Medical Evacuation Insurance can be Bought by Travel Agents or Directly from Company

I've been traveling abroad for a few years already and the most frightening medical emergency I have experienced happened in Afghanistan where a young Frenchwoman suddenly suffered from an appendicitis attack. In the middle of an empty desert, her pain began. Americans increasingly are seeking out the remote corners of the world, and at least a few suffer life threatening illnesses or accidents, sometimes far from adequate medical care or any care at all.

In the middle of nowhere, the bus full of Afghans suddenly broke down just a couple of hours out of Kandahar. An obvious companion of the Frenchwoman, a westerner who was very much worried approached me out of confusion. She led me in the back seat where her friend stretched out because of a terrible pain in the stomach. The weather was hot and they couldn't do much that's why they only applied a wet handkerchief to her friend's forehead.

After a few hours, some passengers didn't have second thoughts in hopping on a truck that passed even though it wasn't going near Kabul. A sturdy European sedan showed up at the time that the Frenchwoman was uncontrollably sobbing. The two French travelers were fortunate enough for the Swiss couple who were in the car agreed to give them a ride to Kabul. I and the remaining Afghan passengers rode on a bus that came after some time. The Frenchwoman's friend visited me in my hotel the next day just to thank me. In Kabul, after the Swiss couple and she contacted the embassy, the French Embassy helped in bringing the injured lady in a hospital where an immediate appendectomy was done. Chastened by the close call, the friend turned out to be okay afterwards.

In 60 countries, the Maryland based association for safe international road travel ensures its travelers safety measures to observe whenever faced with perilous road situations. Each country has its own customized reports depending on the probability of livestock on the road, accident prone roads, dangers of driving at night and bizarre driving practices. Where pertinent, it also will note where lack of safety standards makes rental cars or bus travel chancy.

In Turkey, a 25 year old Bethesda medical student was killed in a bus accident which is the reason why the association was founded. The most perilous roads based on accident statistics by a non-profit organization are the countries Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco. India might be part of the list but still, it doesn't provide statistics. The association convinced the US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs to include road hazard information in each country's consular information sheets. Carry adequate health insurance, and consider buying a medical evacuation policy. You are obliged to take care of your own expenses if ever you become ill or are injured but the US Embassy can help you look for a medical care. It could cost you thousands of dollars if from a remote place to an emergency hospital, you are evacuated by air. Before going abroad, find out what medical services your health insurance will cover, warns the State Department, and carry both an insurance policy identity card as proof of your insurance and a claim form.

Treatment for senior citizens done outside the United States is not covered by the Social Security Medicare program but it can be acquired through the American Association of Retired Persons via a Medicare Supplement plan. A number of firms sell medical evacuation insurance which can be availed on an annual or per trip basis. The company and its travel agents sell insurance.

If ever the worst is encountered, better call the nearest US Embassy. A list of other medical facilities or local doctors will be provided by the embassy at the very least. The embassy personnel would want to assure that Americans get the best medical care. This happens mostly in remote places where most Americans visit. To ensure that the victim receives proper treatment in a better facility and that his/her family and friends will be contacted, the officials take care of these victims even in a foreign hospital.