This Overlooked Type Of Travel Insurance Could Be A Lifesaver

If you fall ill or become ill while traveling, travel insurance can help cover prepaid travel expenses such as hotel rooms, car rentals, or airline tickets. But it does not always cover the actual cost of medical treatment, nor the costs of treatment transportation.

For most people, you will need to rely on your current health insurance to cover the treatment. And while some health insurance policies will cover you anywhere in the world, not everyone, so check your policy before you travel.

Even if your plan covers treatment abroad, it may not cover transportation there, such as an ambulance or even a helicopter. For this, you will need medical evacuation insurance.

What is medical evacuation insurance?

Medical evacuation insurance is usually included in a travel insurance policy. It's also usually sold with travel health insurance, which covers emergency health care while you're travelling.

Exact terms of medical evacuation insurance vary by policy, but this type of insurance generally covers medical transportation, such as an ambulance service or air evacuation, to the nearest medical facility. If you need to go home for treatment, some plans may cover the costs of changing your flight or making travel arrangements so you can return early.

What does eviction health insurance cover?

Again, specific coverage varies by policy, but generally includes:

Emergency transportation to the most appropriate treatment center. Most regulations provide for transfer to what is referred to as an "appropriate" treatment centre. But "equivalent" can be a relative term, and your insurance company may consider medical facilities that do not meet your personal criteria equal. And not all policies will pay for a return ticket to see a doctor you already know.

However, if the local doctor is unable to help, a medical evacuation usually includes transportation home. The doctor must provide documentation that your condition is not being treated locally or that the return trip is serious enough.

Travel doctor or travel companion. Some policies cover not only your own transportation, but also the costs of other people traveling with you. In some cases, the doctor needs help during the flight, for example by giving oxygen. In other cases, it may be a family member or a trusted friend.

Some policies only cover economy class airfare, while others may cover business class, but only with a doctor's prescription.

Bringing bodies home if they die on the way, can bring you back home. These services usually also cover the cost of embalming, local cremation, or air transportation of the deceased.

How Much Coverage Should You Get?

If visiting a doctor at home for a sprained ankle seems expensive, even if you have insurance and visit the doctor online, it may be more expensive to get emergency insurance abroad.

Most medical evacuation insurance starts at $100,000 a year, but even that isn't enough. According to Flying Angels Medical Tourism Service, the average cost for an emergency helicopter trip is about $40,000. These are just averages, so flights to remote locations can easily get expensive.

Also, your insurance may not cover air ambulance. About two-thirds of medical trips for people with private insurance in 2017 were still offline, according to the US General Ledger Office, which means you're in trouble for all or most of the bill if you don't have a medical evacuation. coverage

Add the actual cost of treatment, plus last-minute flights for yourself, travel companions, and medical escorts, and $100,000 might not get that far. For this reason, some policies go as high as $1 million or even $2 million per person.

While accidents can happen anywhere, you're more likely to need health insurance for a winter trip where you're building a snowman and drinking chocolate in the cabin, rather than skiing on bumpy trails. Understand and bear the risks. In the first scenario, slipping on cold pavement could result in an emergency costing hundreds of dollars, especially if your friend can help you. On the other hand, serious injuries to the latter may require a full rescue team.

Read the fine details

As with travel expenses, it is always a good idea to read the fine print of your specific policy. Some have additional restrictions, require special documentation, or exclude certain situations. While this list is not exhaustive, here are some general things to keep in mind:

you have primary or secondary insurance; If medical evacuation coverage is considered secondary, this means that it begins after your primary health insurance plan.

Terms of travel time. Some policies will not cover trips longer than a certain period (60 days is common).

Distance from home Many policies exclude accidents that are within 100 miles of your home.

Necessary Documentation You can't usually sprain your ankle, rebook the return flight, and expect your claim to go well, even if your ankle is swollen and sore. Most policies require extensive documentation, such as a certificate from an officially licensed physician, that an emergency evacuation is justified. Keep all receipts and have documentation of everything.

How to Get Medical Evacuation Insurance (It May Be Free)

Medical evacuation insurance coverage is sometimes included in a comprehensive travel insurance policy along with other travel insurance policies such as baggage loss insurance. Prices vary depending on the length and nature of your trip, so a long weekend at the resort is likely to cost significantly less than a multi-week camping adventure.

However, you may already have travel insurance and do not need to pay extra. That's because many premium travel credit cards include medical evacuation coverage in their travel insurance, which is often a plus for trips paid with that credit card. If you are still considering purchasing travel insurance, this feature alone can easily offset your annual credit card fee.

Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: esprench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: SAFmedia.

This type of travel insurance can be a life saver. This article originally appeared on NerdWallet.

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