Air Ambulance changes for Rubithon and beyond (1 Viewer)

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Bad Coco

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Some important changes with respect of air ambulance service on the Rubicon Trail and other areas in California and Nevada.


There have been several important changes that need to be brought up and discussed so that all users can ensure they are properly protected while out on the trail. While this thread is addressed primarily to Rubithon participants, it pertains to all of us that have been protected by AMCN and previously CalStar.


Unlike in years past, AMCN will no longer allow us to collect your information and send your payment in with our group. You will soon see the new Chairman has adjusted the Premier Registration to account for this. Each household now has to submit and make payment on their own. We will however still be entitled to the Rubithon Group discount. The discount code for Rubithon is 11148 and the rate is $65 for the entire household vs the non-member price of $85.


Another big change is that AMCN and Care Flight are no longer reciprocal partners. This came to our attention after one of our Rubithon members was flown out from another event and Care Flight was the transporting helicopter. Luckily for him, his personal health insurance paid for nearly all of this, but not all of us are that fortunate! There is no way to ensure which air ambulance comes. It’s a matter of which aircraft is closest and available.


I have been in contact with Care Flight and they have set up a Rubithon Group as well. The group price for the household air ambulance plan is $30 vs. their normal price of $55. The coverage is different than that of AMCN. With the Care Flight plan, they will bill the insurance first and then cover the remainder. If you do not have health care coverage, they only give you a 20% discount on the medical flight.


To sign up for the AMCN plan, you can wait until you sign up for Rubithon and the application will be emailed to you as a PDF, or if you need it sooner, you can email Eric Agee at firemedic@wildblue.net and he will get it to you.


To sign up for the Care Flight plan, they are working on getting us a PDF that we can email to you, but for now go to: Membership Form - REMSA-CF - Formstack


Under the membership plan select the middle one that says Care Flight Plan. Don’t worry that it says $55.


Enter your personal information and household member’s info.


At the bottom, in the comments section, it is very important that you type in you are a member of the group Rubithon.


When you go to pay for the plan, ONLY PAY $30. Care Flight will not refund you if you forget, but will allow you to pay another $5 and will cover you for 2 years if you make a mistake.


While I am no longer the Chairman of Rubithon, I will be handling issues as they relate to our partnerships with these two agencies. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at firemedic@wildblue.net or give me a call at 530-401-0800.


Looking forward to seeing everyone out on the trail this year!

Eric
 
I kinda have a problem with this , Pay for a service and then not get it ????
That #@#@#@ up , so it kinda of a 50 50 chance they will be there for you ? Not happy about that !!! My 2 cents
 
I kinda have a problem with this , Pay for a service and then not get it ????
That #@#@#@ up , so it kinda of a 50 50 chance they will be there for you ? Not happy about that !!! My 2 cents


May be helpful to think of it like a tow truck service for air ambulance service. And not 50/50. Under normal conditions the closer air ambulances are members of AMCN and that is what we see more often on the Rubicon. However if those helicopters are out on another call, or out of service for mechanical issues, the Careflight helicopter would be dispatched.

They are 2 different companies, one for profit and one non-profit and as such, are not currently reciprocating service. This was not the case when it was just CalStar. Since then both CalStar and Care Flight were non-profit, they partnered to help both groups members out. AMCN is a for profit.

You can't nor should you want to request only the one that you are a member of. If you have a medical emergency that requires air ambulance, you need the closest one available to you. Not wait, who knows for how long, for the one that you have a membership affiliation with to be able to show up.

I get the frustration, but really this is no different than the issue we had back in the day needing both Reach (which was an AMCN company) and CalStar. To ensure coverage in CA, you needed both for the same reasons listed above. The same situation exists now and is the reason you should have both for where we like to wheel.

Again, I can understand your frustration. You can ask the individuals I have been dealing with trying to get this worked out, but in the long run you are still looking at $95/year to cover your entire household, not just those on the trail, by both companies. Compared the cost you would pay if your health insurance doesn't fully cover its a worth every penny IMHO. Moreover, when thinking about how much money we spend on our rigs, that's nothing.

Feel free to give me a call my friend if you have further questions.

Eric
530-401-0800
 
This is copied from a reply on the original Rubithon post on the issue from a good friend. No names for privacy.


“On a Side Note to Care Flight/REMSA:
Care Flight Cost Me $27,000 for a ‘Quicky’ With (NO DISCOUNT afforded For Years Of Supplying PATIENTs & Personal Family GREAT Insurance Coverage) to Renown Regional Medical Center from @CVMC NV!”
 
So , I have AAA towing , If i get towed by a different company AAA will pay !
I"m thinking if enough people say they DO NOT like the Funny business , ( call for air flight thinking they are covered only to find later they are not ????? ) I"ve seen people air flight out for just a broken arm or foot , I"m thinking they would much rather drive out if they have to pay the bill ??? SO when they call air flight for me I will want to know what air company is coming out , Just Info I will want to know , Or I will gladly paid a KOH car to take me out ??? Ha Ha Ha
My 2 cents Happy New Year Eric
 
Think I've already covered this.... doesn't work that way, you don't get to chose who comes and gets you.

The option is what happens in the post above yours my friend.
 
Again, I can understand your frustration. You can ask the individuals I have been dealing with trying to get this worked out, but in the long run you are still looking at $95/year to cover your entire household, not just those on the trail, by both companies. Compared the cost you would pay if your health insurance doesn't fully cover its a worth every penny IMHO. Moreover, when thinking about how much money we spend on our rigs, that's nothing.
So who do I call ?
 
found a better way

20190418_084706_resized.jpg
 

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