Medical insurance - What is “Program B”?

Insurance under program B is usually one and a half times more expensive than usual (programs A), but it covers the costs of search and rescue operations, including including evacuation by helicopter. This is fundamentally important for tourists, climbers and other outdoor enthusiasts away from cities.

Remember that regular health insurance (Program A) only covers ground transportation to the nearest medical facility. Those. carriage ambulance will go for the victim free of charge, but for this he must be located near a normal asphalt road. If for transportation to the hospital you will need helicopters, boats and all-terrain vehicles, you will have to pay for them out of your own pocket. Considering that a helicopter flight costs $5,000 on average, then it is possible to buy a normal one an insurance policy is not such a bad idea.

There are other arguments in favor of program B. Unlike program And covers:

• treatment of exacerbations of chronic diseases (limit - 10% of the amount coating)
• payment for medical care due to natural disasters and terrorist attacks
• medical assistance for allergies and sunburn (limit - 1% of the amount coating)
• purchase of new tickets home at the end of treatment, even if this the insurance period will end soon
• accommodation expenses (up to $75 per day) if returning home impossible immediately after discharge

On the other hand, we should not forget that program B has its own restrictions. Thus, search and rescue work is usually allocated no more than 10% of the coverage amount. Those. if you have a policy with coverage of 50 thousand dollars, then the insurance company will allocate no more than 5 thousand for the helicopter. In the majority there are enough cases of this. Well, or you can buy a larger policy coating.

If you want to study in more detail the differences between programs A and B, then it makes sense to delve into the document called “Insurance Conditions”. Below is a comparison table from the insurance policy of the ERV company with which our club cooperates:

Kirill Yasko, 09/26/2019