About Emergency Medical Evacuation
Emergency medical evacuation is a critical part of any expatriate’s medical coverage, especially if residing in a country with limited medical services that may not be up to western standards. But even in a highly developed country, medical repatriate or evacuation may be required.
Emergency evacuation will only be allowed by the insurer’s consultants if they find it suitable and the insured’s doctor deems it necessary. It is not up to the insured’s wish to be transferred to another country for medical treatment. Some situations require being evacuated to a country, possibly your own, to receive proper medical attention.
It is crucial to examine your options in whichever country you are staying in as medical treatment may be inferior to the level of care you need. Unless you are living full-time in a country with proper medical care, it is crucial to ensure that you have an expat Emergency Evacuation Plan. If the worst happens and you need to be rushed to a hospital in another country the toll of ambulances, helicopters, planes and traveling medical care can be incredibly high if you are not properly insured.
Most expatriate health insurance plans will provide emergency evacuation and repatriation as an option or include it as a standard benefit. If you are residing in a country where medical treatment may be below western standards, it is vital that you obtain emergency medical evacuation coverage as part of your expatriate health insurance policy. The cost of adding medical evacuation is not high, but the levels of coverage do vary among various insurance providers.
It is also possible for expatriates to obtain stand-alone medical evacuation plans. For companies operating in hazardous or high-risk countries, Expat Financial can offer security evacuation plans that can also cover disaster evacuations for your expatriate employees and business travelers. We can also quote plans that cover war and terrorism risks.
