Why Is Medical Evacuation Insurance Important?
Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, whether you're
traveling domestically or internationally. If you become
seriously ill or injured while away from home, you may
require medical evacuation to another hospital for
specialized care or continued treatment.
Medical evacuation, also known as medevac, medivac,
or air medical transport, involves transferring a patient
from one medical facility to another. Depending on the
patient's condition, this may require an air ambulance,
specialized medical equipment, or a medical escort
aboard a commercial aircraft.
Does Travel Insurance Cover Medical Evacuation?
Many traditional health insurance policies provide limited
or no coverage for medical care outside your home country.
Travel medical insurance can help cover emergency medical
expenses while traveling, but medical evacuation benefits
vary significantly between policies.
Most travel medical insurance plans that include medical
evacuation benefits arrange transportation to the
nearest appropriate medical facility
capable of treating your condition.
They generally do not guarantee transportation to a
hospital of your choice in your home country.
Depending on the circumstances, air medical transportation
can be expensive. Domestic medical transport may cost
tens of thousands of dollars, while complex international
air medical evacuations can cost substantially more.
Actual costs depend on distance, medical needs, aircraft,
and destination.
Medjet helps bridge this gap by arranging medical
transport to a hospital of your choice in your
home country, subject to membership terms.
Important Questions to Ask Before Purchasing Medical Evacuation Insurance
Before choosing medical evacuation insurance or a
medical transport membership, understand exactly
what services and benefits are included.
Consider asking the following questions:
-
Hospital choice:
Does the plan transport you to a hospital of your
choice in your home country, or only to the
nearest appropriate medical facility?
-
Transport authorization:
Who determines whether medical evacuation
is necessary and when transportation can occur?
-
Adventure travel:
Are there exclusions for activities such as
skydiving, mountaineering, or other
adventure sports?
-
Pre-existing conditions:
Does the plan exclude medical conditions
diagnosed before enrollment?
-
Coverage limits:
Does the policy impose a maximum dollar
amount for medical evacuation expenses?
-
Age restrictions:
Are there age limits, medical screening
requirements, or additional eligibility conditions?
The Best Emergency Medical Evacuation Protection Might Not Be Insurance at All
Medjet is a
medical transport membership program
designed to complement traditional health and travel
insurance by providing additional transportation
options when members are hospitalized away from home.
Unlike many medical evacuation insurance policies
that focus on transportation to the nearest
appropriate medical facility, Medjet memberships
provide eligible members with
hospital-to-hospital, bedside-to-bedside
medical transport
to a hospital of their choice in their home country.
How Does Medjet Medical Transport Work?
If an eligible Medjet member is hospitalized
more than 150 miles from home, domestically
or internationally, and requires continued
inpatient care, Medjet can arrange medical
transportation to the member's chosen
hospital in their home country.
Medjet's medical team coordinates with the
attending physician to assess the patient's
condition and determine when transportation
is medically safe. Once transport is arranged
and the receiving hospital accepts the patient,
Medjet coordinates the appropriate transportation
and medical personnel.
Depending on medical needs, transportation
may involve a dedicated air ambulance or
a medically escorted commercial flight.
Covered medical transport costs are handled
through the membership, subject to the
applicable rules and regulations.
What Are the Benefits of a Medjet Membership?
-
Hospital of choice:
Transportation to an eligible hospital
of your choice in your home country.
-
Domestic and international protection:
Medical transport benefits for eligible
hospitalizations more than 150 miles from home.
-
No transport cost caps:
No monetary limit on covered medical
transportation services.
-
No claim forms or deductibles:
Medjet arranges and pays for covered
transportation services.
-
Pre-existing conditions:
No pre-existing condition exclusions
for eligible members under age 75.
-
24/7 assistance:
Access to Medjet's medical transport
coordination services around the clock.
-
Additional security benefits:
Eligible members can select MedjetHorizon
for security and crisis response benefits.
Medical Evacuation Insurance vs. Medjet Membership
Medical evacuation insurance and medical
transport memberships serve different purposes.
Traditional travel medical insurance can help
cover emergency medical treatment and medically
necessary evacuation, depending on the policy.
Medjet focuses on arranging medical transportation
for eligible hospitalized members who want
to continue their treatment at a hospital
of their choice in their home country.
For travelers seeking additional control over
where they receive continued medical care,
Medjet can complement existing health and
travel insurance coverage.
Review the
Medjet Rules and Regulations
for complete membership eligibility,
transport requirements, and benefit details.