SkyMed

What SkyMed is

SkyMed is a membership program for emergency medical transport, not a medical insurance policy. Its member agreement says so in one line: "SkyMed does not pay for any hospital or medical expenses of any kind or nature." What a member buys is transport home and a set of related travel services. The about page describes the flagship as "a membership company specializing in 18 emergency travel services" that "has served the traveling public since 1989," and the homepage brands the product "Beyond Insurance."

Several companies sit under the SkyMed Group. SkyMed Florida, Inc. is described as "Licensed in 1996 and regulated by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation," with its office in Lakeland, Florida, serving members and residents of Florida, and the site adds that "Approximately 25 SkyMed representatives are licensed through the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation." The agreement page explains who gets which contract: "If you are a resident of Florida and enroll within the state of Florida, you will receive the SkyMed Florida Member Services Agreement." Global Emergency Travel Services, "Wholly owned by SkyMed International, Inc.," provides worldwide evacuation and repatriation for members traveling outside "the 32 countries within the SkyMed UNIVERSE." SkyMed Essentials is a separate daily membership with its own site, and SkyMed Travel is "an exclusive full-service travel agency for our SkyMed members."

Plans and prices

The homepage prints the prices of the core membership. A one year Individual Plan is "$795 / year" and a Family Plan is "$995 / year," the family plan including "one companion & dependent children as per our Member Services Agreement." Longer terms are discounted: three years cost $2,195 for an individual and $2,595 for a family, and five years cost $2,995 and $3,995, advertised as "save up to 25%" and "save up to 35%" respectively. The agreement adds that "your Membership fees are LOCKED FOR LIFE when you continue to renew your membership subscription on time," with a "thirty-one (31) days" grace period after expiration to pay.

SkyMed Essentials is priced per room per day rather than per person. Its homepage shows "$19.50 day/room" in one place and "$22.00 USD" "Per Day / Per Room" in another without explaining the difference, and bookings carry a "4-day minimum." Membership "covers all room occupants," defined as "the registered guests and their dependents."

What the membership provides

The homepage says "SkyMed covers all medically necessary helicopter and hospital-to-hospital transports for accidents or serious illnesses with no pre-approval," and lists 18 services. Among those the pages describe in detail: hospital to hospital air ambulance to the member's hospital of choice; ground ambulance to "the closest appropriate hospital," which "is limited to two ground services in any twelve (12) months"; a medical escort when "a member can't travel alone commercially"; return of minor children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren with an adult escort if required; an "Incidental Expense Allowence" that pays "up to $200" for lodging, transport or meals tied to a medical flight; vehicle and RV return by professional drivers, with vessel return at "up to $500 per day for a maximum of 10 days"; and physical remains return, with ground transport of remains reimbursed "up to $500." A Primary Driver Disability Option "will reimburse up to $2,000" for returning stranded vehicles, and SkyMed Plus adds pet return, a 24 hour multilingual help line and travel locator service. Several items are marked "Included in all ULTIMATE Memberships." Organ transport is also listed, with "A nine month restriction" for new members on the organ recipient service.

The agreement defines the key terms. "Emergency Air Transportation" runs between airports near the member's hospitalization and the hospital of choice, and "The receiving hospital must have pre-approved the Member's admittance." Members are normally transported "to a hospital nearest to their legal permanent residence," a preference they can change in writing or by email, valid "thirty (30) days after receipt by SkyMed." Whether an illness or injury is serious enough turns on the attending physician's judgment "with the concurrence of SkyMed's Director of Member Services and/or SkyMed's Medical Director."

Exclusions and conditions

The member agreement has a full exclusions section, which is where the substance sits for a buyer. "All pre-existing medical conditions will be eligible for Member services commencing on the ninety-first (91) day after the Application Date of Membership." "SkyMed does not provide services for complications due to pregnancy." Services are excluded for injuries from listed extreme recreational activities, including bungee jumping, hang gliding, cliff diving, motor racing and heli-skiing, and ATV racing or dune riding, though "Normal street use of quads" is not excluded. Elective, non-emergency surgery is excluded. So are conditions from active military duty, and psychiatric, psychological or emotional disorders. Members with tuberculosis or other chronic airborne pathogens are not transported, and "Transplant candidates on a transplant recipient list at the time of application are ineligible for membership."

Who can buy and how it works

A member is an individual plus eligible family: a legal spouse or domestic partner, unmarried children "under age 18," unmarried full-time students "over age 18 but under age 24," and newborns. Grandchildren and great-grandchildren under 18 are eligible when traveling with grandparents. An "Expatriate (X-PAT)" is a permanent resident or citizen of the USA or Canada living or traveling in Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda or the Caribbean "for more than six (6) cumulative months in any twelve (12) consecutive month period," and X-PAT members "may select any hospital in Canada or the USA." The agreement has a "30-day 'Free Look'" period with a full refund; after it, fees are not refundable. SkyMed gives "at least forty-five (45) days written notice" of cancellation or non-renewal, except for non-payment or loss of eligibility.

SkyMed Essentials is for travelers to Mexico and "over 30 destinations in the Caribbean." Its FAQ calls it "exclusive for American and Canadian citizens only" in one answer and "exclusive for USA & Canadian Residents only" in another. After purchase, a member gets "an electronic confirmation email with travel dates details and a member service agreement." The FAQ stresses that members can go home "even if adequate care is available locally" and "without the hassle of reimbursement claims."

Who it suits

SkyMed fits a U.S. or Canadian traveler, RVer, boater or part-year resident of Mexico and the Caribbean who wants a flight home to their own hospital rather than cover for medical bills, and who accepts that pre-existing conditions qualify only from the ninety-first day after the application date. Published annual and multi-year prices make the cost easy to see. It does not fit a traveler who needs hospital bills paid, anyone expecting help with pregnancy complications, or someone planning the extreme activities its agreement lists. Short trips to Mexico or the Caribbean are the case SkyMed Essentials is built for, priced by the room per day.