How much Medevac coverage for Antarctica?

[daffodil_11]

Hopefully no one here knows the answer to this firsthand. But I'm wondering if anyone has any info on the typical cost of a medevac from the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. I'm pricing out trip insurance policies - prematurely, I haven't even booked yet - and I'm finding that most policies provide USD $50,000 or $100,000 of coverage while some others offer $1,000,000. :confused:

Thanks in advance!

[Louise22]

Be sure and read the policies carefully. Some will take you only to the nearest suitable facility. Consider Medjet Assist. It is a yearly policy - I am not sure of the family cost but for a single belonging to AARP, the rate is $185 a year. If necessary, they will arrange private transportation to your home city.

[bethaniesmom]

same as what they said above...this company offers alot for a very good price and you can buy a one time policy for just the length of your trip or pay monthly for service anywhere, any time.

 

Beverly

[2552phxcrzr]

The company you book with will have guidance/requirements on this as well. Our paperwork from Quark suggested a minimum of $100,000 in medevac coverage.

[maztoz]

Daf,

This insurance business made me a little crazy too, so I turned the decision over to Hubby, a medical kinda guy. He thought 50-100K wasn't enough and 1M was too much, (yup, Goldilocks of the South Pole :rolleyes: ) so we went for 500K evac as an add-on option to a Travel Guard Protect-Assist Policy. Not cheap, but not outrageously expensive, and peace of mind is a good thing.

MedJet through AARP was a close second option. (It's a great thing to have if you plan any other big trips for the year you purchase it)

[greatam]

MedJet takes you to a hospital of YOUR choice. No limits on the policy.

 

Most of the packaged trip insurance policies take you to the "nearest medically adequate facility". Some have an add on "umbrella policy" which will get you to the hospital of your choice. Of course, those add on policies cost extra. Please read the fine print. If you had to be hospitalized for a couple weeks, you may not want to stay in a hospital in Ushuaia.

 

And make sure you pay attention to whether your med evac insurance is primary or secondary coverage. Not easy to arrange med evac from Antarctica as it is. Hassling with an insurance company to make the arrangements could be devastating.

 

I travel a lot internationally for work-South America and the Far East primarily. I have a MedJet policy and a yearly out of the country medical policy. I have never had to use the evac policy, but have used my overseas medical policy. Some foreign countries will not allow you to check into a hospital unless you pay cash. If you have a decent travel insurance company, THEY will make the arrangements to get you into a hospital WITHOUT handing over the credit card.

 

When I went to Antarctica, I was required to have $250,000 med evac.

[Louise22]

And, as Bethaniesmom mentioned which I should have remembered, you can do a single trip coverage with Medjet.

[Bookish Angel]

It cost about $700 dollars for the policy but I know of someone who had to be airlifted out of the Amazon to the tune of over $600,000 so I was happy to pay for good coverage for Antarctica.

[donaldsc]

My wife and I bought $1,000,000 medivac out of Antartica back to the USA. I do not remember what it cost but I do remember that the cost for the 2 of us from InsureMyTrip was less than the cruise company for one and with better coverage.

 

We now have a 1 year evac and medical policy that covers all trips including trips in the USA that cost us about (if I remember) $400 for the 2 of us.

 

DON

[daffodil_11]

Thanks everyone. I'll definitely talk to the trip operator to see what they recommend. I'm also interested in Medjet Assist that's been recommended. But I'm curious about something I read on their website:

 

"Will you rescue me in any medical emergency no matter where I am?

No. We cannot guarantee evacuation from remote locations that do not have accessible landing strips."

 

It sounds as though a remote area on or around Antarctica would fall into that category. I plan to call them during the week to get clarification.

[trooper 1]

Hopefully no one here knows the answer to this firsthand. But I'm wondering if anyone has any info on the typical cost of a medevac from the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. I'm pricing out trip insurance policies - prematurely, I haven't even booked yet - and I'm finding that most policies provide USD $50,000 or $100,000 of coverage while some others offer $1,000,000. :confused:

Thanks in advance!

 

Wow. Of the three amounts listed above $1,000,000 sounds the best.

We had to have a very ill passenger evacuated from Antartica a couple years ago. Huge operation!!! We tried to go into an Argentine research station but it was iced in. Then we went to a Polish research station who sent a tender out and off loaded the sick person. The Polish scientists radioed the Chilean Air Force who sent a helicopter and took her back to a hospital in Chile. Do not know if she was charged but I'll bet $100,000 would not cover it.