Approximate cost for medical evacuation from UK to US west coast?

Good question. I buy medical insurance every year when I go to Europe as I too am on Medicare. I researched thru insuremytrip.com and picked out one insurance company that I have stuck with the last 3 years and have never considered the actual cost of medical evacuation back to the west coast since I make sure it is covered 100% by my policy - I include an umbrella options as well. I have never had to make a claim, thank goodness. Have you tried to Google your question? If you do find an answer, please return to this web site and let us all know what you found out. Happy travels. aloha

This may help give you a relative idea of potential cost...I'll let you decide.
I personally know 2 people who have had to be medivacked; one out of Mexico and the other out of Guatemala. My friend's mom was attacked by a man wielding a knife on the beach in Puerto Vallarta. It was completely random; she was just playing cards with friends. Her plane ride to Los Angeles International was $20,000. My cousin's husband was badly burned by boiling water in Guatemala. Flight to Chicago was $30,000. I can't imagine what the cost would be from the UK to the west coast.

Anita, thank you for your helpful information. Wow, your stories show what can happen, big numbers and not even from Europe!

curious traveler,

Have a look at a Short Term Membership with MedJet Assist. The cost for a 30-day plan for one person is very reasonable, and something to consider if you think you might need it. I believe the MedJet plans only cover evacuation and not full medical insurance, but you can check with them to confirm that.

Ken is correct. Med Jet Assist is evacuation insurance only!! No medical coverage is provided. Also you must be hospitalized at your location and require continued hospitalization when you return. They do have a web site and a toll free number and the people there are very helpful about answering questions about their policies. Hope this helps. TC

Also check into Divers Alert Network (DAN). For $55/year family membership , you get $100,000 evacuation insurance plus other benefits, when you are more than 50 miles from home. So we renew it every year so it's always in force. We have never had to use it but a friend recommended it after she broke her leg in Switzerland and raves about their service. And despite its name, you don't have to be a diver.

Looks like you've received some good advice. Happy travels!

Thank you to each person who has replied, each reply was helpful. The Rick Steves Staff also recommended Med Jet Assist for those looking for evacuation coverage only.

Charlie (1st post) suggested I report back if my research turned up something more specific on the potential costs of medical evacuation from the UK to the US. Hard numbers for documented cases are hard to find. So far, I've seen evacuation costs for US travelers of up to $130,000--obviously the cost would depend on the facts of each case.

Since Medicare doesn't cover or substantially limits this kind of exposure, I'm inclined to follow Charlie's advice and buy a policy with umbrella or very high limits for medical and evacuation. I've noticed that the incremental increase in premium cost, for high or unlimited coverage, is rather small.

Also check your credit card benefits....we had an unfortunate event happen in Portugal and absolutely everything was covered by a credit card benefits package. The keys were that we had to be traveling more than 50 miles from home and no longer than 90 days away. It cost us nothing other than the regular card annual fees.