1. You have an accident in a foreign country and need to be evacuated
If you have an accident and get hurt in a foreign country, you need to get home somehow. Sometimes, just getting to the hospital in the first place requires complicated transportation.
Medical evacuation is a term for the complicated, specially arranged transportation required to move an injured person. Sometimes just getting to the hospital in the first place can be a nightmare.
It is not as simple as getting on a commercial flight
Some injuries require a specially equipped airplane with trained medical staff. These planes are made for wheelchairs, stretchers, and special medical equipment.
In some cases a commercial flight can be used, but an entire row of seats is needed…at last minute retail prices.
This can all add up very quickly. It is not unheard of for medical evacuations to cost over $100,000. And what can you do if you don’t have insurance? You need to get home don’t you?
Related Links
Part 1 in the “11 real world reasons to consider travel insurance” series
Glossary Medical Evacuation
