For my May 2014 to South Africa, is a short term membership with Global Rescue advisable?

https://www.globalrescue.com/about.cfm

Kind of comforting that they will come get you anywhere anytime if something should go wrong.

Medical for the wife and I ain't too bad, about the price of an impala. Throw in the insurrection insurance, and it gets a little pricey. I think if I was in Cameroon, CAR or Zim, I would for sure get that insurance. RSA?

But as I type this, I recall that last year most people thought Egypt was safe until the riots began and then the lucky people were able to call 1-800-Global Rescue and were evacuated promptly. Could be worth it, just in case the country falls apart because Mandela has died.

Or should I just get international health insurance?

First time I have ever done this, and I aim to have no regrets.

If the country was to fall apart because Mandela died then we would have had trouble by now. Fact of the matter is people have moved on and the politicians will try and milk the Mandela death when elections come up some time.

If the resue thing is not going to break the bank then get it just because it's going to make you feel better. I have never had reason to use them but then again I pay my personal insurance premiums monthly.

You might want to consider Medjet Assist. The medical facilities in RSA have a pretty good reputation. But, if you have a serious accident like a heart attack, broken leg etc and just need medical evacuation back the the US after being stabilized in a RSA hospital, Medjet might be the way to go.

I've been getting an annual Medjet policy every year for the past 7 years. It is also valid in the US if you are more than 500 miles away from "home". My wife and I travel a lot but not into places that might require an "armed" extraction.

Edited to add: Just realized you are from Canada, but I think Medjet works for MEDEVAC back to there also.

I subscribed to Medjet on my first two trips. After reading this post and several others like it, I switched to Global Rescue and have used them on my last two trips.

Mike

I had a policy with Global Rescue last May for trip to South Africa and will have one this summer as well. Took awhile for me to decide which company to use and the AR thread made the difference. Would not go that far without it. I've been in a foreign company at the mercy of "social medicine" and without an advocate you are screwed. Fortunately for me my wife was with me and between her and my company medical people I got home ok. If I had been alone I don't think I would be here typing this.

When you say used them. Do you mean you just had coverage or did you have an emergency you had to use them to get out of the situation? Has anyone you know of that have used them to get medvac out of the bush to Medical care? How did that work out for them?

MedJet is available through American Express with their Platinum Card. We also get Global Rescue as in my view they are a bit more "tactical" than GR and that is a plus if one is deep in the bush.

I'm thinking that the medical evac is worth purchasing, but what about the insurrection evac? RSA is about as stable as anything in Africa. I don't mind $399-400 for medical for the wife and I, but $800 for medical and insurrection is maybe more than I want to pay.

Do you buy the insurrection insurance from Global Rescue.

Sorry WildWest. I meant I had the coverage. Thank God I've never had to use either provider.

Mike

Thanks Bow
Has any one used them for medvac? JorgeI you seem to be one that has experience in the African bush. Do you knoe anyone that have used Global Rescue?

There are many here with vastly much more experience than I. There have been several threads here on the subject, but may I suggest this: http://www.huntingreport.com/temp_traveling_sportsmans_nightmare.cfm

I believe you will be fine with GR in RSA.

Thanks for the link. Was a good read. Sure will be cheap to buy the Global Rescue insurance, if nothing but for peace of mind.

I think the Medical is an easy decision. Not sure about the rest. RSA is pretty stable.

There seems to be some confusion here. Global Rescue/MedJet is evacuation insurance, not medical insurance.

It is likely not to be an elephant charge that gets you hurt. Automobile accidents are the #1 cause of tourist injuries. Think about flying down a dirt road on the back of a Land Cruiser in Africa! OHSHA is not looking out for you in the bush.

A friend of mine was on business in Scotland and took a tumble down a flight of stairs. Two shattered knees. His company had evacuation insurance and he flew home in an air ambulance for surgery.

I use Global Rescue. I do not know if it is still an issue, but a number of years ago MedJet would only pick you up from the nearest airport. GR will extract you from the bush.

405wcf

No confusion on my part.

The firm I work for uses Global Rescue as we do work in a lot of places that don't have the best reputation for medical facilities. Nobody has needed it yet, but it is very nice to have in our pocket should the "need" ever come up.

So is there a medical insurance that works world wide? If you do get hurt in Africa and go to a hospital but do not need to be E-vac to US?

I googled trip ins and there are lots of companys and lots of plans for international travel.

On my last trip to Zim in 2012 I had a policy through Travel Guard. Policy cost was $171.00 and covered the following.

Accident and Sickness Medical Expenses: $25,000.00

Accidental Death/Dismemberment: $10,000.00

Emergency Medical: $500,000.00

Trip Cancellation: 100% Trip Cost

Mike

Thanks for the info. Seems like a good rate.

This looks good. Perhaps it is, I do not know. However, I do know that the devil is in the details.

You are hunting at a camp near a grass runway, 1.5hrs flight in a bush plane away from Beira. You have a compound fracture of your leg. You can't sit in the bush plane and it's 5-8hrs by truck on unimproved roads to a paved runway. What do you do? Will a medical team come pick you up? Will they return you to the US for surgery or are you sent to a hospital of their choice in Jo'berg once you figure a way out of the bush.

After asking a lot of questions, I discovered some travel insurance will come get you, most will not. Take nothing for granted, do your homework.

I had Global Rescue in addition to the policy described above. GR will come and dig you out of the bush, get you to a medical facility and then get you home. The above policy was to be used for hospital/Dr. bills, trip cancellation etc.

Mike

I also used travel guard as it was the best bang for the buck. I had not heard of them before but they were HIGHLY recommended by Steve Turner at TRAVEL WITH GUNS. He is a real pro for african travel assistance and if he recomends it you will be happy. Good luck on your adventure!

I used travel guard for one of my Africa trips. I lost $5000 as it did not pay for my airline tickets when the hunt was cancelled due to lack of a permit. Good Luck
I used a very well known travel agent that caters to hunters and service was very lacking upon filing a claim from both the agent and travel guard,

Sorry to here about your bad experience. Lets here the details about your situation and the name of the travel agent. No reason to keep anything a secret, we're all here to protect one another.

Mike