How to Find Medical Travel Assistance

People with pre-existing medical conditions, chronic ailments, advanced age, or other questionable health situations can be apprehensive about taking a trip. And even folks who are young and healthy can get anxious about what might go wrong on a trip; especially in the wake of the pandemic. Planning for the worst certainly isn’t a fun thing to think about. However, it is important to make preparations because if a medical situation arises while abroad or on the road, your health insurance may come up short since they typically don’t provide help with things like transportation home or making arrangements for your traveling companions.

Nobody wants to be stranded while also experiencing a medical emergency.

Travel assistance is an affordable and reliable way to ensure your trip doesn’t end in disaster and that you have somebody in your corner in case things devolve.

But you may have some questions about enrolling in a travel assistance program:

• What does it provide?
• How much does it cost?
• Who are the best providers?
• How do you pick the right plan?

In this post we’ll provide thorough answers to all your travel assistance questions and shed some light on best practices when choosing a plan that’s right for you.

Let’s get started.

What is medical travel assistance?

Travel assistance is a service consumers can buy that provides protection that individuals and families may need while traveling away from home. Often, the services are designed to assist people during and after medical emergencies and are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and 365 days per year.

Travel assistance is a great option for people with (and without!) health concerns to be able to travel with confidence. You probably already know the basics of travel assistance, but if you need a refresher, please check out this related post: What is travel assistance?

4 things to know before you buy a travel assistance program/plan

Next, let’s cover a few tips that will help your research and buying process for travel assistance.

1. Buy before your trip

Similar to how you wouldn’t sign up for AAA after you’ve just blown a tire, travel assistance is something you want to research and purchase before your trip. Most travel assistance programs will help you with medical evacuation and transportation home, but there is a huge range of additional services available. You will want to choose one that best fits your lifestyle and individual circumstances. More on this in the next section.

2. Determine what type of protection you need

As we mentioned, medical evacuation is table stakes—most providers include this service. However, there are many more (sometimes obscure!) services that certain programs provide.

For instance, Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+) offers help with the following situations:

• Brings a loved one to your side if you’re alone and hospitalized
• Provides travel home for children or grandchildren
• Transportation to or near your home following hospitalization
• Returns vehicle/RV home for you
• Flights home after emergency
• Pet care and return assistance

Note: For a full list of services and details for EA+, please visit our plan information page.

The point is not all travel assistance programs are the same! Please make sure you see a full list of services before you buy.

3. Understand potential restrictions

Many travel assistance programs have restrictions based on certain personal attributes or trip details. These restrictions can prevent you from accessing care when you need it, restrict your ability to purchase the plan you want, or affect the cost of your plan.Here are some examples of certain travel assistance restrictions:

• Age
• Medical condition
• Trip destination
• Trip duration
• Annual trip volume

When researching plans, please make sure to ask if there are any restrictions.

Note: Emergency Assistance Plus has none of the restrictions described above with the exception of traveling to countries with Level 4 travel advisories (social/political unrest, etc.).

4. Find discounts with travel partners

Before you buy you’ll want to check to see if you’re entitled to any discounts based on your membership to other organizations. Many travel assistance providers have partnerships with companies you might already do business with and can offer great discounts for your affiliation.

For example, EA+ has more than 100 partners around the world, and your membership with any of those partners can earn you $70 off an annual membership with EA+.

So don’t forget to ask about partnership discounts during your research process!

5 medical travel assistance providers

Here’s a list of some of the top travel assistance providers. Using the tips above, feel free to check out their plans and pricing to see if you can find one that fits your needs!

1. Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+)

Emergency Assistance Plus is a leader in the travel assistance space with the most comprehensive protection at the most reasonable rate. Over 2 million travelers have trusted EA+ for their travel assistance needs since 1996—to hear actual stories from our members, check out our testimonials page.

For program services, pricing, and general info, please visit our website or give us a call at 1-866-863-4460.

^*All providers include limits to the number of evacuations that will be provided for a single injury, illness or hospitalization – including EA+. Please review the plan materials carefully to ensure you fully understand all rules and regulations. This comparison is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of 04/05/24.

2. Medjet Assist

Medjet Assist is a respected travel assistance provider and was the first to implement the air-medical transport membership concept in the U.S. in 1991. Compare Medjet to Emergency Assistance Plus and check out their website for rates and plan details.

For rates and plan details, please visit their website.

3. SkyMed

SkyMed has been providing travel assistance services since 1989. They offer various travel assistance services in 32 countries.

For rates and plan details, please visit their website.

4. Global Rescue

Global Rescue was founded in 2004 specializing in medical evacuation and related services and is the only provider on this list to offer field evacuation. For a deeper understanding of how Global Rescue compares to other travel assistance options, check out our article on Emergency Assistance Plus vs. Global Rescue.

For rates and plan details, please visit their website.

5. AirMed

AirMed International is an air medical transport company that maintains their own fleet of aircraft designed for medical evacuation.

For rates and plan details, please visit their website.

We hope you found this post on medical travel assistance helpful! If you’re planning a trip and think you may require this service, please feel free to reach out to our team with any questions or concerns.

For more information on services and costs, please feel free to check out our website or call us at 1-866-863-4460.