Emergency medical evacuation benefits can cover medical expenses and related charges, making protection insurance essential for those at high risk of illness or injury.
Emergency medical evacuation insurance is a type of insurance that helps pay for the expense to transport you from a remote area or inadequate medical facility to a better-equipped medical center, usually by airlift or ambulance.
Medical evacuation travel insurance is generally included in a comprehensive travel insurance plan. Sometimes emergency medical evacuation insurance is called medical evacuation and repatriation insurance.
The maximum coverage amount will vary by plan, so be sure to shop around for a high coverage amount if this is important to you.
The best travel insurance plans provide up to $1 million per person for medical evacuation. That might seem high, but evacuation costs can add up quickly.
“The cost of emergency medical transportation can run into the tens of thousands of dollars or more, especially if you’re in a remote destination,” says Daniel Durazo, a spokesperson with Allianz Global Assistance.
Exactly what you’d pay for emergency evacuation would depend on your medical condition, the care required and your location. Durazo says emergency medical transportation to the U.S. from the following countries can cost the following:
Medical evacuation benefits help if you become seriously ill or suffer a severe injury during your trip and there are no local hospitals with the resources to treat your condition.
For example, if you suffer a serious injury in a car accident during a trip to China, your travel insurance company can arrange for medevac services to the nearest hospital equipped to care for you, which can be elsewhere in China, another country or even back in the U.S.
Your travel insurance company will work as a liaison to arrange the transportation on your behalf, which can come in handy during a medical crisis in a foreign country.
The travel medical insurance in a travel insurance plan can pay for doctor and hospital bills, X-rays, lab work, medicine and other associated expenses, up to your medical coverage limit. Evacuation insurance and travel medical insurance have separate coverage limits. For example, a generous travel insurance plan might have up to $500,000 for medical expenses and up to $1 million for evacuation.
When you’re well enough to travel, your travel insurance company can pay for your flight home.
Medical evacuation travel insurance can help pay for evacuation and ground ambulance costs, medical escorts, the cost for family or friends to fly to your bedside and to transport your children back home if there is no one to care for you, among other things.
Medical evacuation insurance can pay for the cost of emergency transportation to the nearest adequate treatment center if you become seriously ill or injured while traveling and require immediate care. It can also pay for you to be transported back to the U.S. if medically necessary.
Or, if you’ve been treated but you need to fly back to the U.S. for further treatment or to recover, it can pay for the flight home.
If you require specialized care for the flight home, like a medical professional who can administer intravenous antibiotics or oxygen during your flight, medical evacuation insurance can pay for associated costs for medical escort services.
If you’re hospitalized during your trip following an illness or injury that is covered by your policy, your medical evacuation travel insurance can pay for a round-trip flight for a friend or family member to come stay with you. This benefit usually has a minimum hospital-stay requirement. For example, if you’re told you’ll be hospitalized for seven days or more, your benefits might apply.
Some medical evacuation benefits include compensation for hotel stays, meals and other reasonable costs your traveling companion has while staying near you.
If you’re hospitalized during your trip and traveling with your children, your travel insurance company can arrange for your children to fly home or to another U.S.-based location. Your benefits can compensate for the cost, minus any refunds for unused plane tickets. This benefit also usually has a minimum number of days for hospitalization you must meet to file a claim.
If you or a traveling companion die during your trip, the cost of transporting remains home can be covered by repatriation benefits included in your evacuation coverage.