Medical Evacuation and Repatriation: How much Coverage Do I Need?
Travelers are often concerned about the amount of Medical Evacuation coverage they should look for in a travel insurance policy. Some policies will offer up to $2 million in coverage. However, these policies can be expensive and may not be necessary for most travelers.
Here is some information that can help make selecting the right Medical Evacuation coverage a little bit easier.
What Does Medical Evacuation Cover?
There are three parts to the Medical Evacuation and Repatriation benefit. Most policies that include Medical Evacuation will:
- Arrange emergency transportation to the nearest adequate medical facility
- Arrange for a traveler to return to their home country to receive care when recommended by a physician
- Arrange for the return of a deceased’s remains back to the traveler’s place of residence
What Does a Typical Evacuation Cost?
According to Squaremouth data, the average medical evacuation within North America costs just over $25,000. However, the cost of an evacuation can increase significantly depending on the remoteness of the location. Since many domestic healthcare plans don’t offer international coverage, travelers without insurance would likely have to pay these expenses out-of-pocket.
How Much Does Medical Evacuation Insurance Cost?
The cost of travel medical insurance policies that include Medical Evacuation coverage are determined by various factors, including the traveler’s age, trip cost, and trip length.
In 2023, Squaremouth saw travel medical insurance policies without insured trip costs average roughly $95.
Medical Evacuation is also included as part of most single trip comprehensive travel insurance policies. These policies will include benefits such as Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Travel Delay, and coverage for lost or damaged baggage. In 2023, Squaremouth saw these policies average $395.
How much medical evacuation insurance do I need?
Squaremouth typically recommends travelers purchase at least $100,000 of Medical Evacuation coverage. For older travelers, travelers taking a cruise, or those heading to more remote destinations, Squaremouth recommends a policy with at least $250,000 in coverage.
The best way to arrange a medical evacuation while traveling is to contact the travel insurance provider using their 24 emergency assistance line. This way, the provide can arrange and provide a guarantee of payment for the services.