Evacuation Insurance For China. Why This Cushy Boy Says Yes.
At my old law firm, I was one of two lawyers who traveled constantly. Back then it was mostly to China, Russia, Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam, but sometimes even more exotic places like Papua New Guinea would come in. I later learned that at least one of our staff would refer to the two of us as "the cushy boys" because we had so many requirements on each trip, ranging from where we liked to be on the plane (always the aisle for me) to where we wanted to be in the hotel (not so high as to be unreachable in a fire and yet not so low as to be the first to be hit) to the airline (if it is not part of the Star Alliance, I ain't goin'). And so on and so on.
So now that I have established my credentials as a travel wuss, let me just say that I feel somewhat vindicated with respect to another one of my peccadilloes by a New York Times article I read today on Haiti, entitled, "For Travelers in Danger, Someone to Swoop In." The article talks about those in Haiti who were able to secure an emergency evacuation because they had evacuation insurance. Many years ago, I was involved in a case where someone was badly injured in a very remote region of the Russian Far East (and when I am talking remote, I mean remote, even for the Russian Far East). This person was evacuated to a hospital in the US and the cost of that evacuation was (if I recall correctly) around $100,000. Since then I have bought evacuation insurance whenever I travel to any country/region with less than world-class health-care. Fortunately, I have never had to use it, but still.....
Do you? What are your thoughts on this? Too cushy or just smart?
And while on the subject, I ask each of you to consider donating something (anything!) to Haiti.
UPDATE: A reader sent me this link to a very helpful post on the
Start in China blog, entitled, "Health insurance for expats in China." The post nicely sets out and describes various health insurance options for expats in China, including a list of those companies (with links) that provide such insurance.
Comments (11)
Read through and enter the discussion by using the form at the endJustaguy - January 19, 2010 3:34 PM
A grad student in the study abroad program that first brought me to Beijing had been there as an undergrad. She told me about her roommate on that trip - who had gone traveling after the semester was over. She was hitchhiking on the road from Sichuan up to Tibet and got a ride from a truck driver who had been drinking. He drove off a cliff the day after the health insurance that the study abroad program provided expired. She needed emergency surgery in the middle of nowhere Sichuan, was taken to Chengdu and then medivaced to Hong Kong. Several hundred thousand dollars of medical bills later she made it back to the US.
My grad school's health insurance's benefits are being cut, but they're actually increasing the evacuation insurance. If not, I'd buy some myself.
Twofish - January 19, 2010 3:59 PM
Medevac insurance is a bargain, but I don't know if that insurance covers rescues due to disasters.
Joe - January 19, 2010 4:00 PM
Insurance of any kind is frustrating for me in that I'm not quite certain how I feel about it. On the one hand, it certainly makes sense to shell out lots of money so that you have a strong safety net in case anything happens. On the other, you hope that even after all the money you pay into to your policy, you'll never have to use it.
Anon - January 19, 2010 4:09 PM
The French government requires some of its citizens to secure a form of such insurance, even here in the states. A friend who worked for the world bank would have been repatriated from D.C. in case of disaster. This was 7 years ago, not sure if they still have this policy.
Many a joke occurs to me here, but I'll leave it be.
Anne - January 19, 2010 5:31 PM
Thanks for bringing this up - please please tell people traveling to China to purchase evacuation insurance. While living in Yunnan, a friend of mine who was teaching their contracted typhoid. She waited too long to go to the hospital and ended up in a coma. She died not because typhoid was not curable but because the medical facilities were too poor. If she had had evacuation insurance she would still be alive today.
Chris - January 19, 2010 7:13 PM
Reasonable health insurance to cover the cost of both emergency and other forms of medical care at the best PRC hospitals is quite sufficient. If you can pay, top level care in China is quite good. I'm not sure emergency evacuation insurance is quite worth the cost, though most expat insurance includes it as an option. In reality, if you were injured that badly, it is unlikely you would be able to be moved that far...
Handan - January 19, 2010 7:16 PM
The consideration for this is the same as for any other purchase decision. Does the cost outweigh the benefit? On the cost side, the question is whether the same insurance premium means three months of groceries for a house on budget or just one regular fancy meal. On the benefit side, if you don't feel the anxiety of not having an evacuation insurance, the benefit of having it is limited to when something actually happens. But if you FEEL the need for it to the point that you can't travel with peace of mind without it, then the benefit is very immediate! It's your daily peace of mind!
The thing is, a lot of people don't have the ability to feel for statistics. It takes facing an anecdote close enough for people to start feeling the need for covering a tiny possibility. Anecdotes have great power for distorting our perception in that they arouse emotions. (see Social Animal, et al).
What's more interesting to me is a technical question: how would the insurance company define "world-class" health-care?
Is there world-class health care in, say, Beijing and Shanghai? What about Qingdao or Hangzhou? I guess it is a case specific thing. Depends on the kind of disease or injury. But still, the question holds.
David - January 19, 2010 7:32 PM
Even in a second tier city like Hangzhou, I certainly do have evacuation insurance and would definitely recommend it.
After a friend was hit by a bus, the doctors for the insurance company were adamant that he was not receiving first-rate care (I can vouch for that as the consultant neurosurgeon refused to take responsibility for his own actions and tried to get me to make an operate/don't operate decision with no advice from him). Thankfully the insurers covered the cost of the air ambulance to Hong Kong but a lack of coverage could have been devastating.
Ted Cruise - January 20, 2010 8:07 PM
It is absolutely a good idea. While living in Fuzhou I was flown out by SOS International twice to receive care in Hong Kong. If you are in a second tier or lower city the medical services can be truly awful.
Richard - January 21, 2010 5:52 PM
International SOS--don't leave home without it. I was recently in a (very poorly driven) car on the far outskirts of Hohhot and all I could think about was the logistics of an evac. If your business takes you outside of top tier cities, it's absolutely worth the money. Companies should be buying such insurance for their employees.
Gerald - January 22, 2010 2:48 PM
Being on a Chinese salary, insurance is a problem (solved by the parents).
What I wonder about in regards to medevac would be what else provides some insurance for that: credit card with insurance seems to include it somewhat, membership in German/Austrian Alps Society (Alpenverein) includes a members' insurance which seems to be all about medevac, too...