Benefits of Medical Repatriation Services for Travelers

Medical repatriation services help travelers who suffer health emergencies abroad get back home for care. They handle the complex process from start to finish.

Many travel insurance plans come standard with emergency medical evacuation coverage, offering additional benefits like bedside visit transportation. In this article, we will look at the benefits of these services.

High-Quality Care

Top-rated medical repatriation providers help individuals get the treatment they need, even far from home. Travel insurance providers often arrange repatriation services, who work with medical professionals to ensure that patients are safe for transport.

This includes arranging air ambulance flights with specialized equipment, like ventilators and IV fluid pumps, and medical staff trained to manage patient needs during the flight. They will also handle communication with foreign medical staff and officials and ensure that all paperwork is in order.

Sometimes, patients must be repatriated because they cannot obtain the medical care they need in a local hospital. This may be because the hospital is not equipped to treat their condition or because their travel insurance won’t cover complicated services abroad. In these instances, medical repatriation is the best option for the patient’s safety and well-being. Having them return home to their regular doctor will allow them to receive the proper treatment and avoid expensive healthcare debt.

Peace of Mind

Like Dorothy said during her visit to Oz, there is “no place like home.” During an illness or injury while away from home, patients often wish to return to their country of origin for the comfort and familiarity that comes with family and friends. Having medical repatriation services in place can help them do just that.

The medical repatriation services included with travel insurance policies cover the cost of emergency transportation back to a destination of choice in case of an accident or serious illness. It does not, however, cover the associated medical bills. That is something you will need to pay for out of pocket.

Some medical evacuation and repatriation policies also offer additional benefits, such as a hospital companion benefit. This covers the cost of a round-trip ticket for a friend or family member to visit you in the hospital for a specified amount of time outlined in your policy. This can provide peace of mind that you will be with a loved one during your stay in the hospital, no matter what happens.

Prevent Healthcare Debt

Air ambulance companies often provide repatriation services to help patients avoid medical debt in an emergency. They can also arrange a repatriation flight even when insurance doesn’t cover the evacuation cost. This can help prevent the burden of unsustainable medical bills and ensure that patients get the best possible care when they need it most.

The most common reasons people must be repatriated are because they have become injured or ill while traveling and cannot receive adequate treatment in the local area. However, it can also be necessary due to an ongoing illness or because healthcare providers cannot treat the patient in-country.

Family Support

When traveling, individuals often get sick or injured and cannot access adequate medical treatment locally. That’s when they need to be repatriated back to their home country.

Thankfully, most policies with Medical Evacuation coverage will pay to transport the traveler to the nearest appropriate medical facility for further care. If a traveler needs to stay in the hospital for more than the policy minimum of seven days, this benefit may also pay a companion to join them for transportation costs.

Often, a patient’s best recovery happens at home, surrounded by family. This is especially true in less developed countries or more remote locations where quality care is often limited.