Medical Evacuation Insurance/Repatriation

[Ray Hammond]

How many of you that are going are thinking of purchasing this type coverage?

Not sure what it is? It varies. There is a basic coverage, where if you are sick or injured enough beyond say, a cut on your leg or arm, where you get to Johannesburg where you are met by a bigger plane with nurses, doctors on board and you are brought back to the states for treatment.

Then there's more comprehensive stuff, involving smaller planes that can reach out to the bush, and pluck you almost immediately and get you treated, stabilized, and to where the bigger planes can get you back to teh states.

Anyone thinking of getting this coverage?

[Marty]

Wow Ray, which I woulda thought about that before I went! Sounds like piece of mind to me. I thought about what might happen out there and  assumed that the outfitters had it covered. This sounds better.

Any coverage for lost horns? Just got a call from the taxidermistt that my spingbok horns were not in the shipment from the tannery.

[just_a_hunter]

I used    Global Rescue    when I went over last September.

I would highly highly advise you use some kind of insurence like this.

I bought 14 day coverage for somewhere around $150.

Anything that requires hospitalazation, you will be taken care of.

Just think, Lord forbid that Adder get you, but if it does.............

It almost should be a law to get this insurence before hand.

It works 'globably'.

Good luck, and please get this insurence befor you go.

Todd

[BTH]

I bought the Medic Alert coverage since my wife and I are already members. An extra $100 bought us medical flights home and some other coverage. I felt much more comfortable knowing I had the extra coverage. Better to have and not need than to need and not have.

[Joseph]

The coverage is cheap and considering what the rest of the country looks like I wouldn't want to take any chances on anything other than emergency medical care.  Joseph

[Ray Hammond]

the difficulty in this process is understanding exactly what you are buying.

I'm in commercial insurance...and I can tell you after reading these and other policies (some of them are NOT insurance, but memberships in a club essentially) you are NOT getting what they want you to THINK you are getting for the most part.

Joseph can tell you with a heart attack, stroke, and any number of other medical emergencies - the first 12/24 hours are the 'golden window'. Your circumstances after recovery will be shaped by what happens to you during those first critical hours.

Most of these policies fall short in that area in terms of what they can provide. Add to that the fact that your health insurance may in many instances NOT provide coverage in many places you travel to, or reduced coverage...and you have a potential nightmare on your hands.

I am in talking now with a company that has opened my eyes on this issue. As soon as I am satisfied I will get some material together and present it here...

[Dr. Ed Ashby]

It's not exactly insurance, and is a bit costly ($450.00/year) but the thing that gives me the most comfort as I poke about the world is carrying the American Express Platinum Card.

They offer medical assistant virtually anywhere, give access to a sufficiently large amount of cash to get one out of most 'sticky situations', and a bunch of other benefits too; such as baggage insurance, and automatic insurance coverage when you rent a car (and I save the pricey card cost in what I don't have to pay the car rental companies for the 'optional insurance' they offer when I rent).

However, what I like most is that I HAVE been in a tight situation (not medically, but otherwise) and American Express came through.

I won't bother with all the details, but I was left stranded in an African county without a single cent, no credit cards left, and no passport or identification papers. The collect calls to Discover Card, Master Card and Visa only resulted in "we will cancel the card and issue you another one - mailed to your home address". It took over six weeks for me to actually get my hands on the first one of those replacement cards.

On the other hand, as soon as they verified my autheticity over the phone (against the information in their files), the call to AMEX resulted in: (1) cancellation of the missing card; a free hot meal; (2) a place to stay; (3) near immediate issuance of a replacement card PLACED RIGHT INTO MY HAND; (4) arrangements for me to get a generous amount of cash for my immediate needs (from a local bank) on that newly issued AMEX card (5) WITHOUT ANY IDENTIFICATION PAPERS; (6) an appointment with the nearest American Consulate to get a new temporary passport issues, (7) as well as directions on precisely how to get there and (8) who to speak with (a person they had already contacted and briefed on the situation); (9) a personal toll free contact number and identity code number to call them back, should I need any further assistance ... and (10) ALL of that they made happen ON A NATIONAL HOLIDAY WEEKEND in the country I was stranded in!

Like their adds say; I won't leave home without it!

Ed
TGMM Family of the Bow

[Don Thomas]

I strongly recommend tis kind of insurance. I've had it ever since a friend working as the medical officer on a cruise ship had to listen to a man mortgage his house over the radio to get a helicopter evacuation service to pick up his critically ill wife. I use Travel Assistance International. I have never had to use it, but the coverage seems good in the policy. Hospitals in some foreign countries -- this has happened to friends -- literally won't let you leave the country until your bills are paid, so even if your insurance at home does cover you, you can still have a serious problem. If you travel enough abroad to justify buying insurance by the year, it's remarkably cheap... and not bad anyway. My experience with American Express has been just the opposite of Ed's. Visa, on the other hand, had us back up and running in hours after a credit card theft in Namibia. Get the insurance. Don

[hunt it]

Check out Med Jet, these are guys SCI partners with and recomends to members. I have not read anything but good from people that needed the service anywhere in the world for $275.00 US per year you can't beat it. I'm told they have the most experienced medical team in Africa.

[Steve H.]

Some guy needed the medjet from Mongolia before we went, maybe the fall before.  Sounded like it worked alright and they flew him out.  Don't know any more details.

[Dartwick]

Adventure must not be what it used to be.

[Ray Hammond]

You may be right, Dartwick. I know I'm not interested in it as much for myself as my WIFE is interested in it.

We generally accept our fate, as manly men, but there are usually folks back home who would rather the black mamba NOT get us and we return home safely should we have a close call.

MedJet offers a club membership for repatriation from airports that can handle jets. It IS NOT MEDICAL INSURANCE. It is also NOT bush pickup. They don't have those types of planes. It says right on the website if there is no air strip they aren't coming to get you.

If you have a stroke, a heart attack, or get crushed by a lorry rolling over on you - you are going to need IMMEDIATE triage PRIOR to being repatriated by MedJet out of Joburg. You will be unlikely to survive the 20 hours or so of flight without prior stabilization.

Your personal health insurance will not function well in southern african nations because your card is NO GOOD there. The 6 hour time difference added in, and you start to see the problem.

The hospitals there require a 100,000 dollar deposit into their account prior to beginning treatment on you and YOUR US health insurance is NOT going to do that.

I'm working on something with an African health insurance provider I think might fill the gap..and I will give more details as they come through.

[Shawn Leonard]

Dartwick that was classic!!     I will say if you are worried buy it, if not take your chances, that may be part of your adventure! Shawn

[Ray Hammond]

Shawn,
He's probably 26 and single....when you're married with others depending on you, it has a habit of changing one's perspective dramatically!

[Russ Clagett]

Ray,

Please post whatever you end up finding out, I am putting an Africa trip together in the next couple years when I retire from the Army, and will need this info.

I have had several "adventures" (global war on terror) and at this point I would really enjoy a nice quiet bowhunt in Africa.

Thanks for your interest in this sir, and please keep us posted.

[Ray Hammond]

In the end the best possible way to handle this is to have a credit card limit increased temporarily to 100,000 dollars while you are on your trip.

Your insurance will respond when you are on a hunting trip, but the time difference and phone connections are what can create a real problem because when you are active over there, its sleepy time here, and vice versa.

Repatriation is worth something, but let's face it- if you are hurt badly enough to need evacuation you are still going to have to be stabilized there, before you come back. If you didn't you'd likely die on the tarmac waiting for the plane, or on the plane itself.

So have the limit on your card increased enough to get you through a day or three in the hospital there, and get a medjet policy to get you back to the states when you are well enough to travel. The repatration will also cover your spouse traveling over there to be with you, if you are stuck in place for long.

[hunt it]

Ray,

Medjet goes to landing strips. In most areas of Africa you'll find a landing strip not to far off. A buddy of mine had all his eye tore up real bad in CAR - Cenral Africa Republic a few years back and Medjet looked after him real fine and he was in the boonies. Prior to buying anything i would talk to your outfitter. Many of them have memberships/programs in place with flying Dr. or bush Dr. services. If this is in place you may be covered in camp and Medjet would cover rest. Myself, I always buy the deluxe travel insurance as well as any local programs on top of my company and credit card health coverage. For us Canucks - America is much scarier than Africa anyday. What they ding you guys for an emergency is down right scary            
Safari club International is a good place to check on this type of coverage and feedback from members.

[tradtusker]

iv never taken insurance traveling Africa, or the top end of australia for that matter always taken my chances but then i know a lot of people that can help me out that are local, that is not a luxury most have. I must admit if i came over for a trip and had a family etc i think it is prob worth the cost, there are some places ( hospitals ) in Africa where your prob more likely to come out worse of then you went in.

they work different out there! especially the out of the way places, it happens in Africa time which is -10mp/h

i remember being out with the family on lake Kariba (Zim)  and my cousin and i where spearfishing anyway long story short i almost cut my finger off, fainted etc.. one days ride boat trip to the hospital on the lake. when we got there there was one receptionist on duty and she said that all the doctors where on lunch and they would be 2 hours   :rolleyes:        if i was in serious trouble i would be dead.
of coarse my dad went and dragged one of them out of the canteen to come and sew my hand back up.

iv heard good things about Medjet like Dave said

[hunt it]

Ray,

Check out Globalrescue.com this may be more what you are looking for. They have good yearly packages but check out the trip rates for individual trips it's very reasonable.

[amar911]

I have MedJet. I bought it last year for an August hunt in Africa. It was still in effect when I went to Italy in February, and is also in effect for my hunt this month in Africa. If you travel overseas it is a good thing to have, especially if you go multiple times a year. Just a single medical event can save a lifetime of insurance premiums, and the cost is not that high compared to the cost of the hunt.

Allan