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Air Med Care Network pitches $99 membership for Krebs employees; council to decide payroll option
Summary
Air Med Care Network representative described a $99 annual membership that covers household members when ground crews determine air transport is needed. Council discussed payroll-deduction options and whether volunteers could be included; company rep noted membership is not insurance and transport by the company is not guaranteed.
Samantha Douglas of Air Med Care Network told the Krebs City Council on Nov. 19 about a voluntary membership program the company offers to city employees and their household members.
Douglas said the program is "not insurance; it is a membership plan" and that a typical annual membership is $99. She said the membership covers the member plus everyone in the household and can include volunteers and part-time employees if the city chooses to extend an offer. "It is not a guarantee that you're going to get flown by us," she added, because multiple providers operate in some areas; in Pittsburg County she said her company is the sole helicopter operator.
The council asked practical questions about territory, payroll deduction and transport destinations. Douglas said the service operates from 320 locations in 38 states and that transports from the Krebs area would typically go to the nearest appropriate facility — commonly Tulsa, Oklahoma City or Dallas depending on the medical need. She said certain add-on coverages for non-standard travel (for example international travel) are available but usually are not part of municipal offerings.
Why it matters: The membership could help reduce ambulance and out-of-pocket transport costs for employees and volunteers who require air transport for severe trauma; city staff and council members asked how to implement payroll-deduction enrollment or present it as an opt-in benefit.
Next step: Douglas said she would follow up with enrollment options; the council did not take a vote that night but discussed whether the city would pay for memberships for employees or allow payroll deduction.
