Understanding the Importance of an Emergency Evacuation Plan
Holidays should be fun for everyone. You should be able to relax and enjoy time together without having to worry about emergencies. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t prepare for the worst.
We sincerely hope you have no obstacles while traveling and don’t need to call your emergency number. But, you never know what may happen when visiting a new place.
The good news is, there is an option to help you in the event of a travel disaster. It’s called emergency medical evacuation.
You will see the importance of having an emergency evacuation plan if you’re on vacation in an isolated place and become a victim of violence. You could suddenly catch a serious disease or accidentally step off a curb and tear an ACL. Or worse yet, get hit by a car.
The only way to ensure you will get the care you need is by being evacuated to a medical facility that can properly care for you. Oftentimes, time is of the essence.
This article will help you to see the importance of having an emergency medical evacuation plan. When making vacation plans, especially if you’re traveling internationally, don’t forget to purchase essential insurance coverage for you and your loved ones. Read below to discover more about emergency evacuation.
What is Emergency Evacuation Insurance?
Emergency Medical Evacuation is a specialized travel insurance benefit designed to cover the expenses associated with medically necessary transportation. This includes when a traveler becomes seriously ill or is injured in a location where adequate medical care is not available, so he/she needs to be moved. It provides medical coverage due to injury, outbreaks, epidemics, threats of natural disaster, and even political evacuation due to civil unrest (treated separately).
One thing to note: Sometimes, travelers are confused with the differences between emergency evacuation and trip cancellation insurance. Trip cancellation insurance is usually offered by a travel agent or airline or cruise line in case your trip needs to be cancelled and you want to be reimbursed. That is another type of coverage altogether and usually much more expensive (depending on your trip and cost). Here we are strictly talking about emergency medical insurance when away from home or western medical facilities.
What are the Benefits of Emergency Medical Evacuation?
The main benefit is it provides emergency medical evacuation to the nearest qualified medical facility that can handle your specific medical condition. This will ensure you get the proper care you need. Some of the doctors in remote areas do not have the equipment or skill needed to do more complicated procedures.
There are several other benefits we often don’t think about but will come in handy in the event of an emergency. For example, it will cover expenses for reasonable transportation (either public transport or private as reasonable based on the condition) resulting from the evacuation. Also, the cost of returning to either your home country or the country where the evacuation occurred may be covered.
Sometimes emergency medical evacuation includes remote transportation in the event of a diagnosis of a critical medical condition. As long as it is not immediately life-threatening but severe enough that it could result in death or a permanent disability if not treated right away.
Another thing people don’t often think about is that the doctors in smaller towns might not speak English. This will add stress to an already stressful situation. It could also result in miscommunication about important medical information. But, doctors in more advanced medical facilities usually speak English.
The coverage may also include an Emergency Reunion Benefit or Return of Minor Children. These will be useful if needing to be reunited with family members who are far away.
These are just some of the many benefits included in emergency medical insurance. And the price is often around only $1.00 to $2.00 a day, depending on your age. We hope all these benefits help you to see the importance of purchasing an emergency evacuation plan.
Types of Emergency Evacuation Services
You can choose from three types of medical evacuation services. These include land, air or sea. Let’s look at each one briefly.
Medical evacuation by land is usually reserved for someone who is not in critical condition or not far from the other facility. It only requires standard medical equipment such as an ambulance. This type of medical evacuation is a good fit for someone who wants to move from one hospital to another hospital in the same city. It is usually the least expensive.
Medical evacuation by air is usually reserved for someone who has a critical condition and needs to get care immediately. This often means being evacuated by a helicopter. This is often the most expensive type of evacuation.
Medical evacuation by sea is usually reserved for someone already on a ship. The ship might already have competent medical personnel, but a person might need more help than what they can give. A helicopter or rescue ship may be used in a sea evacuation.
Example of the Importance of An Emergency Evacuation Plan
An example of someone hurt while on vacation occurred one April in South Korea, when the ferry going to Jeju Island sank. The rescue teams did everything they could to save the victims by air and sea, using rubber boats, and helicopters. Sadly, this accident resulted in many people being injured, missing and dying. Those who did not have emergency medical evacuation had to deal with the financial consequences.
Many people do not consider the importance of travel insurance when making travel plans. But, medical disasters can happen anywhere and at any time. Therefore, affordable international travel insurance with medical evacuation benefits is very important to have! Don’t take your next adventure without it!
For more information on how medical evacuation works, check out this “Ask Jeff” article.
How much Medical Evacuation benefit should I choose and how much do I need? Read our “Ask Jeff” article here.
Good Neighbor Insurance has been providing insurance to travelers since 1997. We offer several emergency medical evacuation plans and many different travel health insurance plans. Call one of our professional international insurance agents at 480-813-9100 or email us at [email protected]. We will help find the best plan for you.
Please enjoy your travels, and stay safe!
