Medical Evacuation & Repatriation in Health Plans: Why it’s a Must Have For f-1 Students in US

The recent tragic death of 2 Indian-origin students and the financial difficulties faced by them to get their mortal remains transported back to India has once again highlighted the importance of medical evacuation and repatriation coverage in health insurance plans.

On 3rd September 2019, those students drowned while swimming at Turner Falls in Oklahoma. They were students of the University of Texas at Arlington. As per reports on the social media platform Facebook, Student Cover has learned that their family and friends are now trying to arrange funds through crowdfunding to repatriate their bodies back home to India.

This could mean that either these two students did not have medical evacuation and repatriation coverage in their health insurance plans, or that the amount set aside by the insurance plan for that purpose wasn’t sufficient enough.

Therefore, in light of these revelations, Student Cover, in this blog, would like to highlight the importance of having medical evacuation and repatriation in insurance plans.

Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of Remains

Medical evacuation and repatriation coverage is that benefit under which a health insurance company provides funds for the insured person in case of medical emergency or death.

• Medical Evacuation: It is one of the insurance benefits wherein a health insurance company either provides transportation service or pays for transportation of an insured person if he or she is injured and needs to be evacuated and taken to a nearby hospital. Medical evacuation also includes provision for transportation of the insured person back to his native country for treatment.
• Repatriation of Remains: It is that benefit wherein the insurance company either pays or makes arrangement for repatriation of mortal remains of the insured person in case of his death.

In both cases, the costs incurred during the process would be borne by the insurance company up to the prescribed limit under the plan.

Significance of Medical Evacuation & Repatriation

• Medical Evacuation and Repatriation are important because of the following reasons:
• They are one of the essential benefits that student health insurance must-have for his or her health insurance plan to be accepted by the University
• They save the person from unwanted expenditure in the event of an injury.
• They save the family members or relatives of the student from financial trouble as the cost of transporting mortal remains from the US to any other country is very high.
• In case of medical evacuation, insurance plans such as Student Cover Plus and Student Cover Elite provide expert assistance through coordination with hospitals and doctors.
• In case of repatriation, insurance companies also assist in flight and immigration clearances as well as provide assistance with travel arrangements.

Let’s Wrap Up!

The cost of medical evacuation and repatriation in the US is very high. Therefore, a health insurance plan with a sufficient sum allocated for medical evacuation and repatriation saves the insured person or his or her family members and relatives from financial trouble in the event of the person’s injury or death. It is a must for international students because, without it, they may not get admission to a US university or college.

Disclaimer: The content of the following article is based on the personal research of the writer. Readers are advised to exercise discretion. Student Cover will not be liable for any wrongful interpretation of the content of this article.