Emergency Assistance Plus Medical Evacuation Review

Emergency Assistance Plus Medical Evacuation & Travel Assistance Review

Emergency Assistance Plus (EA+) is a medical evacuation and emergency travel assistance membership designed to help travelers manage medical emergencies while away from home. Available for domestic and international travel, EA+ coordinates emergency medical evacuation, transportation home following hospitalization, medical assistance, and services for traveling companions and family members.

 

Unlike traditional travel insurance that generally reimburses travelers for covered expenses, EA+ is designed to coordinate and provide eligible services directly when a medical emergency occurs.

 

Why Emergency Assistance Plus Stands Out

Emergency Assistance Plus is a strong choice for travelers looking for more than emergency medical evacuation alone. Its memberships combine medical transportation with assistance designed to help members—and the people traveling with them—navigate the logistical challenges that can follow a medical emergency.

 

If a member's current hospital cannot properly treat their condition, EA+ can arrange emergency transportation by ground or air ambulance to a more appropriate medical facility when medically necessary. EA+ also helps members get home after hospitalization. Depending on the member's medical condition, transportation home may include commercial airfare, nurse escorts, or medically necessary air ambulance transportation.

 

One of EA+'s biggest differentiators is the breadth of assistance surrounding the medical emergency. Benefits can include transportation for traveling companions, returning unattended children or grandchildren home, assistance with pets, vehicle or RV return, and transportation of remains.

 

Emergency Medical Evacuation
EA+ provides emergency medical evacuation by ground or air ambulance when medically necessary if the hospital where a member is being treated cannot adequately treat their medical condition.

 

The focus is on getting the member to a more appropriate medical facility where the necessary level of care is available. EA+ can also arrange for a medical specialist when a member cannot be moved, their condition cannot adequately be evaluated by phone, and appropriate local treatment is unavailable.

 

Transportation Home
Transportation home following hospitalization is another major component of EA+ membership. Once a hospitalized member is medically able to travel, EA+ can arrange and provide a one-way airline ticket home. If additional medical assistance is necessary during the journey, transportation may include as many as two nurse escorts.

 

When a member requires continued medical care and cannot safely travel commercially, EA+ can provide medically necessary air ambulance transportation. EA+ Premier provides additional flexibility, including premium economy seating and the ability to designate an eligible destination other than home.

 

Plan Details and Differentiators
EA+ offers Essential and Premier membership options for individuals and families. Both are annual memberships designed to provide protection across multiple domestic and international trips rather than coverage for just one vacation.

 

Key features include:

• Domestic and international travel protection
• Emergency medical evacuation by ground or air
• Transportation home following hospitalization
• Up to two nurse escorts when medically necessary
• Medical monitoring and assistance
• RV or vehicle return
• Return of remains
• Assistance for traveling companions
• Transportation home for unattended children or grandchildren
• Assistance for pets traveling with the member
• Ticket for a loved one to join a hospitalized member
• No medical underwriting
• Membership available regardless of age
• What's Included with EA+ Essential

EA+ Essential provides the company's core emergency medical and travel assistance services.

 

Benefits include:

 

• Emergency medical evacuation
• Transportation home after hospitalization
• Nurse escort or air ambulance when medically necessary
• Medical assistance and monitoring
• Transportation home for one traveling companion
• Ticket to join a hospitalized member
• Transportation home for minor children or grandchildren
• Pet housing or return-home assistance
• RV or vehicle return
• Return of remains

 

Essential is particularly well suited for travelers looking for medical evacuation protection combined with assistance getting themselves, their companions, and potentially their vehicle home after a medical emergency.

 

What's Included with EA+ Premier

 

• EA+ Premier includes the core benefits of Essential while adding enhanced transportation and companion benefits.
• Premier benefits include:
• Emergency medical evacuation
• Premium economy transportation following hospitalization
• Ability to designate a destination other than home for eligible transportation
• Transportation for up to three traveling companions
• Return assistance for up to two eligible vehicles
• Paid hotel stay after hospitalization while awaiting transportation
• Hotel accommodations for a traveling companion while the member is hospitalized
• Bereavement reunion assistance
• Medical specialist assistance when local treatment is unavailable and other conditions are met

These additional benefits may make Premier particularly attractive for travelers who frequently vacation with friends or extended family, take road trips, travel by RV, or want greater flexibility following hospitalization.

 

Companion and Family Assistance

• EA+ differentiates itself by extending assistance beyond the individual experiencing the medical emergency.
• If a member is medically evacuated or transported home, EA+ can arrange transportation home for a traveling companion. Premier increases this benefit to as many as three companions.
• If a member traveling alone is hospitalized, EA+ can also provide round-trip economy airfare for a person of the member's choosing to travel to their bedside.
• When hospitalization leaves minor children or grandchildren unattended, EA+ can arrange their transportation home. Assistance is also available when a member traveling with a pet becomes unable to care for the animal because of an accident or illness.
• An optional Extended Family benefit can broaden certain protections to eligible parents, adult children and their spouses, grandchildren, and siblings traveling with the member.

 

RV and Vehicle Return

EA+'s vehicle return benefit is another notable feature, particularly for road-trip and RV travelers. If a documented medical emergency prevents the member from driving their vehicle home and no traveling companion can drive it, EA+ can assist with returning the vehicle. This may involve providing economy airfare for a friend, family member, or professional driver to travel to the vehicle and drive it home.

Premier members can receive enhanced vehicle-return benefits covering up to two eligible vehicles.

 

Medical and Travel Assistance

EA+ memberships also provide assistance services that can be useful before and during a medical emergency.

 

Medical assistance services include:

 

• Emergency medical monitoring
• Updates to a designated family member
• Emergency message forwarding
• Transfer of insurance information to medical providers
• Advance medical payment assistance

These services give members access to assistance professionals who can help coordinate the moving pieces of an emergency rather than leaving the traveler or their family to manage everything themselves.

 

Fine Print

EA+ is a travel assistance membership rather than traditional travel medical insurance. Travelers should understand the eligibility requirements and conditions that apply to individual services. Emergency medical evacuation, for example, is provided when medically necessary to move a member to a more appropriate hospital if the current facility cannot properly treat the member's condition. It should not be confused with a membership that allows a traveler to request transportation to any hospital of their choosing simply because they prefer another facility.

 

Similarly, certain transportation services depend on the member's hospitalization, medical condition, ability to travel, and medical necessity. Travelers should review the current membership agreement and plan documents carefully for applicable limitations, exclusions, eligibility requirements, and definitions before purchasing.

 

Emergency Assistance Plus Summary

Emergency Assistance Plus is a compelling option for travelers who want medical evacuation protection combined with extensive assistance after a medical emergency. Its biggest strength is that the membership addresses much more than transportation between hospitals. EA+ can help coordinate emergency evacuation, provide transportation home following hospitalization, arrange nurse escorts when medically necessary, assist traveling companions and children, help with pets, and even arrange for an RV or vehicle to be returned home.

 

The availability of Essential and Premier memberships also gives travelers the ability to select the level of assistance that best fits how they travel. Premier is especially notable for travelers seeking greater flexibility, additional companion benefits, hotel assistance, and enhanced vehicle-return services.

 

Overall, EA+ offers a broad emergency travel assistance package for travelers who want someone coordinating the logistical challenges that can arise when a serious illness or injury occurs far from home.