BajaNomad

Evacuation Insurance?

DianaT - 4-27-2007 at 02:16 PM

It was mentioned on another thread and it is something I would like to know more about.

Tried a search and came up with very little.

Anyone have medical evacuation insurance???

Thanks
Diane:yes:

Diver - 4-27-2007 at 02:22 PM

Here is a link to a story about t and contact info.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=8179

vandenberg - 4-27-2007 at 02:27 PM

Diane,
I've got mine through Vagabundos. It's SkyMed and I have the insurance for 5 years. Can't quite remember the premium, but I believe it was about $ 100.00 a year. You have to be a Vagabundo member to qualify for the discount, which is quite substantial. Hope this helps.

Pescador - 4-28-2007 at 07:58 AM

I have to chime in here since I am a retired insurance agent. Celia Diaz runs a company called Binational Medical Care Commitee at 619-425-5080. She does a wonderful job arranging evacuations from Mexico and is connected to all of the people who make this happen. There are wonderful stories of lives she has saved by quick and decisive action But this is not evacuation insurance. Skymed is one policy and there are some others that actually provide for the costs of evacuation. The travel clubs have some of these and that may be the best bet for getting a better policy since there are several fly by night companies operating and selling policies. Please be sure to read what is actually covered.
Also, check your health insurance policy as several do cover the cost of evacuation under the clause of effective treatment and if you are with a PPO or HMO, they prefer to transport you to your home based hospital.

DianaT - 4-28-2007 at 08:09 AM

Thanks

I checked out the place in Chula Vista---great thread Diver, and it sounds like a great organization for what they do.

I am trying to check with our insurance, it is a Blue Shield HMO. I e-mailed them with the question and received back a stock answer about being reimbursed for medical care outside of the country---not the question we asked. :fire:

I will check out Vagabundos and others. It seems like some of what I have found is VERY expensive unless one is taking a short trip. We plan on being down there several months of the year.

I will check out Skymed and try to find our benefits book and see if I can read it!

Appreciate the information this board provides.

Diane

Evacuation Insurance

Cameron - 4-28-2007 at 10:36 AM

One of the best plans/options I've come across is the Diver's Alert Network ("DAN") plan. I'm sure most of the divers on the board have heard of them, but for those of you who haven't, I'd check them out before making any decisions.

The DAN insurance plan has been marketed towards Scuba divers for years, but the plan is available for non-divers as well, and for the $$$, it seems like a real bargain to me. They offer worldwide coverage, with extra features like reimbursement for lost dive equipment, evacuation coverage in REALLY remote areas, recompression/hyperbaric treatment, etc..

There's several different levels of coverage available, and their website has lots and lots of info for divers and non-divers alike.

You can check them out online at:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/index.asp
- OR - go right to their "plan comparison:" page at:
http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/compare.asp

Suerte!.. Cameron

oladulce - 4-28-2007 at 07:31 PM

One of my co-workers is a part-time flight nurse for Aeromedevac. http://www.aeromedevac.com/

They will pick you up anywhere in Mexico and can be on the scene in a matter of a few hours. She said they have landed on dirt strips, but they prefer not to. The planes are fully equipped to handle the most acute of patients, and the staff are the cream of the crop of Emergency medics and nurses.

It looks like they are associated with an insurance plan, and if you only need the Evac. coverage, the cost for 2 people under the age of 70 is $142 dollars/year.

The website claims that many insurances (not HMO's) will cover their service and one should check prior to travel.

My husband and I need International insurance that covers us in Nicaragua also, so we have this one HTH Travel Gap Multi-trip

It's an annual, Multi-trip policy for travelers with worldwide coverage and $500,000 in Emergency evacuation. This one requires you to have a primary insurance . It also covers you within the US if you're 120 miles away from your home, because many US policies won't cover you outside of a certain distance from your home, or in another state for example.

I believe we pay about $320/yr for 2 people (under age 50).
The stuff I've read says Medical Evacuation cost is usually a minimum of $50,000 (+) which makes it easier to justify the premium. Luckily we've never had to use it, so I can't relay personal experience with claims etc.

If you only need coverage in Mexico, I'd definitely feel most comfortable with Aeromedevac. They can coordinate and get to you faster in Baja, and get you out of there quickly when time = survivablilty.


*a correction to the HTH travelers policy premium - we pay $269/yr for the 2 of us.

[Edited on 4-29-2007 by oladulce]

Paula - 4-28-2007 at 07:54 PM

thank you, Ola, for that post. Verry informative, very valuable information!

Don Alley - 4-28-2007 at 08:35 PM

Sometimes these are refered to as "Traveler's Policies." If I am not traveling, but live in Baja 10 months of the year, does that make a difference with some/any/all policies?

fishbuck - 4-28-2007 at 09:06 PM

There are only a half dozen or so paved runways in baja. So if you are injured in a remote location you will almost certainly need a helicopter evacuation. Most evac aircraft are Beechcraft Kingairs. They can land on a dirt runway but I would think they will need around 3000 feet. Maybe 2500. Still a problem. Plus it chews up the props with like a 1000 hp per engine.
Wouldn't the Binational people be the experts on this?
I heard a story about some dirtbikers. One got injured in the middle of nowhere. They had a GPS and Sat phone and called the Binational. A helicopter was sent to them and the guy was saved.
That's the insurance I want!

fishbuck - 4-29-2007 at 12:45 AM

How about these guys:

Helicopter Ambulance and Medical Transport - Corporate Helicopters of San Diego
Address:http://www.corporatehelicopters.com/staticpages/index.php?page=serviceMedical

oladulce - 4-29-2007 at 01:48 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by fishbuck
...Wouldn't the Binational people be the experts on this?
I heard a story about some dirtbikers. One got injured in the middle of nowhere. They had a GPS and Sat phone and called the Binational. A helicopter was sent to them and the guy was saved.
That's the insurance I want!


Binational Emergency does perform a valuable service as a liaison and can coordinate emergency transport and other important functions but they are not providers of medical evacuation or air ambulance insurance or service.

Aeromedevac is one of the air ambulance companies that Binational would call to pick you up if you're sick or injured in Mexico. With an Evacuation insurance policy or Aeromed/ Skymed's Air Ambulance insurance, you'd contact your insurance company or the Air Ambulance company directly and they'd coordinate your transport.

The $30 to Binational doesn't guarantee that a chopper will come to the remote desert and sweep you away, at least not without delays while payment for the service is ironed out. Air ambulance insurance or advance confirmation that your US insurance will cover your transport is the best way to ensure the most expeditious air transport to treatment.

Aeromedevac also has helicopters in their fleet and I'll try to find out if they operate these in Mexico.

Heck, I just talked myself in to signing us up for the Air Ambulance insurance for Baja. Even if it's a duplication of our International medical evacuation coverage, to be able to make one phone call to the Air Ambulance company directly instead of going thru the Insurance company could make the difference in survival in our remote part of Baja Sur.

fishbuck - 4-29-2007 at 02:59 AM

I'm not sure of that story about the dirtbikers anyway. I guess the point is that they were prepared.
Skymed looks good but I couldn't find the cost.
I think I will join Binational. I know they aren't insurance but could coordinate the evacuation better than I could especially if injured and incapacitated. If they had copies of all your different insurances those could be fax out to the air ambulance instantly and I'm sure there would be no delay.
The best thing would be the US Coast Guard helicopter like the lady that broke her hip. Would Skymed cover that?
Anything south of say GN is probably out of range for a helicopter. At that point a fixed wing aircraft would be better. Preferably a jet.
So if you are in a remote part of Baja Sur you will need a plan to get to the closest paved runway. Loreto, La Paz, Cabo, maybe San Bruno
The fastest helicopter is only about 150mph so even GN is a long ride from the border. Plus the fuel issue.
Do you think I worry to much? It's best to think this out before it's needed.
Anyway this is a great topic.

bajajudy - 4-29-2007 at 07:01 AM

Don, I only have experience with Skymed but if you live here full time, they do have a policy for you. Yes it is travelers insurance, so if you live here you better tell your insurance company. I think that there is a limit to the number of days you can live here before you need the permanant residence type but I do not know that figure.
We were fortunate to have signed up for 5 years in advance(with one year free, so 6 years total) when they implemented this new policy.

http://www.skymed.com/

[Edited on 4-29-2007 by bajajudy]

bajalou - 4-29-2007 at 08:07 AM

I believe that most of these Air-evac companies, like SkyMed require a doctor's diagnosis that you need to be transported for the required treatment. I have seen it used by friends a couple of times and the Doctor had to talk to the Evac company, also had to have a bed available at the destination. Not as simple as saying - "Hey, I don't feel good, fly me out of here".

bajajudy - 4-29-2007 at 09:13 AM

Lou
I am sure that you are correct. The doctor has to recommend evacuation. Then you call your company. Skymed already knows which hospital we will be evacuated to and they take it from there.

oladulce - 4-29-2007 at 11:55 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajalou
I believe that most of these Air-evac companies, like SkyMed require a doctor's diagnosis that you need to be transported for the required treatment. I have seen it used by friends a couple of times and the Doctor had to talk to the Evac company, also had to have a bed available at the destination. Not as simple as saying - "Hey, I don't feel good, fly me out of here".


Good point, Bajalou.

Mr. oladulce and I do tend to assume that we will tell the insurance company when we require an Air Ambulance. An occupational habit I suppose. If we're ever the patients we won’t have the sole discretion to order up an Air Ambulance like we've done while at our jobs.

You're right, a common misconception may be that a person could call up an air ambulance for their convenience if they were ill. If insurance agrees to fly a person our for an “illness”, they may require that a bed be available before they agree to transport you from Mexico to a US hospital.

For traumatic, cardiac or other life-threatening emergencies they would not delay a patient’s Air Ambulance transport because no bed was available. Those patients would go directly for treatment of their problem be it surgery, a heart cath, or other emergency intervention. The hospital bed arrangements can be dealt with later.

We carry International insurance with Emergency Evac coverage primarily for treatment of traumatic injuries (car accidents, surfing or dune buggy incidents, etc) , but another biggie in the back of our minds is the potential for rattlesnake bites because of our location and activities like gardening. We would strongly insist on being transported to receive the appropriate antivenin treatment if one of us was bitten. Heaven forbid we will ever actually need to be air lifted out, but in reality it’s mundane things like falling off the ladder while putting up a solar panel that frequently results in life-threatening injuries, and not necessarily the extreme sports.

Someday the potential for cardiac emergencies while in remote Baja will be more of a concern but we’re not there yet.

Most medical evacuation policies I've seen state something like "...the treating physician will provide input to the insurance company to determine the need for air transport".

The nearest town to us in Baja is San Juanico, where there is sometimes a doctora at the clinic. The other option would be “Dr. Tecate” who lives down the road in Cadeje. We’re not really sure if he’s actually a doctor, but he’s the go-to guy that people have relied upon for years. It would be interesting to know if insurance or Air Ambulance companies would arrange to have you air lifted out based on the recommendation of practitioners such as these who do not have fancy diagnostic tools at their disposal.



[Edited on 4-30-2007 by oladulce]

Pescador - 4-30-2007 at 08:19 AM

BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO: Celia Diaz of the Binational Emergency Medical Care Committee (BEMCC) said that recent evacuations of Americans from the coastal areas of Baja included the victims of 3 motorcycle accidents. One rider, seriously injured near San Quintin, was brought back to the U.S. by a Coast Guard helicopter that was guided to its landing by ambulance lights. "The motorcyclist was seriously injured," Diaz said. "He lost feeling in his leg and had internal injuries. The U.S. Coast Guard went to pick him up at the military base in San Quintin The ambulance said they turned the lights on when they heard the helicopter flying over the base. He was transported directly to the helipad at Scripps Hospital La Jolla." The nonprofit BEMCC provides emergency evacuation assistance from Mexico on a $30 tax deductible annual membership basis. Information and 24/7 hotline: 619-425-5080.

This report was on http://www.mexfish.com this week.

DianaT - 4-30-2007 at 08:21 AM

Several place for me to check-out----Thanks!

Diane

marla - 5-1-2007 at 02:15 PM

I never used to worry about such things, but now that I have two small children I am much more interested! I joined Binational (the kids were free) and last year when I was travelling a lot in third world countries I also got us all a travel medical insurace policy that included emergency medical evacuation. I paid about $200 for a year's coverage which covered the three of us for unlimited trips up to 20 days in length. It did not cover you if you actually lived in the country. It was good all over the world and paid emergency medical expenses and evacuation. I can't remember which policy now I actually chose because there were a variety of them and each had its advantages and disadvantages. But I booked through this website: http://www.insuremytrip.com/medical-1000-0-30018-0.html
Fortunately we didn't need the coverage but it was nice to know we had it!

marla - 5-1-2007 at 02:19 PM

I couldn't help wondering if our dear friend Mike Humphreville had been airlifted from BoLA when he had his heart attack to UC San Diego instead of transported by ambulance to the hospital if he would be alive today. That was one thing that spurred me to renew my Binational membership.

David K - 5-1-2007 at 04:46 PM

I think Mary Ann needs to talk to you about why Binational didn't or couldn't help.

I am wondering about your story of the Coast Gaurd arriving at night to San Quintin... as I was told a night flight was not permitted to help Mike.

Roberto - 5-1-2007 at 06:23 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by David K
I think Mary Ann needs to talk to you about why Binational didn't or couldn't help.

I am wondering about your story of the Coast Gaurd arriving at night to San Quintin... as I was told a night flight was not permitted to help Mike.


Is there some information that everyone could benefit from, or is this something that needs to be kept private?

I, for one, would like to know if there are some unclear "rules and regulations" regarding evacuation that I should know about - never know when that kind of thing can come in handy.

marla - 5-2-2007 at 09:58 AM

Really! No kidding. I would certainly like to hear that story too.