Evacuation Insurance: A Friend in Need Indeed

When traveling internationally, the last thing you want to be thinking of is being evacuated to safety, an expensive proposition, no doubt. When it does happen, medical evacuation insurance can help defray the costs associated with it. While we are mostly concerned about evacuation to the closest medical center in case of a medical emergency, it is possible that you would want to be evacuated to your home country as well.

Most plans also cover accidental death and dismemberment and repatriation of remains.

The other type of evacuation insurance covers evacuation to the medical center of the insured’s choice. This plan also covers evacuation to the plan holder’s home country, if the plan holder so wishes. Travel Guard Protect Assist, which is an example of this type of insurance, provides this coverage as an optional rider. This type of coverage is very useful if medical care at the destination country is below par, or if the plan holder’s condition requires expert care.

When purchasing travel medical insurance, check to see whether evacuation is included. In most cases, it is already included in the travel insurance policy. However, evacuation to the medical center of one’s choice is usually an upgrade, available at an extra cost.