something I learned today......

[TexasArtist]

Me and my dad stopped to try and get the bill from when my mom was air lifed into the hospital a couple weeks ago. They gave us a brochure for a program they have that is about $100. a year but if you join this little program (kinda like insurance) it's pretty much free if they ever have to airlife you. It doesn't seem to be in all states (this company) but perhaps you have something similar in your area and it might be worth asking about. Here's the web site for the one here.

the states our air life service are in: Tx, Ok, Ar, Tn, Mo, most of Ky, Wv and parts of Ms. Al, Ga, Ia, Il, In, Oh,

www.lifeteam.net

[Alice In TX/MO]

Yes, I have this. Air Evac Lifeteam. It's fantastic. I drive regularly from Missouri through Arkansas and into Texas. For a reasonable membership, I don't have to worry ever about air ambulance, if needed.

My best friend here in Missouri has helped them land in some difficult situations in the woods here. He is a former Command Master Chief in the Navy, so he had experience guiding helos.

[Ruby]

I'm not sure but I think ETMC here in Tx. has that insurance. My dh's friend had to be air flighted from Gun Barrel City, to Tyler and the bill was over 10,000. It would pay to have that.

[Ozarkquilter46]

My dad was taken to the little hospital in our town of Mtn View Mo. They are a St Johns Hospital. Anyway my dad was having a heart attack and so they were talking about air lifting him to Springfield and he told them he was a member of Air Evack. My mom said she told them a couple of times they were members of Air Evack. Well they took him by the ambulance and got him as far as Mountain Grove when he started getting really bad and they had to call the hellicopter. Dad told them in the ambulance he was a Air Evack Member. Well a Saint Johns Hellicopter picks him up and takes him in. When I found this out I told my mom not to pay a cent!! She said they told her they called them but there wasn't any close to us.
Yea right!! My cousins husband works for Air Evack as a computer teck and goes to all the states keeping there towers on line so I told her I could ask them for a record of the calls in that day and see if the hospital called for a copter from them. Well she hasn't heard from Saint Johns since. I told her to leave it up to me I would handle it and would see if insurance fraud was involved. LOL funny no one is sending a bill for it now.

[Cat]

I assume this is a similar program to what is offered locally although I did not check out the website posted. I thought it was worth mentioning that the membership offered through our local EagleMed (I was thinking LifeTeam initially but realized I meant EagleMed instead - I have not looked into LifeTeam specifically) states that if you require air ambulance transport as a medical necessity they will accept your insurance company's payment as payment in full and will write-off the outstanding balance. However, if ground transport is what your condition warrants you can't choose to be flown out and have the trip paid for, nor can you be flown upon request to a different facility unless it is deemed to be medically necessary. You still have to be taken to the closest facility capable of managing your care as a general rule.