Any time you travel, you want everything to go smoothly. You could be traveling for vacation, or you might be traveling for business to close a deal, get training, or attend a conference.
Regardless of the purpose of your trip, serious accidents or illnesses can happen, and if you are badly hurt or sick, you might need (or want) to come home for treatment rather than be “stuck” in a hospital far from home. Also, if a natural disaster, political threat or other major security issue occurs during your trip, you may want to immediately leave that destination.
Your health insurance will typically cover doctor visits and hospital bills should something unfortunate happen within the United States, and a travel insurance medical policy would cover those expenses internationally. Both also typically cover getting you to the nearest hospital capable of treating you in an emergency. But what if you don’t want to be treated in a foreign hospital? What if a riot happens right near your hotel and you just don’t feel safe?
At any given time, Medjet has access to hundreds of air ambulances, commercial medical escorts and highly trained security personnel, ready to launch from both domestic and international locations. Membership in Medjet may be the extra protection you need in the case of a health or security emergency.
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Is Medical Transport Coverage Necessary?
Since most travel medical insurance coverage pays hospital bills, and includes some medical evacuation benefits, you may be curious about whether or not you need additional medical transport protection. Plenty of people travel overseas every year. For many, not a thing happens to them.
Unfortunately, many travelers are not so lucky. Millions of travelers are hospitalized abroad every year, and many of them require extremely expensive medical transport to get them moved to a hospital at home.
Travel insurance is a wonderful thing to have for any trip, but the focus of travel insurance is on reimbursement for non-refundable trip expenses. To the extent that your travel insurance covers medical evacuation, your options will be limited by terms like “nearest adequate facility” and “medically necessary transport”. The closest medical facility deemed acceptable to the insurance company is undoubtedly better than being stuck in a remote clinic, but if you want to be able to be moved all the way to a hospital at home, just because you want to be moved home, you will need the services of a company like Medjet.
Medjet isn’t insurance. Medjet is a membership program that works on top of your insurance to get you home.
What Medjet Does for Members
If a Medjet Member is hospitalized over 150 miles from your home, then Medjet will make arrangements and pay for medical transfer to a hospital of the member’s choice inside their home country.
Medjet does not require your transport to be “medically necessary”. Travel insurance may only provide for medical transfer or evacuation if the facility you start in can’t care for you properly. Medjet will move you to your hospital of choice for any reason.
So long as your attending doctor ascertains that you are safe for transport, Medjet will transport you and one travel companion.
Expanded Coverage
Medjet offers two types of memberships: MedjetAssist (air medical transport benefits only) and its elevated MedjetHorizon membership (air medical transport plus travel security benefits).
MedjetHorizon, through global corporate security provider FocusPoint International, also covers security and crisis situations dictating a response, such as disappearance, violent crime, political threat, kidnapping and more. MedjetHorizon members have access to a 24/7 security line, and crisis response that can include in-country “boots-on-the-ground” security team response and evacuation. The MedjetHorizon membership plan also covers emergency medical cash advances to foreign hospitals that may require upfront cash payments.
With all of the security and peace of mind offered by Medjet, it’s no wonder that professional athletes, celebrities, and Fortune 500 executives are known to hold Medjet memberships.
Specialty Memberships
Membership in Medjet is available in short-term, annual or multi-year increments. They offer individual and family memberships, as well as a host of specialty memberships like student/faculty and expatriate memberships for extended stays abroad.
A single year of MedjetAssist for one person is only $295 for both domestic and international coverage. That is less than $1 per day. Purchasing a multi-year membership offers even bigger per diem discounts. You can buy memberships that range from eight days in duration to 2, 3 or 5 years.
For a family annual membership, which includes two adults and up to 5 dependent children, MedjetAssist starts at $399 per year. Children are considered dependents until age 19 unless they are full-time students, in which case they are considered dependents until the age of 23.
Travelers under age 75 may purchase Medjet memberships with no preexisting condition questions or exclusions. Travelers who are 75-84 may contact Medjet to learn about the Medjet Diamond Membership.
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How It Works
You only use MedjetAssist in the event of a true medical emergency. If you are admitted to an international hospital, you or your travel companion would then call Medjet. Medjet is available to assist you 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Once you contact Medjet, they will contact the international hospital to ascertain your stability for transport. If you are deemed to be stable, your chosen hospital at home is then contacted by Medjet to pre-arrange in-patient admission. If there is availability at your chosen hospital, air medical transportation for you is then arranged by Medjet. A companion may travel with you in the air ambulance or, if you are being repatriated via (business class) commercial carrier, your companion’s seat will be procured and paid for by Medjet as well as an experienced critical care medical escort.
Exclusions and Limitations
Neither Medjet membership type will cover trip delays, cancellations, stolen or lost baggage, and various other minor mishaps that can happen while you travel. For such coverage, you will need to buy a travel insurance policy in advance of your trip.
Like travel insurance, you need to buy your Medjet membership before you leave for your trip in order take advantage of the benefits. Once you are a member, you can use your benefits up to two times per year.
Medjet can transport you from nearly anywhere in the world, but there are a few locations that they won’t service due to safety and security concerns. Currently, Syria, Russia, and Ukraine and several other countries designated Level 4 (“do not travel”) are on the list of locations that are not serviced by Medjet (exception: if a country is designated Level 4 due to Covid, versus war or extreme violence, Medjet will provide services).
Medjet’s services cover medical transport due to COVID-19 infections. If you are hospitalized overseas with COVID-19, Medjet can transport you to your home hospital of choice so long as you are not restricted from travel due to medical or government quarantine. Keep in mind that you may not be allowed a travel companion if you are transported because of COVID-19 due to additional equipment needs and aircraft weight restrictions.
Final Thoughts
A Medjet membership is not the same as travel insurance, but it’s a great complement to it. With your (top-rated and expert recommended) Medjet membership, you can embark on your travels with confidence knowing that an air medical transport and travel security company is standing by to help you nearly anywhere in the world.
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