subject: Know What Medical Services Your Health Insurance Covers [print this page] I've been traveling abroad for a few years already and the most frightening medical emergency I have experienced happened in Afghanistan where a young Frenchwoman suddenly suffered from an appendicitis attack. While the bus that she was riding on got stranded in the middle of an abandoned desert, her pains began. Adequate medical care is sometimes not provided to Americans who suffer from life threatening instances such as accidents and illnesses in the remote areas of the world.
In the middle of someplace, the bust which was crowded with Afghans suddenly broke down just a couple of hours out of Kandahar. In the confusion, the woman's companion approached me, an obvious fellow westerner and she clearly was worried. She showed me the Frenchwoman stretched out in the back seat who was suffering from a stomach pain. There was nothing much we could do except to apply a wet handkerchief to her friend's forehead to temper the day's searing heat.
Trucks rarely passed headed towards Kabul which is why it is only after an hour when some passengers stated hitching rides. A European car which I was able to flag down came on time when the Frenchwoman was in so much agony. The two French travelers were fortunate enough for the Swiss couple who were in the car agreed to give them a ride to Kabul. A long while later, another bus finally came rumbling along and I and the remaining Afghan passengers caught it. The Frenchwoman's friend visited me in my hotel the next day just to thank me. After she and the Swiss couple called the embassy in Kabul, it was in the hospital where the French Embassy guided her friend to undergo an immediate appendectomy. Chastened by the close call, the friend turned out to be okay afterwards.
Travelers are well taken care of by the Maryland based association for safe international road travel for this organization present in 60 foreign countries provides travelers with measures to observe whenever faced with risky road circumstances. It depends on which country it is reporting about bizarre driving practices, accident prone roads, dangers of driving at night or livestock on the road. The lack of safety standards makes bus or car rentals risky where it is relevant.
A bus accident in Turkey killed a 25 year old Bethesda medical student which paved the way for the association to be found. The countries with the most dangerous roads based on accident statistics are Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco where the non-profit organization cites. The list might include India but it does not provide statistics. The US State Department's Bureau of Consular Affairs has begun adding road hazard information to the consular information sheets it prepares for each country, under the association's prompting. It is a must to carry sufficient health insurance and also consider buying a medical evacuation policy. The US Embassy can help you look for a medical care if you become sick or if you are injured but you are responsible for the payments. Thousands of dollars could be the cost in transporting you to an emergency hospital from a remote area via air. Before going abroad, you should first carry a claim form and an insurance policy identity card as well as know what kind of medical services your health insurance covers according to the State Department.
The Social Security Medicare program for senior citizens does not pay for treatment outside the United States, but coverage can be obtained through a Medicare supplement plan offered by the American Association of Retired Persons. A number of firms offer medical evacuation insurance, which usually can be purchased on per trip or annual basis. Insurance can be bought directly from the company and also can be bought by travel agents.
The US Embassy should be contacted immediately if the worst happens. The very least that the embassy can do is to provide a list of local doctors or other medical facilities. Most likely, the embassy personnel will take necessary steps to insure Americans the best medical care. Most Americans love going to distant places where situations like this are unavoidable. Officials may visit accident victims in a foreign hospital to make sure treatment is adequate, they may transport an injured victim to a better facility, and they will make contact with someone at the victim's home.
by: helene28
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