NAEC offers members Air Evac access

The sight of a passing helicopter is common in rural Alabama. Occasionally, though, a helicopter doesn’t just fly on by. Sometimes, one lands in an open area because it’s no ordinary chopper. It’s an Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter air ambulance, called to the scene of a medical emergency.

Jackson County is home to one of Air Evac’s 150-plus helicopter air ambulance bases across 15 states. More than 90% of the company’s aircraft are based in rural areas, and 84% of the patients it transports are rural residents. Any patients who are part of a household enrolled in the AirMedCare Network — or AMCN, which includes the Air Evac Lifeteam — are protected from the high costs associated with air ambulance service.

North Alabama Electric Cooperative offers its members easy enrollment in Air Evac at a discounted cost, just $60 per year, and the $5 monthly fee is added directly to their utility bills. NAEC members can enroll at any time by applying through the co-op.

Membership becomes effective 15 days after AMCN receives the first monthly membership fee and lasts as long as that fee continues to be paid.

AMCN is not an insurance program. Rather, membership provides prepaid financial protection. After available insurance, benefits or other responsible third-party payments are processed, an eligible member transported by an AMCN provider is not responsible for the remaining cost of the flight.

“We are committed to providing increased access to emergency trauma care to rural Americans,” says Matthew Muse, vice president of membership at Global Medical Response, which is the largest air and ground emergency medical service provider in the United States and oversees Air Evac Lifeteam and other allied air ambulance affiliates. “In a life- or limb-threatening medical emergency, a successful patient recovery often depends on the amount of time it takes to deliver that patient to the trauma center or advanced healthcare medical center.”

Membership in Air Evac doesn’t determine whether a patient is transported by air or which aircraft responds, he says. Those decisions are based on the patient’s medical needs, aircraft availability, location, weather and other factors.

If eligible members require transport while away from the local Air Evac Lifeteam area, the same benefits apply if they use another AMCN air ambulance provider. Besides Air Evac Lifeteam, the AMCN alliance of emergency air ambulance providers includes Guardian Flight, Med-Trans Corporation and REACH Air Medical Services, adding up to more than 320 locations spanning 38 states.

In addition to service enrollment options like NAEC offers its members, AMCN also works with small businesses, organizations and schools to make membership available to employees and their families. Depending on the program, organizations may pay for membership as an employee benefit or offer enrollment through payroll deduction.