Medical Evacuation and Repatriation as Insurance Benefit – Explained

Health Insurance for Students in International destinations is very important to make their living smoother and without any financial and mental roadblock. Insurance sometimes acts as a Medical guardian for the students due to some of the benefits it provides. Two of these benefits are Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of remains.

Medical Evacuation

Medical Evacuation is a benefit that provides the insured with emergency transportation services in case insured needs to be evacuated solely for medical reasons. Evacuation can be to the nearest qualified medical facility or to your home country if needed. Medical Team Transporting Patient to Helicopter

Repatriation of Remains

The Repatriation of Remains is a benefit provided in cases where the insured has passed away on the foreign land and the mortal remains i.e. the body needs to be returned to the home country. The costs incurred during the process would be borne by the insurance company upto the limit under the plan.

  These two features under the International Student Health Insurance plan are two of the most important ones not just in terms of the benefits they provide to the Insured but also in terms of the fulfillment of the requirement given University the student is visiting. Almost every University, especially in the U.S., require students to maintain Health Insurance plan having Medical evacuation and Repatriation of remains among other important requirements.  

Examples:

# Medical evacuation benefit:

If a student is on a field project in a remote place in student’s International study location and have an injury or some internal body problem which needs immediate medical attention then the student can call emergency services assigned under the insurance plan through student can be evacuated to at the nearest appropriate medical facility.

The process of evacuation is govern based on the severity of patient’s condition and accessibility of patient’s location. For example, in cases where injuries or medical problem is not severe (such as a broken leg) a patient may be transported through the air and then services of a commercial airline is used. In other cases, evacuations are complex procedures involving:

• Evaluation of transportation requirements such as oxygen, special equipment, altitude, etc.
• Coordination of admission to an appropriate medical facility
• Identification of medical escort and appropriate air transportation if necessary
• Coordination of ground level transportation at each evacuation ends
• Flight and Immigration clearances
• Assistance with travel arrangements

# Repatriation of remains:

If a student dies for any reason whatsoever then afterwards student’s body needs to be returned to the home country or nearest funeral or cremation facility. The insurance company arranges for and handles the transportation necessary to return a covered student’s body. This benefit will make all the arrangements and pay for all the necessary expenses, including, but not limited to, expenses for embalming, an appropriate container for transportation, and shipping costs to transport your remains via the most direct & economical route.

Important notes about this coverage

• All medical evaluations must be approved in advance and coordinated with the travel insurance plan agents
• Medical evacuation and repatriation coverage does not apply to insured’s home country
• In a situation of repatriation, insured’s representative must contact the travel insurance provider to make arrangements
• Some plans provide reimbursement to bring a friend or family member to your bedside if you are hospitalized for at least 7 days
• Some plans include compensation to return dependent children back home if insured is hospitalized for at least 7 days
• Benefits paid for evacuation and/or repatriation are less than the cost of your unused return travel ticket