Medical Information for Americans
Traveling Abroad
If an American citizen becomes
seriously ill or injured abroad, a U. S. consular officer can assist in locating
appropriate medical services and informing family or friends. If necessary, a
consular officer can also assist in the transfer of funds from the United
States. However, payment of hospital and other expenses is the responsibility of
the traveler.
Before going abroad, learn what
medical services your health insurance will cover overseas. If your health
insurance policy provides coverage outside the United States, REMEMBER to
carry both your insurance policy identity card as proof of such insurance and a
claim form. Although many health insurance companies will pay "customary and
reasonable" hospital costs abroad, very few will pay for your medical evacuation
back to the United States. Medical evacuation can easily cost $10,000 and up,
depending on your location and medical condition.
THE SOCIAL SECURITY MEDICARE
PROGRAM DOES NOT PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR HOSPITAL OR MEDICAL COSTS OUTSIDE THE
U.S.A.
Senior citizens may wish to contact
the American Association of Retired Persons for information about foreign
medical care coverage with Medicare supplement plans.
To facilitate identification in
case of an accident, complete the information page on the inside of your
passport providing the name, address and telephone number of someone to be
contacted in an emergency.
A traveler going abroad with any
preexisting medical problems should carry a letter from the attending physician,
describing the medical condition and any prescription medications, including the
generic name of prescribed drugs. Any medications being carried overseas should
be left in their original containers and be clearly labeled. Travelers should
check with the foreign embassy of the country they are visiting to make sure any
required medications are not considered to be illegal narcotics.
A listing of addresses and
telephone numbers of U.S. embassies and consulates abroad is contained in
Key Officers of Foreign Service Posts. This publication may be
obtained through the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing
Office, Washington, DC 20402. Also available from the Government Printing Office
is Health Information for
International Travel by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). This contains a global rundown of disease and immunization advice and
other health guidance, including risks in particular countries. The CDC
maintains the international travelers hotline at 1-877-FYI-TRIP
(1-877-394-8747), an automated faxback service at 1-888-CDC-FAXX
(1-888-232-3299) and a home page on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/.
For
information about outbreaks of infectious diseases abroad, consult the World
Health Organization's (WHO) web site at http://www.who.int/en. The WHO also provides travel health
information at http://www.who.int/ith.
For detailed information on
physicians abroad, the authoritative reference is The Official ABMS
Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists published for the
American Board of Medical Specialists and its certifying member boards. This
publication should be available in your local library. U.S. embassies and
consulates abroad maintain lists of hospitals and physicians. Major credit card
companies also can provide the names of local doctors and hospitals abroad.
Some countries require foreign
visitors to have inoculations or medical tests before entering. Before
traveling, check the latest entry requirements with the foreign embassy of the
country to be visited.
Several private organizations
will provide medical information and insurance for overseas travelers. Most
charge a fee for this service. The following is provided FOR INFORMATIONAL
PURPOSES ONLY and in no way constitutes an endorsement, expressed or
implied, by the Department of State.
AIR AMBULANCE / MED-EVAC
U.S.-based
Companies
ABLE JET
Fort Pierce, FL
800-225-3538
ACADIAN AMBULANCE & AIR MED SERVICE,
INC.
Lafayette, LA
800-259-3333
ADVANCED AIR AMBULANCE
Miami,
FL
800-633-3590 / 305-232-7700
AAA - AIR AMBULANCE AMERICA
Austin,
TX
800-222-3564 / 512-479-8000
AIR AMBULANCE CARE FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Clearwater, FL
800-282-6878 / 1-727-530-7972 (international)
AIR AMBULANCE
NETWORK
Sarasota, FL
800-327-1966
AIR AMBULANCE PROFESSIONALS
Fort
Lauderdale, FL
800-752-4195 / 954-491-0555
AirEvac
Phoenix, AZ
800-421-6111
AIR MEDIC - AIR AMBULANCE OF
AMERICA
Washington, PA
800-245-9987
AIRescue INTERNATIONAL
Van Nuys,
CA
800-922-4911 / 818-994-0911
AIR RESPONSE
Orlando, FL
800-631-6565 /
303-858-9967
AIR STAR INTERNATIONAL
Thermal,
CA
877-570-0911 / 800-991-2869
e-mail: AirStar1@aol.com
AMERICAN CARE, INC.
San Diego,
CA
800-941-2582 / 619-486-8844
AMERICAN JET AIR MEDICAL
Houston,
TX
888-I-FLY-AJI / 713-641-9700
CRITICAL AIR MEDICINE
San Diego,
CA
800-247-8326 / 619-571-0482
CRITICAL CARE
MEDFLIGHT
Lawrenceville, GA
800-426-6557
GLOBAL CARE / MEDPASS
Alpharetta,
GA
800-860-1111
INFLIGHT MEDICAL SERVICES
INTERNATIONAL INC.
Naples, FL
800-432-4177 / 941-594-0800
INTERNATIONAL SOS
ASSISTANCE
Philadelphia, PA
800-523-8930 / 215-244-1500
Also
provides travel insurance services.
LIFE GUARD INTERNATIONAL,
INC.
Las Vegas, NV
866-SKY-LIFE (866-759-5433)
e-mail:
lifeguardinternational@msn.com
MedAire
Phoenix, AZ
602-452-4300
MED ESCORT INTERNATIONAL INC.
Allentown,
PA
800-255-7182 / 610-791-3111
MEDEX ASSISTANCE
CORPORATION
Baltimore, MD
888-MEDEX-00 / 800-537-2029
Also provides
travel insurance services.
MEDJET ASSISTANCE
Birmingham,
AL
1-800-963-3538
MEDJET INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Birmingham,
AL
800-356-2161 / 205-592-4460
MEDWAY AIR AMBULANCE
Lawrenceville,
GA
800-233-0655
MERCY MEDICAL AIRLIFT
Manassas,
VA
800-296-1217
(Service area: Caribbean and part of Canada only. If
necessary, will meet commercial incoming patients at JFK, Miami and other
airports.)
NATIONAL AIR AMBULANCE
Ft.
Lauderdale, FL
800-327-3710 / 305-525-5538
SMARTRAVEL
Alexandria,
VA
800-730-3170 / 703-379-8645
Provides a range of travel medicine
services.
TRAVEL CARE INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Eagle
River, WI
800-524-7633 / 715-479-8881
TRAVELERS EMERGENCY NETWORK
Tierra Verde,
FL
800-ASK-4-TEN
e-mail: ten@intrex.net
Foreign-based
Companies
AEA
INTERNATIONAL
Singapore
U.S. Phone: 800-468-5232
Service worldwide,
also provides travel insurance services
AUSTRIAN AIR AMBULANCE
Vienna,
Austria
43-1-40-144
EURO-FLITE LTD.
Helsinki
International Airport
Vantaa, Finland
358-9-870-2544
EUROPASSISTANCE
Johannesburg,
South Africa
27-11-315-3999
GERMAN
AIR RESCUE (DRF)
Filderstadt, Germany
49-0711-7007-0
e-mail:
alarmzentrale@drf.de
MEDIC'AIR
Paris,
France
331-41-72-14-14
LUXEMBOURG AIR
RESCUE
Luxembourg
352-420-440-1
e-mail: office@air-rescue.lu
TYROL
AIR AMBULANCE
Innsbruck, Austria
43-512-22422
TRAVEL INSURANCE
COMPANIES
U.S.-based
Companies
ACCESS AMERICA, INC.
Richmond,
VA
866-807-3982
AIGAssist
American International
Group, Inc.
New York, NY
800-382-6986
ASA, INC.
International Health
Insurance
Phoenix, AZ
888-ASA-8288
AXA ASSISTANCE
Bethesda,
MD
301-214-8200
CLEMENTS INTERNATIONAL
Washington,
DC
800-872-0067 / 202-872-0060
http://www.clements.com
e-mail:
info@clements.com
CSA TRAVEL PROTECTION
San
Diego, CA
888-873-5484
http://www.csatravelprotection.com
GATEWAY
Seabury &
Smith
Washington, DC
800-282-4495 / 202-457-7707
e-mail:
gateway.dc@seabury.com
HEALTH CARE GLOBAL
(also known as MEDHELP
or WALLACH & COMPANY or HEALTHCARE ABROAD)
Middleburg, VA
800-237-6615
/ 540-687-3166
HIGHWAY TO HEALTH
Fairfax,
VA
703-322-1515
(Also provides destination-based travel health information
for cities worldwide.)
INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL GROUP
(IMG)
Indianapolis, IN
800-628-4664 / 317-655-4500
MultiNational Underwriters,
Inc.
Indianapolis, IN
800-605-2282
e-mail:
insurance@mnui.com
MUTUAL OF OMAHA
Tele-Trip
Company
Omaha, NE
800-228-9792
PETERSEN INTERNATIONAL UNDERWRITERS,
INC.
Valencia, CA
800-345-8816
e-mail: piu@piu.org
TRAVELEX
Omaha,
NE
800-228-9792
TRAVEL GUARD
Stevens Point,
WI
800-826-1300/715-345-0505
TRAVEL BCISURED INTERNATIONAL
E.
Hartford, CT
800-243-3174
TRAVEL INSURANCE
SERVICES
InterMedical Division
Walnut Creek,
CA
800-937-1387/925-932-1387
TRIPGUARD PLUS
Northridge,
CA
800-423-3632
UNICARD TRAVEL ASSOCIATION
Overland Park,
KS
800-501-0352
UNIVERSAL SERVICE AND
ASSISTANCE
Alexandria, VA
800-770-9111 / 703-370-7800
WORLDWIDE
ASSISTANCE
Washington, DC
800-777-8710 ext. 417
Foreign-based
Companies
INTEGRA GLOBAL
Hallein ,
Austria
43-6245-71303
e-mail: info@integraglobal.com
EXECUTIVE MEDICAL SERVICES
AMERICAN MEDICAL CENTERS
Moscow,
Russia
Offices in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, Prague, Warsaw,
Istanbul
(7-095) 933-77-00 (Moscow)
GlobaLifeline
Phoenix,
AZ
800-890-8209
HEALTH QUEST TRAVEL
INC.
Wexford, PA
888-899-3633
e-mail: HQT@HealthQuestTravel.com
WORLD CLINIC
Burlington,
MA
800-636-9186
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