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REACH Air Medical outlines local air ambulance capabilities and $99 household membership
Summary
REACH Air Medical Services told the Elko County Board of Health it operates fixed-wing and helicopter assets locally, carries blood on its Elko helicopter, and offers an AirMedCare household membership that covers out-of-pocket costs for flights; membership is $99/year ($79 senior).
REACH Air Medical Services presented its local operations and membership offerings to the Elko County Board of Health, saying it has been operating in the Elko area since 2009 and holds the county's air services agreement.
Riley Little, REACH's area leader in Northern Nevada, described local assets — a fixed-wing Pilatus PC-12 and an Airbus H-125 helicopter — and said crews include advanced flight paramedics and flight nurses who live locally. Clinical manager Nick Eisenbars said the Elko rotor-wing aircraft is currently the only air ambulance in Nevada that carries blood for transfusion on board.
Kara, REACH's membership manager, described a household membership program under the AirMedCare Network that covers all household members at a single address. "Membership is low cost $99 a year covers everybody in your home," she said, adding a senior rate of $79 for households with someone over 60. REACH representatives said the membership will cover deductibles, co-pays and coinsurance that members might otherwise owe after insurance processing, and that the service bills third-party insurers first.
Board members asked operational questions about Medicare and Medicaid coverage, how uninsured patients are handled and how members can verify status; REACH said they bill insurance and the membership picks up remaining patient financial obligations, that Medicaid patients would face no out-of-pocket cost, and that local staff can verify membership status and provide membership materials and cards. The company also noted they will respond first to Elko County air requests under the county agreement and that backup vendors are used when REACH is unavailable.
