A trip to Mexico can be an adventure. It can be the best memory you can hold for years to come. So, you must be well prepared to ensure a good memory rather than a nightmare of being stranded in Mexico without proper medical help during a medical emergency. While medical insurances could guide you and help you with treatments, it is simply not practical to keep prolonging your stay for the sake of treatment. In addition, you might miss the support of your family and friends and would like to get treated by your preferred physicians in your home country.
But travel expenses during a medical emergency, especially when you need ongoing medical care, can be tricky and quite expensive than the actual budget you had planned your trip for. Airlift to the nearest hospital could end up costing you thousands of dollars without proper insurance coverage. Hence, it is advised that you seek an evacuation insurance option on top of your travel insurance as you take a trip into Mexico.
What is Evacuation Insurance?
Evacuation insurance in Mexico provides coverage for travel and the medical requirements needed when you have to be evacuated due to an emergency medical situation. The plan SmartGringo links to, from TME Travel Insurance, says it provides medical evacuation to a hospital of your choice. Read the plan documents for exactly what is covered, what the conditions are and what is excluded. Here are some situations where medical evacuation insurance could be used:
- When you have better insurance coverage in your home country and want to get treated there
- When you have an acute catastrophic medical event like stroke or heart attack
- Long term medical treatments for conditions where the patient cannot be transported to home country with commercial airlines due to their illness
- When specialty care is not available in Mexico
Medical Evacuation Insurance Options
Medical evacuation, unlike regular medical expense coverage, can be a complex option given the logistics involved. For example, some patients may require exclusive private flight arrangements. Ground transport can also be complex with various permits, expert care, and medical equipment. Care should also be taken to ensure proper coordination among the medical facilities, workers, and doctors across the source and destination. So, you have to choose expert insurance providers with a proven track record of having carried out successful medical evacuations.
Check whether a plan only covers transport to the nearest adequate facility, which could be very far from where you want to be. Therefore, you need to carefully evaluate the medical evacuation insurance terms to see if it will indeed cover your needs, like getting assistance to travel to your home country or the exact hospital of your choice.
There are also specialist membership companies that take care of medical evacuations if you don’t want to add them to your travel insurance plan. Compare what each option covers and costs before you choose. But as you can see, the charges will be a lot more expensive than what you may pay for a similar service from your insurance provider. So, having insurance in hand is always a better idea to get quality healthcare at all times.
Undoubtedly, it is easy to get lost in the sea of information. This is when SmartGringo helps you out. We help you get the best Travel MedEvac air ambulances with the best medical evacuation insurance options. Get in touch with us to learn more.
Want evacuation cover? See TME's medical evacuation plans. Want a price for a health plan for your dates? Price an international health plan.