Emergency Medical Helicopter and Air Ambulance Insurance

Many customers ask: “Does your travel medical insurance cover helicopter ambulance?” Yes, we do! In fact, we have two benefits that cover emergency airlift: the first is ambulance services and the second, emergency air transportation. Here’s the difference…

Emergency Air Ambulance services

Our ambulance services benefit covers ANY licensed emergency medical response service, be it via air, sea or ground. If you’re in a medical emergency, we’ll help you get to the nearest medical facility for immediate care, including air ambulance transportation—usually meaning helicopter ambulance— to the nearest hospital, no matter your location.

Emergency medical response services do not need pre-approval. The same goes if you’re in an accident and you’re taken to the hospital by a helicopter ambulance; no pre-approval is required.

Here’s what it says in our Traveller policy. We cover:

The services of a licensed ambulance and paramedics from the scene of the accident or place of onset of the sickness to the nearest hospital. If an ambulance is medically required but is unavailable, the company will reimburse you for taxi expenses, taxi receipt required.

You won’t find the word “helicopter” in our policy because our policy covers ALL ambulance services, so we cover emergency medical helicopter evacuation too. Our Assistance team is available 24/7 to help you get to the nearest hospital, and we can help arrange or call on several airlift companies to help you. The good news: if you’re in a backcountry situation, you do not need to call us or your insurance broker for pre-approval.

Transport by emergency air ambulance

Our emergency air transportation benefit helps in the following situation: if you’re injured and have already arrived at the nearest trauma facility, but require airlift to a different hospital or back to Canada for treatment, we will cover and arrange for the air transportation. For example, if the first hospital that treats you doesn’t have the services you need (CT scan, MRI machine, orthopedic surgeon’s expertise, etc.), then we’ll arrange for you to be airlifted to the nearest facility that can fully treat your injuries.

In this situation, you’ll need pre-approval for air transportation. If you’re lifted from the scene, you don’t need pre-approval because it’s an emergency situation-—such as being taken off the mountain. The emergency medical response team will do what is needed to get you help. However, air transportation, when not related to a first response situation, needs to be pre-approved.

Here’s the coverage in our policy:

Emergency air transportation

This benefit is payable only when pre-approved and arranged by Claims at TuGo.

a) Medical air evacuation to the nearest medical facility equipped to provide the required treatment, or for return to Canada

We cover air transportation when:

-You return to your home province to seek immediate medical treatment within 48 hours of your return home
-Your doctor (where the emergency occurred) recommends the air transportation in writing

In fact, we often use air evacuation to transfer injured Canadians back home. If you’re in the US for example, airlift to Canada is often preferable than staying for treatment in the States. Most of all, we want to get you home so your healing can begin, surrounded by the support of family and friends.

Here’s an example where another customer needed both kinds of airlifts—air ambulance and emergency air transportation:

18-year-old Andy travelled to Oregon to go dirt biking. He made a bad jump over a sand dune, flying 25 feet and landing badly, and the response team suspected spinal damaged. As a result, an air ambulance was required to take Andy to the nearest trauma hospital. In Emergency, he was diagnosed with two compressed vertebrae in his lower spine, a fractured femur, and a mild concussion. Andy required emergency surgery and spent 17 days in hospital before being air ambulanced back to a Canadian hospital equipped to care for his spinal injuries.

Hospital Fees: $276,459.17

Doctor Fees: $43,312.30

Radiology Fees: $7,865.12

Ambulance Fees (Ground and Airlift): $27,943.18

Air Ambulance Fees: $25,400.00

Additional Out-of-pocket Expenses: $3,653.85

Provincial Medical: -$3,495.15

Amount Paid by Travel Insurance: $381,138.47

‘What if I’m travelling in the backcountry? Is air ambulance rescue covered?’

Getting you out of the backcountry to the nearest medical facility or ground ambulance access point (depending on how remote) is the first priority in any emergency situation, and search and rescue may be the first responders.  If this is the case, you may not be billed for that portion of the rescue.

Search and rescue, in Canada, and the US, is a volunteer service that may be free, depending on the local authorities. But if you’re on a mountain outside of Canada and the US, such as in the Himalayas, know that volunteer emergency response service might not exist. Your private expedition outfitter would have to arrange for helicopter rescue. Even then, a helicopter may not be available in the area in remote situations and may not have access to a safe landing site. Be prepared to self-rescue, or in Daina’s example, use other modes of transportation, to get to an area where a helicopter can safely land.

When helicopter or air ambulance is NOT covered

If there is no medical emergency, your travel insurance won’t cover the helicopter ambulance. Very few insurance providers will cover airlift due to environmental or climate-related conditions when there is no medical emergency. Some trekkers caught in the avalanches in Nepal last October were surprised when their travel insurer denied their claim. In this situation, there was no medical emergency, so travel insurance wouldn’t cover the air ambulance.

Travel Tips:

1. When choosing your destination (especially traveling in the back-country, on an island or any remote location), research the nearest medical facility and have an access plan to reach the nearest front country help services if there’s an injury.

1. Keep your travel insurance information on you at all times, along with the global toll-free number to call us for immediate assistance. From Canada & the US: 1-800-663-0399 From Mexico: 001-800-514-9976 or 01-800-681-8070

Travel with confidence knowing the helicopter ambulance is paid for by travel insurance. When you’re in a medical emergency, it will make all the difference. It certainly does for me and my friends when we’re traveling off the beaten path!

Happy travels,

Source - Leah - Tugo

Out cold – ski & snowboard injuries leading cause of winter sport hospital admissions in BC

Winter sports are a great way to stay active, but come with an element of risk. In BC, skiing and snowboarding injuries account for nearly five times as many hospital admissions as hockey. 

“As soon as it snows, we see a spike in emergency room visits related to winter sports injuries,” notes Dr. David Evans, medical director for Trauma Services BC, a program of the Provincial Health Services Authority, and a trauma surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital. “Many of these injuries are serious and require long recoveries. Some result in permanent disability. Fortunately, most are preventable – often simply by wearing a helmet, and avoiding excessive speed or reckless behaviour.”

In 2014/15, 455 people in BC were hospitalized with injuries caused by skiing or snowboarding, compared to 94 people who were hospitalized playing hockey. Of the 455 ski/snowboard-related hospitalizations, more than half (52 per cent) were for major injuries such as extremity fractures, brain trauma, internal organ injury or spinal cord injuries.

With ski-related injuries, males are hospitalized twice as often as females. For snowboarding, males are four times as likely as females to end up with injuries requiring hospitalization. Of these, males aged 15 to 30 are the most likely to get injured while snowboarding.

These statistics come from BC’s provincial trauma registry. The BC Trauma Registry is responsible for the collection and management of clinical data on trauma patients to help ensure patients are getting the best possible care, no matter where they live in the province.

Quick facts:

• While snowmobiling accounts for fewer hospitalizations than ice hockey, more people who go to hospital following a snowmobiling incident have major injuries. 

• Snowmobiling hospitalizations commonly involve males age 20 to 60.

• 70 per cent of people who go to hospital after a toboggan, or sledding, related injury have a major injury. 

• Those hospitalized for hockey injuries are most likely to be males age 10 to 19. 

• Winter sport-related injuries in BC: 2014/15 BC Trauma Registry data:

Skiing  

• 310 hospitalizations (including major injury)

• 154 hospitalizations for major injury

Snowboarding 

• 145 hospitalizations (including major injury)

• 81 hospitalizations for major injury

Ice hockey

• 94 hospitalizations (including major injury)

• 38 hospitalizations for major injury

Snowmobiling

• 80 hospitalizations (including major injury)

• 42 hospitalizations for major injury

Tobogganing

• 10 hospitalizations (including major injury)

• 7 hospitalizations for major injury

According to the BC Coroners Service:

• between 2007 and 2013, 136 people died in BC related to winter sport activities.

• 50 per cent of these deaths were ski and snowboard-related.

• Head injuries were responsible for 26 per cent of the ski-related deaths and 20 per cent of snowboard-related deaths.

• The other 50 per cent of deaths were linked to snowmobiling.

Source - Melissa Mueller - Corporate Communications - Provincial Health Services Authority

A Guide to Purchasing Travel Insurance for Skiing & Snowboarding

With panoramic views and captivating ski scenes, who doesn’t love to hit the slopes every year to enjoy winter sports in Canada? Whether you’re a powder-hound or a family on an annual snow vacation, if you plan to ski or snowboard, it’s important to make sure that you have the right travel insurance coverage for your trip.

Did you know that skiing and snowboarding accounts for most winter sports injuries? And while most snow enthusiasts understand the risks of injury, there isn’t enough information on travel insurance for skiing and snowboarding. So before you start prepping to hit the slopes, arm yourself with the facts to help you select travel insurance that suits your needs.

Emergency Medical is a Must

This one’s a no-brainer, but you need to make sure that you’re covered for treatment at the nearest medical facility, in case anything goes awry when skiing or snowboarding outside of your province.

Besides covering any accidents on the hill, our travel medical insurance covers mishaps on the trip to the resort too. We also cover rental of essential medical equipment including crutches, air casts, boot casts, etc.  Here are two top reasons to invest in medical insurance and what you should look out for:

Your Provincial Healthcare will cover only part of the expenses

If you’re outside of your home province, provincial health care doesn’t cover ambulance or return of vehicle, among other expenses! If you’re skiing or snowboarding outside of Canada, remember that provincial health care covers less than 10% of your medical costs.

Air Ambulance and Emergency Air Evacuation

Skiing and snowboarding are both all about the thrill, but what would be your biggest concern in case of a medical emergency on the slopes? Getting immediate medical care, of course. Our Emergency Medical plan covers your expenses if you need to see the local or resort medical practitioner or if ground or air ambulance and paramedics have to transfer you from the accident to the nearest hospital.

Search and Rescue volunteers can help you get to the nearest medical facility, but subsequent expenses can be covered with travel insurance.

Our Emergency Air Transportation benefit can help you with medical evacuation at the time of hospitalization for return to Canada or transfer to a different hospital. This benefit doesn’t just include air evacuation, but will also cover you for the cost of an airline seat upgrade, if medically necessary. It’s important to note that the emergency air transportation benefit is only payable when it’s pre-approved and arranged by Claims at TuGo.

Extreme Skiing

If you’ve always dreamed of taking your skiing to the next level, there are many ways travel insurance can protect you on your amped-up skiing or snowboarding adventures:

Backcountry Skiing and Snowboarding

Aspiring to venture off-piste is common for seasoned skiers; and it’s easy to do in Canada, with access to many remote slopes that are still within the ski boundaries. If you’re skiing backcountry away from your home province, travel insurance becomes a must to avoid any out-of-pocket expenses.

TuGo covers backcountry, slackcountry and off-piste skiing and snowboarding when you add the Adventure Optional Sports Coverage to your Emergency Medical Plan. However, we don’t cover out-of-bound skiing, snowboarding or snowshoeing. Learn more about how we define out-of-bounds and details on coverage for backcountry skiers.

Heli-skiing

Many ski aficionados are now adding cat-skiing, heli-skiing and heli-boarding to their winter activities wish lists. Unlike backcountry skiing, helicopter ski tours allow skiers to access the remote terrains without the physical effort of hiking. But inaccessible slopes also require skiers to have the right back up in case of a medical emergency.

If heli-skiing is on your bucket list, make the adventure both memorable and safe by ensuring that the activity is covered by your winter sports insurance.

While many insurance companies don’t offer travel insurance coverage for heli-skiing, we do! TuGo’s Emergency Medical Insurance will cover you for medical expenses in case you need an air ambulance to be transported to the nearest medical facility and also reimburse for hospital and treatment expenses. Although, it’s important to know that we’ll cover you for heli-skiing only when you book through a tour operator and not if you’re doing it on your own.

Baggage Insurance for Your Ski Equipment

If you’re flying with your skis, purchasing additional Baggage Insurance is a good idea. Our Baggage Insurance covers the loss, damage or theft of your ski gear while in transit or when you’re in your hotel or resort. This is provided you’ve notified police and relevant authorities at your accommodation or mode of transport. Read the policy wording carefully to learn about the exact amount of coverage for your ski or snowboard gear.

Here’s another thing that comes in handy with our policy; if you’re air ambulanced back home under our Emergency Air Transportation benefit, and there’s no room on the aircraft, we cover the return of excess baggage when pre-approved by Claims at TuGo. Skis and boards usually fall in this category on a full flight!

Travel Insurance for Freestyle Skiing Contests

Planning to master aerial, moguls and half-pipes for a freestyle ski contest? TuGo’s Adventure Sports Coverage protect both amateur and professional freestylers and snowboarders when you participate in, coach, teach, train or practice for Downhill Freestyle Skiing/Snowboarding in Organized Contests.

Freestyle skiers can now be covered by travel insurance

Note that for speed contests and motorized X Game sports, you’ll have to buy additional Extreme Sports Coverage. Check in with TuGo’s Customer Service team on our toll-free number 1-855-929-8846 in case you’re not sure about travel insurance coverage for the snow sport that you’re participating in. We’ll be more than happy to clarify specific questions related to the event/activity.

Comprehensive Winter Sports Travel Insurance

Looking for new ways to get adrenaline on ice? Apart from travel insurance for skiing and snowboarding, TuGo offers comprehensive protection for your winter sports activities when you purchase the Optional Sports Coverages.  This includes everything from recreational activities like snowshoeing and snowmobiling to adventure sports like Snow Kiting and Ice Climbing.

Whether you’re a basic ski bunny or a daredevil powder-hound, check out our guide to winter sports travel insurance to find the plan that’ll best match your winter adventure itinerary. Be extra prepared by understanding what’s covered in your policy and ski responsibly; and don’t forget…your snow sports travel insurance could be denied if you sustain injuries under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

Have any travel insurance related questions for an upcoming winter trip? Share with us in the comments below.

Happy skiing and happy travels,

Facts about backcountry skiing and travel insurance: it’s not about ‘out-of-bounds’

Many travellers who backcountry ski have a hard time getting a straight answer from other insurers when they ask: “Do you cover backcountry skiing?” Technically speaking, it’s not illegal to ski out of bounds in Canada, but for most travel insurance providers, the defining line between out-of-bounds and off-piste or backcountry can be rather grey.

At TuGo, we define backcountry as a “mountain area that is not marked, not patrolled and/or not cleared for avalanche dangers, but where public access is permitted.” We don’t cover “out-of-bounds”, defined as: “any mountain area that:  Has been closed off to public access; or,  Has been identified as “out-of-bounds” and/or can typically only be accessed by crossing a fenced, gated or roped-off area that has been marked as off limits according to recommendations of safety authorities in the area”.

In essence, backcountry skiers know that looking for travel insurance coverage for backcountry skiing shouldn’t evoke a discussion about ‘rope-ducking’. Too often insurers get things confused. The main difference between backcountry skiing and rope ducking is the amount of preparedness and safety precautions taken.

Backcountry skiers must have avalanche training, a high level of competence using self-rescue equipment (beacon or avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe), knowledge of the terrain and weather reports, and ski companions with the same safety knowledge and procedures.

Rope duckers have none of that: they ignore warning signs and venture unprepared into unpatrolled terrain that’s likely “un-skiable”, dangerous, or impossible to access in rescue situations.

Backcountry skiers knowingly accept the calculated risks, (and the majority return home safely), while rope duckers are simply ill-prepared for the risks. Trained backcountry recreationalists know rope-ducking without the proper avalanche safety training and equipment is just plain dangerous and unwise.

Although Search and Rescue will rescue any injured or lost victim, SAR or the resort’s ski-patrol might charge irresponsible out-of-bound skiers for a costly rescue, like these rope duckers on Grouse Mountain in 2009. They were billed for their rescue costs and banned from the resort for life. Needless to say, travel insurance doesn’t cover this kind of thing.