How many of you guys/gals take out life flight ins. &/or trip insurance when you go to Africa?

I never have, never seriously considered it. Nor do I get it when I go anywhere else--Argentina, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Canada, Alaska, others. I think it is a major over reaction.

I bought medjet assistance so that I can reach a real hospital before catching gangrene.

I have taken it every time. Have never had need to use it but the kind I have taken also covers delayed flights. lost luggage etc. I think it is a good thing to have.
The one I really worry about the most is getting medical attention and home if injured in a foreign country. Seems that you would need Medi Jet and a Flying Doctors combo as Medi Jet is going to come get you at some good landing strip but not some bush strip. You might not make the multi hours bumpy ride in the safari car with many of your insides re-arranged. Next question is...will your US insurance cover your medical in a foreign country?

On the recommendation of my booking agent and several hunting consultants, I went with CSA for my trip insurance when I went to Namibia. My particular policy covered loss of deposit, delays, lost baggage, damaged goods, life, and emergency medical (similar to MedJet). A couple hundred bucks when you're spending thousands on a safari seemed like a cheap investment. The MedJet alone would also be great idea if you travel out of the country a lot.

I use the MedJet program. It only costs $195.00 per year. In the event of a covered emergency 150 miles or more from home, it kicks in. I hope I never have to use it but, it is comforting to know you have it if needed. It also means a little more peace of mind to your wife/loved ones who usually worry about you when you travel to far corners of the earth.

Bull1

Thanks guys, I found the web site. For $200 it's piece of mind.

I don't doubt Medi Jet (or a program just like it) is the way to go...once again I just ask...will they fly into the bush and get you? If not and you deem that a risk then you need to take an extra service (like a Flying Doctors type service) that will make the short haul for you.
As I understand it...Medi Jet will get to the Interstate but you need someone else to get you down the ranch road to the Interstate!
See if that is right.
I doubt Medi Jet will haul you out of the Selous.

It's my understanding that MedJet will not fly into the Selous to pick you up. If it has been determined that you require hospitlization they will fly from the USA to any airport in the world and transport you or your remains back to the USA. A lot of the outfitters include the "flying doctor" evacuation service in the price of your hunt.

Bull1

I ALWAYS take out travel insurance for overseas travel.

Many horrible places like the USA have hospitals that would leave you die rather than treat someone who can not pay upfront. They even ask for credi cards from people on a stretcher. Without the insurance you can end up bankrupted in places like the USA.

I know a guy that had a vehicle rollover in South Africa, broke a collar bone. He went to hospital and had to fly home. His insurance paid later for him to fly back and finish his trip.

Never made use of it but a couple hundred dollars is nothing compared to a $50,000 medical bill/air-evac etc.

Yeah, but if you get sick in the USA you can drive over the border to the north and enjoy their socialized free medical care.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the US healthcare system:

"Many horrible places like the USA have hospitals that would leave you die rather than treat someone who cannot pay upfront."
No, we don't. Hospitals are prohibited by US federal law from refusing life saving, critical or urgent treatment to anyone on the basis of their ability to pay. You show up sick or injured, they have to treat you regardless of your ability to pay. Trust me on this, we write off MILLIONS of dollars of care annually in our small one-hospital system.

"They even ask for credi cards from people on a stretcher."
As long as you will be waiting in Triage anyway, yes, they will ask for payment information (and a credit card if you don't have proof of insurance). They will have you fill out all the usual paperwork WHILE YOU ARE WAITING ANYWAY, but they won't refuse to treat you no matter what and they will not keep you out of treatment filling out paperwork if there is any question of you having a time-critical condition. They will not refuse you treatment even if you won't fill out the paperwork, and it will not affect your level of care. I speak here both as a VP for a US health system and as a recipient of care. When I came into the ER with chest pains thousands of miles from home at a hospital that didn't know me from Adam, they didn't even ask my NAME, just whisked me into the ER and wired me up like an astronaut in about 40 seconds. They didn't ask for payment information until after I was discharged and on my way out the door.

"Without the insurance you can end up bankrupted in places like the USA."
That you can, if you have the misfortune to be without insurance or the ability to pay for care that is rendered to you. The health system I work for, like many in the US, is a charity, but we do have a legitimate right to be paid for the services we render. If you didn't have insurance when you came in for help, we bill you. If you are indigent (broke) we will not bother trying to collect from you and will usually write it off. If you can pay but don't feel like it, we do the collection route.

If you work at almost any job in the US, odds are you have insurance. If you are from a country with national (socialized) healthcare, that's your insurance, and it will most likely pay for your US hospital bill. If you are irresponsible or stupid, and decided to roll the dice by not having insurance that covers you while you travel, yes, you can wind up owing huge bills. Does anyone suggest traveling overseas without looking into your health insurance situation to see if you are covered? Takes a 5 minute phone call to the insurer to find out, and if you're not covered, they'll likely sell you the coverage while you're on the phone. This is what I have to do when I travel outside of my area of coverage.

Yes, get air-ambulance (point of injury to hospital) transport insurance. Yes, take the Medi-Jet (hospital overseas to your hospital at home). Yes, check with your health insurance folks to find out if you need additional coverage.

And once you've done all that, don't forget to have a wonderful time while you're there.

I am speking from a worldwide point of view and NOT just about hunting, house insurance and the likes.



Those people whom temp fate and land up in hospital or with their house gutted by fire or for whatever reason need their SOB arse kicked and deserve ALL THEY GET IMHO beause if they dont get insurance and they expect the thinking public to cover their costs then let them be warned ... in a free world we all have choices, we pay and get cover or we try to skive off others and face the rath of the system



You takes your chances in life and you suffers the consequences, there is no other way I can put it more clearly without offending someone



Regards, Peter

Sorry mate, I was "over-doing" the wording a bit on purpose BUT my comments are not based on legislative requirements, theory but on actual experience of a friend.

Taken to hospital in Detroit after a car accident and they refused to treat this person until they proved they were working for a particular large firm in the city AND it just happened to be the case one of the nurses had a brother working there. She was actually covered by one of the better policies and once they knew that they could stop falling over themselves in obsequience. Needless to say she didn't pay her bill out of disgust.

Back on topic, yes, travel insurance is wise.

Working in a foreign country (in a rather spooky region at the moment), I was actually required to get a global policy that would at all times cover evacuation, hospital, and "repatriation of remains" expenses from anywhere. It was surprisingly well priced actually from some company in Belgium. For you guys who safari quite a lot, it may be cheaper or more saving of your time to simply adopt this strategy than pay for supplemental coverage with such regularity.

Best,

JohnTheGreek

We have always used travel insurance when travelling to africa and elsewhere. And it's paid off too. When we had to use a hospital in RSA after getting Typhoid in Mozambique, we got the money back on our return to Norway several months later.

Just remember to read the fine print, especially when it comes to how long the trip can last and what activities are covered. We had to work a bit to get a special deal for our year long trip through africa, both because of the length of time, and some of the countrys we went to which were not covered by the normal policy.

Erik D.

I certainly have never considered the insurance policy where I work to be overly good, yet I have checked every time I have left the USA to hunt and always been assured that my policy covered me where ever I was--RSA, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, New Zealand, etc., etc. So, why pay for additional coverage? I suggest that you guys check you existing health policy; you may find that you are already covered.

We always take out insurance that covers medical evacuation, as well as lost luggage, delays etc.

I think it is well worth it when you are in the African bush, and might need urgent medical attention elswhere.

Also, 3 years ago our checked buggage at Jo'berg air port were broken into, and 2 cameras, one video and one digital were stolen.

The insurance paid for them.

I always get insurance -luckily. In -03 I blew my knee in the RSA and it required surgical treatment when I got back.

The insurance paid.

In -04 I broke my glasses while hunting in the RSA and they were covered by the insurance.

I am accident prone.

Insurance companies don�t make money on my policies!

Arts

One reason a US domestic health insurance policy may cover other countries is many (all?) foreign domestic health insurance policies specifically do not cover the USA. It is in an insurance "zone" all by itself for travel insurance purposes. The reason is the insurers believe the cost of medical services is higher in the USA so they add on extra premiums.

Your policy already covers that sort of cost, so maybe they get an effective discount on foreign lower cost services.

Worth people checking into it. Travel insurance also covers loss, evacuation, coverage if you miss your flights for a reason eg accidents, illness etc.

That could be why, I have no idea. I just know I check with the personnel lady over insurance to be sure I'm covered and she always says "absolutely". And since my cook is included on the policy, she's also covered out of the country. I have even pursued it a bit on occasion, "the same as here? Same coverage and deductible?" "Absolutely!".

Every time I take an insurance : Europassistance. It�s not expensive. You can be evac dead or alive from anywhere and treat where you want. One exception, warfare. You know bad-tempered ele or lions are not the most dangerous, think of spraining an ankle during wingshooting, a car crash or dealing with wasps or scorpions, not speaking of snakes.
Cancelling insurance is important anyhow.