medicare or Medicare Advantage health insurance.

Traditional Medicare does not provide any coverage outside the US. A few Medigap policies provide limited coverage outside the US.

My Medicare Advantage plan covers emergency medical treatment anywhere in the world, including shipboard. I supplement that with a "hospital of your choice" annual Global Assist Air Ambulance policy (most cost effective for my needs. I use my Visa card benefits for trip interruption and foreign rental car insurance.