For travelers, the ultimate nightmare scenario is getting seriously sick or hurt when you’re overseas. That’s why many travel insurance plans include emergency medical transportation benefits, which can cover expensive medical evacuations in other countries.  

But here’s something a lot of people don’t know: emergency medical transportation benefits can be just as important for trips in the United States — even if you have a good health insurance plan. Here’s why.

What are emergency medical transportation benefits?

When you’re looking at dollar value, emergency medical transportation is the biggest benefit you may see in your travel insurance plan. If you purchase the OneTrip Premier Plan, for instance, it includes a whopping $1 million in emergency medical transportation benefits. That’s because a medical evacuation can be really expensive, depending on the nature of your emergency and where you are in the world.

So what can emergency medical transportation benefits (aka medical evacuation insurance) do for you? Let’s say you suffer a covered serious injury in a car accident while you’re on a mission trip to Haiti. After contacting local emergency services, you would call Allianz Global Assistance’s emergency hotline. Our Assistance team (based in Richmond, Va.), which includes emergency room physicians and travel experts, would review your case right away.

If the local hospital does not have the capabilities to give you the same standard of care you would receive in the United States, then we would arrange emergency medical transportation to the nearest appropriate facility. This facility could be in a different country or even in the United States. Wherever it is, we’ll get you there.

Many travelers know that emergency medical transportation benefits are crucial overseas, where the cost of an evacuation could potentially cost anywhere from $65,000 up to $250,000, depending on where you are located. But when you’re traveling in the U.S, wouldn’t you just call 911 and go to the nearest hospital? And wouldn’t your insurance cover all your expenses? Yes…. and no.

Medical evacuation vs. repatriation: What does insurance cover?

Here’s an example similar to the one above. Let’s say you suffer a covered serious injury in a car accident — not in Haiti, but on a road trip in Colorado. Your health insurance should pay for the ambulance/helicopter ride to the hospital and the medical care you receive there.

But what happens then? Once you’re stabilized, you may need to return home, either to your house or a hospital in your hometown. Depending on your medical condition, you may require oxygen for the flight, or need IV antibiotics or nebulizers — and, of course, you would need a nurse who can administer these treatments on a commercial flight. These types of arrangements can cost up to $25,000. If you require a ride in an air ambulance (a medically equipped aircraft), it could cost up to $50,000.¹

Most major insurance companies will not cover this type of medical travel, called repatriation, says Kimberly Seay, RN, BSN. Seay is the Director of Assistance, USA, for Allianz Global Assistance. But travel insurance with emergency medical transportation benefits can arrange and pay for a medical repatriation to your primary residence, a location of your choice in the United States, or a medical facility near your primary residence or U.S. city of your choice.

What else do emergency medical transportation benefits cover in the U.S.?

Getting you home after a covered medical emergency isn’t the only thing your emergency medical transportation benefits can do. We can also:

• Pay for a friend or family member to travel to your bedside. What if you’re traveling solo when you’re hospitalized far from home? If you're told you’ll be in the hospital for more than seven days during your trip, following a covered illness or injury, we can arrange and pay for round-trip transportation for a friend or family member to stay with you.

• Pay for your children to travel home. What if you’re on a family vacation when you suffer a sudden, serious covered illness or injury? If you know you’ll be hospitalized for more than seven days during your trip, and your children (under 23) are traveling with you, we can arrange and pay (less any refunds for unused tickets) to transport them to your home, or to a U.S. location of your choice.

Do you need emergency medical transportation benefits for a domestic trip?

That depends on a few factors. One: Where are you traveling? “The U.S. is a big country,” Seay says. While emergency medical transportation benefits kick in anytime you’re more than 100 miles from home, they become more important the farther you travel. If you’re flying cross-country; setting off on a long RV trip; or journeying several states away from home, you should consider getting a travel insurance policy with these benefits.

Two: Who’s traveling with you? If you’re traveling alone, or with minor children, emergency medical transportation benefits become even more important. Should you suffer a serious medical emergency, you may need someone to come to your side, or a way to get your children home. Or, what if you’re traveling with your spouse and your kids are at home? If you’re hospitalized on the other side of the country, your spouse may need to return home — and travel insurance can pay to safely transport you back to your hometown hospital.

And three: How much are you willing to risk? If something happens to you while you’re traveling, and you can’t come home via regular flight or ground transportation, how much are you willing to pay for a medical repatriation flight?

It’s all about peace of mind, says Seay. She protects her own travels with an annual travel insurance plan from Allianz Global Assistance, which can cover all trips taken, both international and domestic, in a 365-day span. Annual plans can be the most cost-effective way to protect your travels if you take more than two or three trips in a year. Get a quote today!

Related Articles

• The Real Cost of Emergency Medical Transportation
• Travel Insurance vs. Travel Health Insurance: What’s the Difference?
• Emergency Medical Benefits Vs. Emergency Medical Transportation Benefits