Medical insurance/assistance??

[LiegeRiver]

So, are MedJet Assist and Global Rescue the same thing, just two different companies? I want to get this stuff straight in my mind before I make any financial committment to either one. Thanks.

Gord

 

[BRICKBURN]

Two different cos.

Medjet assist
Air Medical Transport & Global Travel Assistance | Medical Transport Service

Global Rescue
https://www.globalrescue.com/

 

[LiegeRiver]

Thanks. I saw one of your earlier posts just after I submitted mine, and made a call. I think I will become a member, as I going to be doing other things (like a fly-in moose hunt this fall) that might be wise to have covered.

Gord

 

[BRICKBURN]

One question that needs to be asked before you buy is regarding remote evacuation.

For instance, if you are in North America do you get remote evacuation or only in Africa?
Some plans only evac you in Southern Africa and not North America or elsewhere.

With insurance the devil is in the details.

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Some information on Global Rescue as well as a video introduction:

Global Rescue is the premier provider of medical, security, advisory and evacuation services worldwide. We will come and get you at the point of illness or injury and bring you to your home country hospital of choice, given that you require inpatient hospitalization and are more than 160 miles from home.

There are several key differentiators that set us apart from any other medical and/or non-medical evacuation provider including:
- Deployable medical, security and field rescue teams for travelers in remote areas

- Evacuation from the point of illness or injury to the home country hospital of choice

- 24/7 operations center staffed by critical-care trained paramedics, doctors and special operations veterans

- Deployable medical personnel to serve as bedside case managers

- Medical consultation by Johns Hopkins Medicine physicians and specialists (the USA's top ranked hospital for the last 19 consecutive years according to US News and World Report)

- Extraction services available for security emergencies and natural disasters performed by Navy SEALs and other military special operations veterans

 

[AfricaHunting.com]

Global Rescue: Medical Evacuation From Ethiopia

 

[Global Rescue]

So, are MedJet Assist and Global Rescue the same thing, just two different companies? I want to get this stuff straight in my mind before I make any financial committment to either one. Thanks.

Gord

Hi Gord,

Global Rescue and MedJet are two completely different companies that offer very different levels of service.

While MedJet is an excellent hospital to hospital evacuation service, they require you to get yourself to a hospital and get evaluated by a physician prior to evacuation.

The reason why Global Rescue is more applicable to hunters is that if a member has a condition requiring inpatient hospitalization (a night stay in the hospital), we'll perform field resuce and meet that member at their exact point of illness or injury. From there, we'll evacuate the member all the way back to their home country hospital of choice, up to a cost of $500,000. The reason Global Rescue is able to perform field rescue is that our phones are staffed 24/7 by critical care paramedics and we have a team of on-staff specialist physicians. That way, when a member calls in with an emergency, our medical professionals are able to make a determination right over the phone and get the wheels turning on an evacuation immediately.

All of our cases recieve oversight from the Special Operations Division of Johns Hopkins Medicine (same service used by the Dept. of Homeland Security) and all of our memberships offer 24/7 medical consultation regardless of how severe an issue may be.

Let me know if you have any questions! My name is Tyler Green and you can reach me at tgreen@globalrescue.com or on my direct line 617.426.4264.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Since it is time for me to start checking into this type of service again I started to do my research again to determine which service might be appropriate for my needs.

Things have changed.
I contacted Medjet Assist and they have apparently changed some of their service availability in the last couple of years.
Previously they would evacuate from the closest airport in Southern Africa. I was just told they no longer do this in Southern Africa.
It is now, as Tyler has stated above: You have to get to a hospital yourself and after admission they will begin service. ie. repatriation to your hospital of choice within the restrictions of the agreement.

So, I decided to compare the services being offered by Global Rescue. I wanted to ask Tyler or someone else at GR to explain them here.

The clauses/limitations/restrictions which gave me pause are marked in Red.

I have emailed GR to ask them to comment here.

Excerpt:
GLOBAL RESCUE LLC
RETAIL MEMBER SERVICES AGREEMENT AND TERMS OF SERVICE


2.2 Medical Transport Services.
GR shall not be under any obligation to provide transport services to a Traveling Member if, in GR's sole discretion:
(i) the Traveling Member is not reasonably accessible and cannot be transported safely or is located in a region that is not safely accessible;
(ii) the Traveling Member has a contagious infectious disease;
(iii) the Traveling Member's primary diagnosis is psychiatric in nature;
(iv) the Traveling Member's condition is self-inflicted (including but not limited to not taking precautionary measures at the onset of a medical
event if reasonably possible);
(v) the Traveling Member has committed or is accused of committing a criminal act;
(vi) the Traveling Member was on an organ transplant list at the time such Traveling Member embarked on his or her trip and such
transport is related to such transplant;
(vii) the Traveling Member is Hospitalized due to circumstances that were diagnosed or treated within forty-five (45) days [or one year for Traveling Members between ages 75-85 years old] prior to the start date of this Agreement or prior to traveling, or for which symptoms existed which would cause an ordinarily prudent person to seek such diagnosis or treatment;
(viii) the Traveling Member's condition occurred while or resulted from serving as an armed or unarmed combatant or in a security role during an act of declared or undeclared war, invasion, armed conflict,
police action, or civil disorder;
(ix) the Traveling Member is in her third trimester of pregnancy;
(x) the Traveling Member's condition is caused by the intentional ingestion/use and/or overdose of alcohol, a controlled or banned substance, or is
hospitalized due to the use of alcohol, drugs or intoxicants not prescribed by a physician,
(xi) the Traveling Member cannot be transported safely;
(xii) the Traveling Member has been exposed to nuclear reaction, radioactive contamination or chemical contamination;
(xiii) the Traveling Member is traveling against the advice of a Physician or Global Rescue's medical professionals, while waiting for treatment, or is traveling for the purpose of obtaining medical treatment;
(xiv) the Traveling Member is traveling in the Arctic above 80th parallel North OR on/near the Antarctic continent below the 60th
parallel South AND the Traveling Member has not purchased a Global Rescue Polar Membership after 10/19/2011; OR
(xv)the Traveling Member failed to maintain immigration, work residence or similar visas, permits or other documentation
necessary for transport.

2.3 Transport of Mortal Remains Services. To the extent permitted by law and subject to the terms, limitations and
exclusions of Section 2.2 and upon a Traveling Member's estate executor's request, GR will arrange and pay for reasonable
expenses related to transporting a Traveling Member's mortal remains to the country in which the Traveling Member's
passport was issued. GR reserves the right to determine the mode and timing of transport.

2.7 Unnecessary Utilization and Transport. All Members shall be required to reimburse GR for services utilized, at the
request of the Member or Designated Representative, to Members or persons who do not qualify for Services under this
Agreement. In the event that GR transports a Traveling Member, at the request of the Traveling Member, who does not
require Hospitalization or who does not qualify for transport under the definition of a Qualifying Security Event as determined
by GR, Traveling Member shall reimburse GR for the cost of transport.
At the discretion of GR, before such transport occurs the Traveling Member shall guarantee payment by credit card or other means acceptable to GR. GR shall be under no obligation to provide services should such guarantee or payment not be provided to GR.

Please clarify these:

2.2 (i) What is reasonably accessible? What is safely accessible?

2.2 (x) If I drink some of that wine I ordered and fall off the elevated deck, I am not covered?

2.2 (xi) I assume this is about requiring a stable medical condition and transport being life threatening?

2.3 When referring to "country". Does that actually mean home?

2.7 Please elaborate on these limitations for me. "persons who do not qualify", etc.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Tyler is away for the Memorial Day weekend and I have forwarded this request to the main member services desk for reply.

 

[Wheels]

Brickburn, thanks for doing the comparison and research. I have never used these services on trips before but as I get older it may be a wise thing for me to contemplate. I will look forward to hearing what they say.

 

[Lpart]

I had never given this kind of insurance a thought until 4 years ago. I don't know why but I decided to try it in 2009 for a trip to Zimbabwe. Felt at 60 I was getting old I guess. Turns out I was very correct. I did sustain a serious injury on that trip and needed Global Rescue to advise and get me home for surgery. They didn't have to retrieve me from the field, but they will and have done that many times and I feel that is the most important difference. I won't go on any of my remote hunts without it anymore. I have used it for Africa three times and Alaska once. The first thing I do when I get to camp is give the Global Rescue information to my PH so he has it just in case it's needed and I am unable to find it when needed. This service saved me over $10,000 in 2009.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Brickburn, thanks for doing the comparison and research. I have never used these services on trips before but as I get older it may be a wise thing for me to contemplate. I will look forward to hearing what they say.

I certainly understand this type of service for remote hunts being taken.
My spouse certainly feels better when I have this service is place when I head out.

Since most of the places/localities I am hunting this year in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa are within a half hour to one hour drive of a hospital with emergency services. Some of these hospitals are even first world quality facilities.
This sounds like hunting close to home.
There are plenty of places I hunt at home that are no where near that close to hospitals or emergency services. But, we have helicopters on standby for emergencies.

These locations were not chosen based on their proximity to health care services. It was all actually an after thought to find out where hospitals were located based on this research. I am seriously wondering about my need for the field rescue portion of the service (for me) for this trip.

It has also begun to make me wonder about the PH's role in your health and getting you to health care services if required.

Do PH's and outfitters actually get questions about this skill set?
They are obviously integral, whether you are incapacitated or not.

Timing is everything in an emergency. Arranging a helicopter and waiting for it or driving you to a hospital.
I guess it all depends on how big the emergency is!

If you are truly remote then a rescue service is a must.

 

[Wheels]

Timing is everything in an emergency. Arranging a helicopter and waiting for it or driving you to a hospital.
I guess it all depends on how big the emergency is!

Having a policy can be important even if a person has the money to cover the expense themselves and wants to self insure.

Friends were in Jamaica apx. 20 years ago and rented mopeds. They were rear ended and in critical condition. (Hospitals there are pathetic from what I understand) They had the money to pay for air ambulance but not on them and the air ambulance wouldn't take credit cards. They were able to contact friends at home. A bank president got $10k in cash out of the bank at night and another friend flew it in his plane to New Orleans to give to the air ambulance company before they would even take off. They survived and are okay but that is a delay of a few hours. Having a company handling logistics and guaranteeing the financials can speed the process up a lot.

Having the insurance is probably something I should consider in the future.

 

[Global Rescue]

Hi Everyone,

I hope you all had a nice weekend. Please see my answers below in response to BRICKBURN's questions.

2.2 (i) What is reasonably accessible? What is safely accessible?

If we can't get to you safely, then we won't be able to rescue you. To date, this has never happened and we hope it never will! We have successfully conducted rescues from mountainsides, canyons, remote and austere places, including locations impacted by geopolitical unrest, terrorism and natural disasters.

2.2 (x) If I drink some of that wine I ordered and fall off the elevated deck, I am not covered?

It is fine to consume alcohol, however if the injury or illness is caused by the abuse of alcohol or drugs, Global Rescue will not be obligated to pay for the evacuation. Illegal use of drugs or alcohol or committing other criminal acts will result in the loss of coverage.

2.2 (xi) I assume this is about requiring a stable medical condition and transport being life threatening?

Global Rescue will transport a Traveling Member when it is safe to do so. If the Member's condition or other factors makes transport unsafe for them or others, then transport will not occur. Global Rescue will work with the Member to develop other alternatives.

2.3 When referring to "country". Does that actually mean home?

Yes, home in the country in which the Traveling Member holds their passport.

2.7 Please elaborate on these limitations for me. "persons who do not qualify", etc.

2.7 Refers to who pays for the services rendered. If a Traveling Member has an emergency that falls within our MSA, then Global Rescue provides the services to the Member per the membership. However, if the Member requests services which don't meet the criteria in Global Rescue's MSA, Global Rescue is not obligated to provide the services. In these scenarios, Global Rescue typically offers to provide the services if the Member is willing to pay for the services. Examples of this include transports of convenience (where a Member may request transport, but does not require hospitalization for a dianosable injury or illness or when there is no Qualifying Security Event).


Please contact us if you would like more information at 1-617-459-4200 or memberservices@globalrescue.com. These were very good questions which help people understand the services provided by Global Rescue.

 

[BRICKBURN]

................
2.3 When referring to "country". Does that actually mean home?

Yes, home in the country in which the Traveling Member holds their passport.

.........

I'll be more clear with my question.

I live in the second largest country in the world so getting me into my "country" is not really getting me home.

Do I get taken to a hospital of my choice in my home town? (city of residence)

 

[Global Rescue]

Hi BRICKBURN,

Yes, you would be taken to the hospital of your choice in the country with which you hold your passport. If you would like to be taken to a hospital in your home town, that is where you would be taken.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[BRICKBURN]

Hi BRICKBURN,

Yes, you would be taken to the hospital of your choice in the country with which you hold your passport. If you would like to be taken to a hospital in your home town, that is where you would be taken.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Now I can see the other permutation that you are addressing with your MSA wording.

 

[BWH]

I have no doubt there is a great need for the med & it is a great outfit. However, is there really much need/demand for the "Security" option, that is available in addition to the Medical? Consider one is going from USA to RSA..........

 

[bluey]

ive wondered that myself BMH
but if you were in CAR earlier this year , and didn't have it you would have felt like a little worm on a big hook id think
last week l asked about how you upgrade to that if you were going into a angry country pursuing our hobbies and the helpful and quick replying agent (sandy) explained to me in an email that its not a biggy to switch if the need arises before you go .

 

[BRICKBURN]

I am seriously considering purchasing this service from Global Rescue for my upcoming trip.

Some further questions come to my mind as I read the MSA.

The current wording of the MSA section that raised my eyebrow:

1 . “Field Rescue” – The transport of the Traveling Member by ground, air, or sea to a hospital, clinic or other medical provider capable of providing care to a Traveling Member whose condition requires Hospitalization or is likely to cause serious permanent injury or death, but they are unable to get to a hospital. Field Rescue does not include any activities related to search and the Traveling Member’s location must be known

2.7 Unnecessary Utilization and Transport. All Members shall be required to reimburse GR for services utilized, at the request of the Member or Designated Representative, to Members or persons who do not qualify for Services under this Agreement. In the event that GR transports a Traveling Member, at the request of the Traveling Member, who does not require Hospitalization or who does not qualify for transport under the definition of a Qualifying Security Event as determined by GR, Traveling Member shall reimburse GR for the cost of transport. At the discretion of GR, before such transport occurs the Traveling Member shall guarantee payment by credit card or other means acceptable to GR. GR shall be under no obligation to provide services should such guarantee or payment not be provided to GR.


I called the customer service number and spoke to some ladies that honestly tried to help, but indeed created more concern than clarification.
I want to know what I am actually purchasing here.

One definition foresees the possibility of serious permanent injury requiring evacuation, but the apparent exclusion/limitation clause 2.7, proceeds to place limits, (injury or illness requiring hospitalization only).

That answer will be determined at the time of the incident.
Can you imagine someone being panicked and sick refusing anything?
Does having someone "over the barrel" strike you with this process!
Being held hostage by trophy shipment companies pisses me off, never mind a medical service.


When I ask the question about what the "triggers" are for this determination, I get the reply; "that is situation specific and the operations centre will determine that at the time."

So, I should just pay up and gamble that some unknown person will have my best interests at heart?
Sure, sounds like something I would do.

Is there anyone who can explain these "triggers" to me. Reply: "No"

In a further attempt to gain clarification I throw out a scenario:
I propose that I have broken my leg in Mozambique.
Reply: (The gist of the reply) "That does not require an overnight or admission to hospital. A simple break would be casted and you would be released. No evacuation coverage!"

At this point I am wondering what...............

"Do you know where Mozambique is?"
Reply: "Yes"
From the answer I receive I can only conclude that this person has never been outside Boston or more than ten minutes from a Level I Trauma Centre.

Mass General

VS

Local Hospital in Moz

Both appear to be listed as Hospitals!


I get a further attempted explanation provided: "If you broke your leg on the top of a mountain, you could not walk down without further injury. That would qualify for evacuation."

A broken leg in the middle of no where Mozambique is life threatening in my mind. I sure as hell could not walk to a hospital.
It takes two bloody days to fly in to the camp and a further full days driving!

To get some kind of answer about this limitation. I ask "Who decides that hospitalization is required?
the Doctor on the ground?"
Reply: " Yes"

At least the fella in the Orange shirt could decide I required "admission" then I am covered.

Still not comfortable with this.

Can someone in the know at Global Rescue provide some answers on the "trigger" question with relevance to rural Mozambique and the inherent medical realities of a 3rd world country?

Look forward to the reply.