Originally Posted by
Papajack1
Has anyone had experience with American Airlines Emergency Assistance Plus. This program is similar to MedJet Assist and Global Rescue. In addition, it covers travel within the US. It is significantly cheaper than the programs cited above . Too good to be true???
Originally Posted by
ricktoronto
MedJet Assist covers anywhere as long as you are 150 miles or more away from home so this AA product is not unique in that respect. And credit cards/travel insurance "might" move someone but it is far more likely that if you can get repaired where you are they would rather pay for that than $500,000 to fly you to where you want to be repaired. Might be OK in Bangkok, maybe less OK in Phnom Penh.
EA Plus refers to medically necessary evacuation and MedJet doesn't. And evacuation is to where you can get treated, not your choice, which is usually back home.
I don't understand their pricing, member and non-member, not sure member of what to get this discount.
Yes, there's a big difference between Emergency Assistance Plus (I'll call them EAP to save myself some typing) and MedJet Assist (which is what I have, as I wrote upthread).
AFAICT, EAP helps you manage your situation. They will interface with local medical providers, arrange transportation and other logistics. While there's no additional charge for EAP's services beyond the membership fee, you pay for everything else, -- ambulance, air tickets, etc. EAP assist you in sorting through everything at a time when you're likely stressed. If you do need medical evacuation in a hospital jet, it's going to be tens of thousands of dollars. More if you're on the other side of the world.
MedJet Assist does much more, for a premium which isn't a lot more money. When I slipped on a carpet in my hotel room and my foot hit a piece of furniture, I thought that it might be broken. But I had never broken a bone before, and didn't know how to tell. I called MedJet Assist and explained what happened. They got an orthopedic surgeon on the phone with me in the same call within a few minutes. He asked me a bunch of questions, and told me that my foot was probably broken (he was right) and that I needed to go to a hospital.
When I went to the emergency room with severe stomach cramps and uncontrollable vomiting in Bangkok, the firs thing I did the next morning when things had calmed down a bit was call MedJet and told them what was going on. They spoke with my doctor (I had a pretty bad case of food poisoning) to get the info from him, then called me every morning while I was hospitalized (three days) to see how I was, if I needed anything, etc. They also called the morning after I was released from the hospital.
If you are severely ill or injured and need the evacuation service,
it's all included. They send a hospital jet to the nearest airport with their medical team, that same team hires an ambulance to take them to the hospital to pick you up. They then fly with you back to your home. You pay nothing. AMEX also has an evacuation plan; but on that plan, they evacuate you to the nearest hospital that they feel is capable of providing you with appropriate care. If I'm that severely ill or injured, I want to go home.
MedJet makes these videos of people who have used their services, here's one:
I can't recommend these people highly enough.