opinions on EA+ emerg evac insurance

[Hawaiidan]

Got a mailing from EA+ ( emergency assistance plus company)...  on emerg evac insurance...     any one  with an opinion or experience....I am all ears.  Other options??  Ideas?     

[travelingJimmy]

 I always get medical transportation as part of my travel insurance and honestly, its the biggest reason i get travel insurance.  depending on where you are, at it can easily cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to get evac'd and transported home due to medical issues.  You might be surprised as to what type of medical issues can prevent you from traveling commercial back home

[Hawaiidan]

20 minutes ago, travelingJimmy said:

 I always get medical transportation as part of my travel insurance and honestly, its the biggest reason i get travel insurance.  depending on where you are, at it can easily cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars to get evac'd and transported home due to medical issues.  You might be surprised as to what type of medical issues can prevent you from traveling commercial back home

are there other companies that are better???....  the price is $190 for  family....    At that price I worry its a scam as too cheap.  I have med good anywhere in the world already and My CC covers the travel ins bit   but at to evac is my question.

Edited June 22, 2022 by Hawaiidan

[1985rz1]

10 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

are there other companies that are better???....  the price is $190 for  family....    At that price I worry its a scam as too cheap.  I have med good anywhere in the world already and My CC covers the travel ins bit   but at to evac is my question.

What coverage do they claim you get.  A minimum policy should be $500,000 per person for evacuation and repatriation.  A $250,000 policy could cut in in some cases.  Does it include return of traveling family members with the evacuation, and are there limitations as to where they will cover you?

Edited June 22, 2022 by 1985rz1

[Hawaiidan]

1 minute ago, 1985rz1 said:

What coverage do they claim you get.  A minimum policy should be $500,000 per person for evacuation and repatriation.  A $250,000 policy could cut in in some cases.

they do not list a cap....open ended.

[1985rz1]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

they do not list a cap....open ended.

Dan-

 

Is this per trip, or an annual policy?  If you have more than 1 trip per year, you may want to compare EA+ to Allianz which has an annual plan that covers all trips in a year for a family ($500,000 per person per trip in emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage during a 12-month period) for $495, called All Trips Premier.  It has a COVID rider, and if the initial payment for a given trip occurs after the policy is in effect, it has a Pre-Existing Condition Waiver and the Waiver continues if you renew. It covers a medical escort if needed, transportation for a family member to stay with the patient and will transport other family members home if hospitalized more than 48 hr.  It has a minimal cancellation coverage ($2,000 per year, total). As with all policies, the details and fine print are what matter.

 

I haven't done any detailed search for reviews, but for what I did superficially, Alliance gets positive reviews and EA+ gets mixed reviews. 

 

The may be other alternatives that others may know about.

Edited June 22, 2022 by 1985rz1

[Host Jazzbeau]

Travel insurance evacuation coverage has a BIG loophole:  the insurance company will confer with the local doctor and only evacuate you if the doctor admits they are incapable of treating you.  [Cue memes about doctors with God complex.]  The solution is:  Medjet Assist, which puts YOU in control of the decision:  once you are admitted to a hospital anywhere in the world, YOU tell Medjet to 'get me outta here' and they will airlift you and a companion to the hospital of YOUR choice [i.e. a major hospital close to your home].  And if you are an AARP member, they have a special discounted rate.

https://medjetassist.com

https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/all/medjetassist-10063/

 

[1985rz1]

50 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Travel insurance evacuation coverage has a BIG loophole:  the insurance company will confer with the local doctor and only evacuate you if the doctor admits they are incapable of treating you.  [Cue memes about doctors with God complex.]  The solution is:  Medjet Assist, which puts YOU in control of the decision:  once you are admitted to a hospital anywhere in the world, YOU tell Medjet to 'get me outta here' and they will airlift you and a companion to the hospital of YOUR choice [i.e. a major hospital close to your home].  And if you are an AARP member, they have a special discounted rate.

https://medjetassist.com

https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/all/medjetassist-10063/

 

I'm not quite sure if what you describe is accurate for Allianz.  It appears that they will evacuate you once you are declared able to travel after you have been treated locally.  Here's the section of the plan I'm looking at:

 

Emergency Evacuation (Transporting you to the nearest appropriate hospital) If you become seriously ill or injured or develop a medical condition while on your trip and we determine that the local medical facilities are unable to provide appropriate medical treatment: 1. Our medical team will consult with the local doctor; 2. We will identify the closest appropriate hospital or other appropriate facility, make arrangements to transport you there, and pay for that transport; and 3. We will arrange and pay for a medical escort if we determine one is necessary. The following condition applies: a. You or someone on your behalf must contact us, and we must make all transportation arrangements in advance. If we did not authorize and arrange the transportation, we will only pay up to what we would have paid if we had made the arrangements.

 

Medical Repatriation (Getting you home after you receive care) If you become seriously ill or injured or develop a medical condition while on your trip and our medical team confirms with the treating doctor that you are medically stable to travel, we will: 1. Arrange and pay for you to be transported via a commercial transportation carrier in the same class of service that you originally booked (unless otherwise medically necessary) for the return leg of your trip, less available refunds for unused tickets. The transportation will be to one of the following: a. Your primary residence; b. A location of your choice in the U.S.; or c. A medical facility near your primary residence or in a location of your choice in the U.S. In either case, the medical facility must be willing and able to accept you as a patient and must be approved by our medical director as medically appropriate for your continued care. 101-P-1000-2017 17 2

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Travel insurance evacuation coverage has a BIG loophole:  the insurance company will confer with the local doctor and only evacuate you if the doctor admits they are incapable of treating you.  [Cue memes about doctors with God complex.]  The solution is:  Medjet Assist, which puts YOU in control of the decision:  once you are admitted to a hospital anywhere in the world, YOU tell Medjet to 'get me outta here' and they will airlift you and a companion to the hospital of YOUR choice [i.e. a major hospital close to your home].  And if you are an AARP member, they have a special discounted rate.

https://medjetassist.com

https://www.aarp.org/benefits-discounts/all/medjetassist-10063/

 

Hey thanks.... all  I am looking for is transport home dead or alive.    My medical costs are all take care of  by my own insurance, ( I have used it in the So Pacific and Europe...no cap)   Since I always fly Business   thats not an issue.   but an air ambulance is , if needed my concern.    Med Jet sounds like a good option

[vaitape]

MedJet!

[ToxM]

On our TA from Barbados to Barcelona 4 hours out of Antigua at the start of the TA someone had to evacuated off the ship. The ship turned around and went 4 hours back to Antigua and the passenger was tendered off. It’s not just helicopter and evacuation fees that you need to take into account. Engineer officer on the ship told us that turning back took around 1.5 tonnes of fuel … that’s got to be paid for as well. 

[ORV]

3 hours ago, ToxM said:

On our TA from Barbados to Barcelona 4 hours out of Antigua at the start of the TA someone had to evacuated off the ship. The ship turned around and went 4 hours back to Antigua and the passenger was tendered off. It’s not just helicopter and evacuation fees that you need to take into account. Engineer officer on the ship told us that turning back took around 1.5 tonnes of fuel … that’s got to be paid for as well. 

Are you sure? 

[njhorseman]

36 minutes ago, ORV said:

Are you sure? 

The passenger doesn't pay for the extra fuel consumed. Nor do you pay for helicopter evacuations carried out by government military operations such as the US Coast Guard.

[ToxM]

5 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

The passenger doesn't pay for the extra fuel consumed. Nor do you pay for helicopter evacuations carried out by government military operations such as the US Coast Guard.

That wasn’t what was conveyed to me by the engineer, gosh, bargain then. 

[Hawaiidan]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

The passenger doesn't pay for the extra fuel consumed. Nor do you pay for helicopter evacuations carried out by government military operations such as the US Coast Guard.

Correct....under  international agreement no country charges for a air sea rescue helo.... $0   nada  zip,   Same with fuel   an emergency evac or rescue any ship having a need or asked to divert to assist  will render no charge as well.    Thank you US Navy and US Coast Guard    I have seen USCG launch several C130s  1000 miles and have para-rescue medics parachute at night into the sea  with tankers to refuel helos fly the patjent 1000 miles back to Honolulu..... to a private ambulance...   The only charge was for the Private ambulance to the hospital      !!!!!

[willoL]

Our family has purchased annual evacuation coverage via MedJet as mentioned by other posters. We carried it for at least a few years prior to the pandemic, let it lapse with no travel, but will renew next month shortly before we leave the USA. Their website is easy to use and it is quick to sign up.

 

Mostly because of the situation in Ukraine, we are upgrading for the first time ever from the standard version of MedJet to MedJet Horizon which adds crisis response coverage. (But my husband left the USSR with his family as a refugee in the 1970s, he's an internationally known figure in his field, and we have a trip to a region much closer to the conflict than our August cruise will get. His paranoia amped up!) Until this year, we felt the base level MedJet was sufficient for our needs, and I don't expect to prolong the Horizon level unless DH resumes regular international travel and Russia's nefarious activities expand further...

 

I rarely purchase individual trip insurance--having calculated that I've already saved enough in premiums to walk away from almost any trip without feeling like I'd been foolish and suffering financial pain--but I do, like you, have medical insurance that will cover me outside the USA plus my Chase Sapphire card offers enough trip protection to alleviate any losses based upon the typical cost of my trips.

[Hawaiidan]

16 minutes ago, willoL said:

Our family has purchased annual evacuation coverage via MedJet as mentioned by other posters. We carried it for at least a few years prior to the pandemic, let it lapse with no travel, but will renew next month shortly before we leave the USA. Their website is easy to use and it is quick to sign up.

 

Mostly because of the situation in Ukraine, we are upgrading for the first time ever from the standard version of MedJet to MedJet Horizon which adds crisis response coverage. (But my husband left the USSR with his family as a refugee in the 1970s, he's an internationally known figure in his field, and we have a trip to a region much closer to the conflict than our August cruise will get. His paranoia amped up!) Until this year, we felt the base level MedJet was sufficient for our needs, and I don't expect to prolong the Horizon level unless DH resumes regular international travel and Russia's nefarious activities expand further...

 

I rarely purchase individual trip insurance--having calculated that I've already saved enough in premiums to walk away from almost any trip without feeling like I'd been foolish and suffering financial pain--but I do, like you, have medical insurance that will cover me outside the USA plus my Chase Sapphire card offers enough trip protection to alleviate any losses based upon the typical cost of my trips.

 a quick check shows if your over 74  you have to get a doctors report on you  for approval.   Prices are $499 for one person for 1 year    $899 for 2 persons     For people needing only evac from foreign hospital to US Hospital  thats the ticket.     You have to be non-ambulatory to get a  ride to a home hospital and that hospital  has got to first accept you for admission.     

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 a quick check shows if your over 74  you have to get a doctors report on you  for approval.   Prices are $499 for one person for 1 year    $899 for 2 persons     For people needing only evac from foreign hospital to US Hospital  thats the ticket.     You have to be non-ambulatory to get a  ride to a home hospital and that hospital  has got to first accept you for admission.     

We'll be facing that on our next renewal.  The trick is to buy 5 years of membership when you're 73!

[Hawaiidan]

47 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

We'll be facing that on our next renewal.  The trick is to buy 5 years of membership when you're 73!

EA+  is  $700 cheaper  and while not as good....  has less exclusions. 

 

 Insurance is a gamble face it  your betting you need it  they are betting you do not.....  chances are they win....  I only need it for 1 trip of 17 days..... and if needed only need it for transport for a non ambulatory situation.   The rest I have covered with CC and my own health coverage... + I speak the lingo in the countries I am off to and have friends in Europe if need be.      So   things more under control... just hedging my bets  Thanks for everyone for all the options. and advice

[ne1travel]

We will be cruising in Europe this fall.  We have looked at both this and MedJet and have decided (as others have mentioned) to use MedJet for the fact they will get you out of where you are to your home hospital.  We plan to buy a yearly plan to cover the cruises throughout a year for the “just in case”.

check out both sites and send them any questions you may have.

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, ne1travel said:

We will be cruising in Europe this fall.  We have looked at both this and MedJet and have decided (as others have mentioned) to use MedJet for the fact they will get you out of where you are to your home hospital.  We plan to buy a yearly plan to cover the cruises throughout a year for the “just in case”.

check out both sites and send them any questions you may have.

owing to  the  very big difference in cost  + lots of paper work for Med Jet , for  just 1  cruise , caused me to go EA+      Having to get doctors letters and forms and all sort of stuff was going to be a hassle  Too having to buy it for a year  where  we would only need it for 14 days. did not amortize to me.

[GeezerCouple]

45 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

owing to  the  very big difference in cost  + lots of paper work for Med Jet , for  just 1  cruise , caused me to go EA+      Having to get doctors letters and forms and all sort of stuff was going to be a hassle  Too having to buy it for a year  where  we would only need it for 14 days. did not amortize to me.

 

MJA doesn't have "per trip" coverage anymore?

 

We always took the annual, given we tended to take more than one "vacation" per year, because that also covered us for short-notice business trips or visits to friends/family, as long as they were more than 150 miles from home - which they've always been.

So we never seriously looked at the per-trip choices or costs.

GC

[willoL]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

MJA doesn't have "per trip" coverage anymore?

 

We always took the annual, given we tended to take more than one "vacation" per year, because that also covered us for short-notice business trips or visits to friends/family, as long as they were more than 150 miles from home ...

Prices are definitely more reasonable for a family with middle aged parents and teens.

 

I did see Short-Term Memberships on this page:  https://medjetassist.com/medjetassist#diamond

 

But as @GeezerCouple mentions, our family finds tons of value because of our regular travel between the US East and West Coasts, too, on top of any international jaunts. Knowing I could get a sick kid (God forbid) back to husband and home was just always worth the price of this coverage AT THE PRICE for a 40 year old plus youths.

 

@Hawaiidan seems very capable of running the right numbers to get the best combination for him.

 

And here's hoping none of us every have to file a claim with any of these options! 😬

[Hawaiidan]

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

MJA doesn't have "per trip" coverage anymore?

 

We always took the annual, given we tended to take more than one "vacation" per year, because that also covered us for short-notice business trips or visits to friends/family, as long as they were more than 150 miles from home - which they've always been.

So we never seriously looked at the per-trip choices or costs.

GC

ya  the quoted me  900-1200 for a policy  for a year  that would expire just before my next cruise !!!   

For 74+  they only do annual. my  friend + you have a ton of paperwork to submit     EA+   180 for 2 for a year..... to me  almost   $ 1000 difference

[Dwtlion]

2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

ya  the quoted me  900-1200 for a policy  for a year  that would expire just before my next cruise !!!   

For 74+  they only do annual. my  friend + you have a ton of paperwork to submit     EA+   180 for 2 for a year..... to me  almost   $ 1000 difference

Correct me if I am wrong, but EA+ just makes arrangements for client paid med evacuations; whereas MJA actually provides and pays for service.