Medevac Insurance: Emergency Evacuation Coverage
Medevac insurance covers the cost of emergency medical evacuation for expats. These costs can be extremely high, especially when helicopters or specialized aircraft are required to transport patients from remote locations.
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If you’re an expat or frequent traveler, securing emergency evacuation coverage alongside your international health insurance plan is essential. This Pacific Prime guide explains what Medevac insurance is, who needs it, what it covers, and how to choose the right plan.
What is Medical Evacuation Insurance?
Medical evacuation insurance covers transport when illness or injury requires moving to a qualified medical facility. Evacuations may occur by land, sea, or air, with ambulances and helicopters being common options.
Patients receive continuous medical care during transfer. Trained staff, medicine, and equipment are provided en route, ensuring safety until arrival at a hospital. This makes Medevac insurance a vital safeguard for those abroad.
Evacuations are not limited to emergencies in remote areas. Even in urban centers, specialized transport may be required if local hospitals cannot provide adequate care. Medevac ensures you reach the right facility quickly.
Who Needs Medevac Insurance?
Expats in remote areas benefit most for medical evacuation coverage, as local healthcare may be limited. Seniors and those with pre-existing conditions face higher risks abroad. Adventure travelers and families also gain peace of mind knowing evacuation costs are covered if emergencies arise.
Even short-term travelers can benefit. A sudden accident or illness in a country with limited facilities can quickly escalate costs. Medevac insurance ensures you are not left vulnerable to overwhelming bills.
For business travelers, Medevac coverage is equally important. Companies sending employees overseas often include evacuation benefits in corporate health plans to protect staff and reduce liability.
Other Medevac Insurance Benefits
Medevac insurance generally covers the cost of transportation from an emergency evacuation, but it can also cover emergency repatriation and more. The exact benefits included with Medevac insurance can vary across plans and providers.
We will explain the different parts of Medevac insurance coverage below:
Emergency Repatriation
An emergency repatriation benefit covers the costs of transportation to your home country to receive medical treatment for your accident or illness you acquired while traveling. This benefit also covers the transportation costs if you are going home to recover from said illness or accident.
Repatriation of Mortal Remains
The repatriation of mortal remains benefits covers the cost of transporting the insured person’s deceased body back to their home country. They will also cover the cost of a funeral or cremation of the body overseas if the insured person’s family chooses it.
This benefit can also include coverage for:
- Coordination with local authorities for any necessary authorizations or services
- The cost of transporting the remains to and from medical facilities, the coroner, and the airport
- The cost of the container (coffin, urn, etc.)
Travel Assistance Services
Medevac insurance can cover the cost of travel assistance services like translation, lost document assistance, and emergency prescription replacement. These services also can include coordinating transportation and communicating with medical providers.
These travel assistance benefits are often offered as complementary by insurers.
Accompanying Person
Medevac insurance may cover the transportation costs of an accompanying person during your emergency evacuation. Often insurers will only pay for an accompanying person if you require an adult to assist with your care or recovery or to escort you back home.
How to Secure Medevac Insurance
Medevac insurance can be secured through standalone policies, travel insurance, and international health insurance policies. You can secure one of these policies online or through an international insurance broker like Pacific Prime.
Travel Insurance Medevac Coverage
Travel insurance policies often provide medical emergency evacuation coverage in their policies. This is because of the added risks travelers may have for the need to be transported elsewhere for medical treatment while traveling abroad.
Travel insurance typically covers the costs of travel-related risks, such as baggage loss and delayed flights, but it can also cover medical emergencies as well. The Medevac benefit limits and details may vary across plans and providers.
Some travel insurance providers that offer medical evacuation coverage include:
Standalone Medevac Insurance
Standalone Medevac insurance policies cover the costs included with medical evacuations and repatriations but won’t cover any other benefits like travel or health insurance. If you are someone who wants more basic coverage for emergency evacuations, this might be the plan for you.
International Health Insurance Medevac Coverage
International health insurance providers may also offer Medevac coverage through their policies. This kind of health insurance differs from other local domestic health insurance plans, which only cover those insured within one country’s borders.
With international health insurance, expats can take their plans with them as they travel across the globe. Expats looking for comprehensive health insurance coverage in addition to Medevac coverage will appreciate this option.
Some international health insurance providers that offer medical evacuation coverage include:
Medevac Insurance Exclusions
Medevac insurance exclusions will vary across insurers, but typically they will exclude any expenses they deem unnecessary. They will require the insured person to provide written certification from the attending doctor that the insuree cannot receive adequate care at the local medical facility.
They may also not pay for the following injuries incurred from:
- A self-inflicted bodily injury
- Flying in an aircraft other than a passenger
- War or civil war
- AIDS
- Use of nuclear weapons
Most insurers reserve the right to the final decision on whether you will be moved to another location for medical treatment.
How to Choose the Right Medevac Coverage
You can choose the right Medevac insurance coverage by determining your risk for medical emergencies, reviewing coverage limits and benefits, reading all terms and conditions, and working with an insurance broker.
We will go over these steps below:
Determine Your Risk
Take the time to determine your risk of medical emergencies while abroad by asking yourself if your location is remote, if it has adequate healthcare services, and if you are engaging in any potentially risky activities, like hiking or boating.
You should also take a hard look at your health and if you suspect you may need extra medical support while abroad. The right Medevac plan will have coverage to mitigate these risks.
Review Coverage Limits and Benefits
When looking at Medevac plans, review the different coverage limits and benefits on each policy. Medical evacuations can be very expensive, so you will want to ensure you have the correct coverage limit for your needs.
In addition to the coverage limit, check out the benefits covered by the Medevac insurance. Does it cover repatriation of remains? Will it cover the cost of a support person? If these are things you want in your policy, check to see that the plan you’re eyeing offers it.
Read All Terms and Conditions
Reading the terms and conditions of medical evacuation coverage can protect you from being caught unaware of any exclusions or limitations. You should ensure you know your policy’s rules well, so you are not caught paying anything out of pocket because your insurer excludes it.
Watch out for waiting periods, restrictions, and limitations included in the terms and conditions.
Work with an Insurance Broker to Secure a Medevac Plan
Working with an insurance broker to secure your Medevac coverage can streamline the process and get you your desired coverage faster. An insurance broker can offer free and unbiased advice and provide years of market knowledge to help you find the best plan for your needs.
Insurance experts like Pacific Prime have the experience and knowledge necessary to help you find Medevac coverage for your trip. If you’d like to compare plans on your own, use Pacific Prime’s free quote tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do health insurance plans cover emergency medical evacuations?
Health insurance plans can cover emergency medical evacuations, but not every insurance provider does. International health insurance providers like AXA, Allianz, and others provide emergency medical evacuation and repatriation coverage to their members.
Do Cigna Global health plans cover medical evacuations?
Cigna Global provides medical evacuation coverage in its international health insurance plans through an optional add-on benefit, International Medical Evacuation and Crisis Assistance Plus™. This benefit offers Medevac coverage to its members worldwide.
How much can medical evacuations cost without insurance?
The cost of medical evacuations can vary greatly depending on what mode of transportation you take, how long your flight or ambulance ride is, the severity of your medical emergency, and other factors. The average cost of a medical evacuation can vary from USD $20,000 to higher than USD $200,000.
Conclusion
With Medevac insurance, expats and travelers can stay protected in case of any medical emergencies or evacuations that may occur as they journey abroad. This important coverage can save them thousands of dollars and give them peace of mind.
Are you ready to begin shopping for your Medevac insurance? The insurance experts at Pacific Prime can help. Whether you’re interested in medical evacuation coverage through travel insurance or an international health insurance policy, we can help find the right fit for you.
Contact us today online or call us toll-free at 1-800-868-1451. If you’re interested in a free insurance quote, click here!
If you’d like to read more about medical evacuation coverage, download our free guide here.
At Pacific Prime, Grace focuses on simplifying complex concepts on international health insurance to make these topics easily accessible and understandable for our target audience. Being a Filipino born in Hong Kong, she understands the struggles of most immigrants and expats in finding the right insurance solutions while in another country. Her goal is to redefine most people’s perception of insurance, that it is an investment for one’s protection and future.
In her spare time, Grace is either at home or at Hong Kong Disneyland. She loves reading, watching movies and K-dramas, and attending dance classes.
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