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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Medical Air Evacuation
Just to let you Nomads know that my wife, Barbara Vandenberg, became the rep. for the Skymed Air Ambulance Service in Loreto and that part of B.C.S.
For info. on membership and pricing contact her at skymedloreto@hotmail.com
or go to www.Skymed.com/Loreto for application on line.
Membership is also available for permanent residents.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Good luck, Barbara
We have had the insurance for 7 years. Fortunately, we have never had to use it. We switched to the resident type when they first started it and got
a really good deal. It is nice to know that someone I almost know is working for them if I need help
Suerte
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Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
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Is Skymed just for Loretanos? and BCS? is there a Skymed for points North, like BOLA?
Inquiring mind wants to know.
Bedman
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edinnopolo
Nomad
Posts: 138
Registered: 5-1-2005
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Bedman
Is Skymed just for Loretanos? and BCS? is there a Skymed for points North, like BOLA?
Inquiring mind wants to know.
Bedman |
Available to anyone. Go to www.skymed.com/loreto and get info and application forms.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Thanks for posting this. We will be taking out a policy. Very inexpensive for what they provide.
Iflyfish
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edinnopolo
Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Iflyfish
Thanks for posting this. We will be taking out a policy. Very inexpensive for what they provide.
Iflyfish |
Know of several folks that used this service here in Loreto over the years. One used it twice in a two year span. Never any questions.This last July,
a friend of ours, had stroke like symptoms, and was air evacuated to Sacramento at a cost of $ 17000.00. Can buy a lot of insurance for that.
Thankfully, she was diagnosed with a severe potassium deficiency after several days in the hospital.
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DianaT
Select Nomad
Posts: 10020
Registered: 12-17-2004
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Can they fly into a dirt strip like the one in Bahia Asuncion?
Thanks.
Diane
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Location: on the bayou
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Was signed-up for what was called "Air Life" when living 120 miles from any fully operational hospital at one time, they used helicopters.
jdtrotter Another one of those proverbs is " A bad truth is better than a good lie."
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
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In the book it says Appropriate Airport
A place where fixed-wing aircraft selected by the air ambulance carrier can land, takeoff, and have the safe use of needed maintenance and ground
service facilities.
SkyMed also states to me that they only guarantee transportation out of "Gov't" regulated airports, like Loreto, Cabo, La Paz, San Felipe, etc. but
they have sent a prop plane to Guerro Negro, but no one can bank on it.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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SkyMed covers Canada,Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean, U.S.A. including Alaska and Hawaii
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 10-17-2006
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edinnopolo
Thanks for the info, always good to hear of real experience. We purchased SkyMed from Barbara, what a deal! Good to have a Nomad on board with this. I
really like the fact that SkyMed will also return your partner home as well as repatriate your motor home.
Iflyfish
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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I failed to mention that the cost for this insurance is $360 per year for a family plan plus $60 registration fee, incredibly cheap for this amount of
service. One may never need such a thing, but what a deal if one ever did!
Iflyfish
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
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| Quote: | Originally posted by vandenberg
SkyMed covers Canada,Mexico, Bermuda, Bahamas, Caribbean, U.S.A. including Alaska and Hawaii |
Are all these countries included in the same policy or is each policy country specific?
Also, I understand that a doctor at a facility with diagnostic equipment needs to approve your air evacuation. That pretty much excludes dirt strips
and/or remote areas. You first have to get yourself to Loreto or La Paz or Ensenada for the doctor's signoff before takeoff. If you are in critical
condition, the time and stress of all this may be the deciding factor as to whether you buy the farm or not. It is best to be rushed to one of those
centers by ambulance rather than waiting around to see what your Medical Air Evacuation insurance carrier will or won't do.
I am not saying that the Air Evacuation insurance is not necessary. If you buy the policy, I would also Join Bi-national and give them all your
information. Celia Cruz is available 24/7 and knows all the ins and outs. She will coordinate everything in an emergency.
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bajajudy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6886
Registered: 10-4-2004
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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I will remind everyone again...you have to have insurance coverage so when they take you to your hospital of choice(you have to let them know ahead of
time what that is) the hospital wont say....no way, you dont have insurance.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
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Location: Nopolo
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All these countries are included in one policy. You have to advise SkyMed when you want the policy to be effective. Only 180 days in 12 consecutive
months is in effect, other wise you must have the NATO plan (full year covered).
SkyMed will arrange transport and pay for all costs including ground ambulance services to the departure airport and from the aircaft destinaion to
the receiving hospital. This benefit is in addition to the medical equipped air ambulance flight.
When a SkyMed member suffers a critical illness or injury,
so determined by the member's attending physician, in concert with SkyMed's Client Service Director, SkyMed will schedule the required air
repatriation flight once the member has been stabilized for medical air transport.
Barbara SkyMed Rep. #392103 skymedloreto@gmail.com
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edinnopolo
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Tony,
It doesn't take a rocket engineer to figure out that, since you have to get to anyone of the airports to get evacuated , you'll do this by any means
possible, whether private vehicle or ambulance. Seems to me that waiting for someone else to make those arraignments will cost you valuable time and
may well do you in, or in your words " buy the farm "
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by edinnopolo
Tony,
It doesn't take a rocket engineer to figure out that, since you have to get to anyone of the airports to get evacuated , you'll do this by any means
possible, whether private vehicle or ambulance. Seems to me that waiting for someone else to make those arraignments will cost you valuable time and
may well do you in, or in your words " buy the farm " |
Agreed! That is my point.
I posted that advice because I know personally of a case that waisted 12 hours in Mulege under a false assumption, and then began the journey, not to
Loreto, but La Paz. As I remember, La Paz was the required departure point by the medical air transport company. I don't know why that person had to
go to La Paz...Maybe Loreto didn't have the required medical facility at the time(?).
Barbara....you are in Loreto. Is Loreto the nearest and best place to get airlifted out of from Mulege? I think all of the Baja cities/airports that
SkyMed requires would be helpful to Nomads. One never knows where an emergency might occur. Thank you for being there.
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Yes, Loreto would be the closest. It states" The Ground Ambulance Option requires no pre-approval. Members will be required to submit to SkyMed
their Admitting History & Physical(H&P)report from the hospital before any payment or reimbusrsements can be made for this option."
Which means you would have to pay the ambulance charges in Mexico, to get you to Loreto, then get reimbursed for the ambulance fee from SkyMed after
you give them the paperwork.
Barbara in Loreto
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vandenberg
Elite Nomad
Posts: 5118
Registered: 6-21-2005
Location: Nopolo
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Mood: mellow
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For appropriate airport read my post on 9-13......Barbara
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Bedman
Senior Nomad
Posts: 523
Registered: 9-4-2002
Location: Orange County, CA.
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I wrote an email to the Skymed people last week. Received a reply VERY quickly and appreciate their information. Hopefully, their response will answer
a few questions for all of us.
Bedman
My Email:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September 12, 2007 (7:00pm)
Steve Cox writes:
I have a few questions....
1) If a member were to have a heart attack in a remote location, How would Skymed be of assistance to that member? Since I'm interested in the plan
and frequent Bahia De Los Angeles, let's use that location. Would Skymed pick the patient up at the remote location? By what means? Would there be a
medical person on board? What would be that persons qualifications? Where would the patient be transferred to? A hospital in that vicinity? The
closest in the States? How remote of a location would Skymed make the pick up? What if we were in a car accident on the Transpenninsular highway?
Thanks in advance for the response.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Skymeds response September 13, 2007 (10:00 am)
1) SkyMed’s services begin once you are at a hospital or a clinic. You must first seek medical treatment, or have someone take you to where you
can receive medical treatment. Once notified, we determine that you are stable enough to be transported and then make arrangements accordingly for
your transport.
2) Bahia de Los Angeles has a landing strip that we can fly into, and it would be either a turbo jet or lear jet, fully medically staffed and
equipped, with two medical personnel on board, usually an emergency care nurse and a paramedic, but we would add a doctor if necessary.
3) On the application you are asked where you wish to be transported in the event of a critical injury or illness, and that is where we will
transport you.
4) Again, we pick you up at a medical facility.
Mexico does not offer helicopter transport from an auto accident to a hospital, as we have in the States. Just so you are aware, in Mexico (except
for Mexico City) the airports all close at dusk and reopen at dawn. It takes approximately 3 hours to clear Homeland Security and customs, plus
flying time to you. If we receive a call after 2-3 pm, it most likely will be the next morning before we can transport you out.
Sandy Jones
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