Med Evac Insurance

[iflyrc5]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the actual cost of medical evacuations? Trying to determine how much insurance coverage to purchase - we are going to be doing the south pacific (Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc..) in Feb 2015. Of the plans I am considering one offers $250,000 or, for an additional insurance cost of $400 the coverage goes up to $500,000. Would $250,000 get a person back to the USA from Bora Bora?

[scamper]

I don't have first hand experience with it, but I always buy it as a part of my travel insurance bloc. Try medjetassist.com for questions regarding the approximate cost of repatriation. The out of pocket cost my vary according to patient condition, but don't quote me on that. If you check insuremytrip.com, they offer packages that you can shop the different insurers for. That's where I buy all my travel insurance. I think they offer just medical transportation policies as well. $400 seems a bit steep, but maybe not for half a mil. Buy it as a package and it's cheaper. Insuremytrip has customer comments and ratings to help you make your decision.

[durangoscots]

Well, not my experience but I heard a quote of $90,000 for someone who had to medevaced from Punta Arenas, Chile to Boston with a badly broken hip. That gives you a ballpark figure to work with.

 

Susan

[sail7seas]

If I were going to Bora Bora, I would not struggle about the extra $400 for more insurance in order to have peace of mind I'd be covered for possibly $250,000 above inadequate coverage for medical evacuation. Hopefully you'll not need it but it would not be a 'waste of money' in that event as you would travel with peace of mind.

 

JMO

[Typhoon1]

Don't leave home without it.

[OTOW guy]

but recently United Airlines sent an offer for Medical assistance insurance for $149 for both of us incl. med evac and other travel benefits. Might take it along with our usual insurance in case there is really high costs that the usual insurance doesn't cover completely.

[sail7seas]

but recently United Airlines sent an offer for Medical assistance insurance for $149 for both of us incl. med evac and other travel benefits. Might take it along with our usual insurance in case there is really high costs that the usual insurance doesn't cover completely.

 

Just a suggestion but you may wish to verify each would pay regardless you have other insurance. There possibly could be terms on one or both policies they will not pay if you have other coverage. Also determine which would pay first so avoid confusion if one argues the other should pay.

 

I'm not a lawyer or insurance agent and never played one on TV. :)

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2014 by sail7seas

[Langoustine]

but recently United Airlines sent an offer for Medical assistance insurance for $149 for both of us incl. med evac and other travel benefits.

 

Read the fine print very carefully. Some of the low-cost policies will only evacuate you to the nearest hospital, not to a hospital where you actually live.

[MishelleMcc]

We won a trip to China last year so I bought us medical ins through Allianz.

premium for 2 was $60 for 10 days. Med-e-vac coverage was up to $500,000. We are 55 and 51 yrs old but had no preexisting medical conditions. I would shop around.

 

Have a great cruise!!!

[Folk Singer]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the actual cost of medical evacuations? Trying to determine how much insurance coverage to purchase - we are going to be doing the south pacific (Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc..) in Feb 2015. Of the plans I am considering one offers $250,000 or, for an additional insurance cost of $400 the coverage goes up to $500,000. Would $250,000 get a person back to the USA from Bora Bora?

 

 

I couldn't say for certain. We buy coverage from TD and have very good all inclusive coverage. Depending on where I was going I would get the best coverage we could get though.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Folk Singer

[Jimbo59]

Also check out http://www.squaremouth.com to compare travel insurance.

[PathfinderEss]

Also check out http://www.squaremouth.com to compare travel insurance.

 

Thanks Jimbo, good site, with some great information.

[KirkNC]

I agree that your quote sounds high. We buy it when we travel and depending on where we go and for how long its anywhere from $75-125 for the two of us.

[iflyrc5]

I guess my post was a little miss leading. The policy I was considering included trip cancellation, delay, luggage, medical, etc.... for a 45 day cruise and was in the $900 range. All of the covered amounts were higher for the more expensive policy ($1300 range) but the main difference for our situation was whether to get $250,000 or $500,000 of Med Evac insurance. So what I am really trying to figure out is will $250,000 get one of us from Tahiti back to the states if we need a medical evacuation.

 

Thanks for all the input so far.

[HamOp]

Just a suggestion but you may wish to verify each would pay regardless you have other insurance. There possibly could be terms on one or both policies they will not pay if you have other coverage. Also determine which would pay first so avoid confusion if one argues the other should pay.

 

I'm not a lawyer or insurance agent and never played one on TV. :)

 

 

 

 

Ah, but did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?:D

[sail7seas]

Ah, but did you stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night?:D

 

 

 

Nooooo, didn't even qualify in that category either. :D :D

 

 

OP..... Few if any of us want to say how much a medical evacuation from Bora Bora could cost you. Two many variables and hypothetical to venture to assure you how much coverage is enough. The fact your policy includes cancellation is a whole different thing and the reason your premium is higher than we would have expected for only medical and evacuation. Cancellation coverage is what knocks up the price of travel coverage.

 

[janmcn]

Agree with other posters that there are two (or more probably) kinds of "medivac insurance." Medjet Assist will evac you to ANY hospital of your choosing once it's determined you need hospitalization and are stable to travel. (It works anytime you are more than 150 miles from home.) Their docs will coordinate to establish HOW you will be evacuated. (Commercial airline, private jet.) However, other insurances will only evacuate you to the nearest hospital that can treat your condition…big diff! We have Medjet Assist on a yearly basis, but you can purchase it by trip also. (They don't cover simple things like broken arms, etc.) Remember also, it doesn't cover medical expenses! That's a different insurance. Read ALL the fine print. You get what you pay for.

PS…250k should be fine to get you back to the states…but depending on policies it might get you only to HI (the states). You need to check with the company to really find out what their "medivac" insurance really is…how bad do you have to be to use it? :-)

Edited November 12, 2014 by janmcn

[threeedogmedia]

Does anyone have first hand experience with the actual cost of medical evacuations? Trying to determine how much insurance coverage to purchase - we are going to be doing the south pacific (Tahiti, Bora Bora, etc..) in Feb 2015. Of the plans I am considering one offers $250,000 or, for an additional insurance cost of $400 the coverage goes up to $500,000. Would $250,000 get a person back to the USA from Bora Bora?

 

You may want to consider looking into Medjetassist.com. We have a private membership for both of us and the cost is approx. $300/year for full coverage medical evacuation insurance. (I'm 62 and husband is 71) We also purchase trip insurance from various companies but that is for the other trip costs and we don't have to concern ourselves with the other details of policy differences for such medical coverage. The insurance kicks in if you are in a hospital anywhere in the world. They take over and get you to what hospital you want to go to at home. The trip coverage would then cover things like the ship doctor, dental visits etc so it might be worth looking at. If you need additional information, just let me know and I can send you a private message with more information.

Karen

Edited November 12, 2014 by threeedogmedia
add title

[sail7seas]

You may want to consider looking into Medjetassist.com. We have a private membership for both of us and the cost is approx. $300/year for full coverage medical evacuation insurance. (I'm 62 and husband is 71) We also purchase trip insurance from various companies but that is for the other trip costs and we don't have to concern ourselves with the other details of policy differences for such medical coverage. The insurance kicks in if you are in a hospital anywhere in the world. They take over and get you to what hospital you want to go to at home. The trip coverage would then cover things like the ship doctor, dental visits etc so it might be worth looking at. If you need additional information, just let me know and I can send you a private message with more information.

Karen

 

 

Important there be no confusion......

 

MedJetAssist does not pay medical bills.

They pay for medical evacuation/repatriation but your hospital/doctor/surgical bills will not be covered by them.

You are right those bills would have to be submitted to other travel insurance for payment.

 

If you are a member of AARP, there is a discount. Be sure to get it. :)

 

Edited November 12, 2014 by sail7seas

[ScottishMaid]

Also MedjetAssist told me they will not pay for transfer from a cruise ship to a shore hospital, for example helicopter evacuation. Once you are stabilized in a foreign hospital they will get you from there to your home hospital.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Also MedjetAssist told me they will not pay for transfer from a cruise ship to a shore hospital, for example helicopter evacuation. Once you are stabilized in a foreign hospital they will get you from there to your home hospital.

 

Good point! I will add that many travel medical policies have evacuation coverage that will ONLY take you to the nearest land-based hospital, not home, so it is good to have both.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Just a suggestion but you may wish to verify each would pay regardless you have other insurance. There possibly could be terms on one or both policies they will not pay if you have other coverage. Also determine which would pay first so avoid confusion if one argues the other should pay...

 

Good points. Two key words to look for when comparing policies are PRIMARY and SECONDARY when it comes to coverage. If you have adequate primary coverage, that company (hopefully) covers the entire bill, so no battle among insurers as to who pays what.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Ryndam2002
clarity

[ScriptOhio]

Just my 2 cents worth here.....

 

I do think medical/trip evacuation insurance is a good idea. I go on several (like 7 or so) trips a year and they are at least 2 weeks or longer. What I do here is buy an annual plan that covers me for all the trips that I take in a 12 month period. I use to go with Travel Guard; however, they now no longer offer this (annual) coverage. This last summer when it was time to renew I ended up buying 2 policies, i.e. GoBlue and MedJet. The good news is that (I believe) the combination of the 2 offers more and better coverage than the Travel Guard policy did and at a slightly lower total annual premium. I don’t remember the exact amount; but, for me and my wife I’m paying around $225 pp per year (total) for the 2 policies. GoBlue pays medical expenses and evacuation to the nearest hospital and MedJet will airlift you home, etc.

[take us away]

Back to the basic question - would $250,000 get one home from French Polynesia.... If it cost $90,000 from Punta Arenas which has somewhat limited air service, one could guess - and I stress guess - that $250,000 could be adequate.

 

Had a friend medevac'd from Cape Town to Orlando for about $65,000 but she did not require extensive medical support on the trip.

Edited November 12, 2014 by take us away

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Back to the basic question - would $250,000 get one home from French Polynesia.... If it cost $90,000 from Punta Arenas which has somewhat limited air service, one could guess - and I stress guess - that $250,000 could be adequate.

 

Had a friend medevac'd from Cape Town to Orlando for about $65,000 but she did not require extensive medical support on the trip.

 

I did a quick online search and, on a Rick Steves website, there was info about one UK-USA evacuation that ran $130,000. I would THINK $250K would be enough, but I would personally go higher for peace of mind. YMMV.