Our Experience
Air Ambulances from abroad to the US can vary in cost wildly depending on many variables, most importantly the medical status of the patient flying, specifically related to their needs. There are 2 primary approaches, commercial or private flights, that will fundamentally define the exorbitant cost, between $50K to $180K. US based health insurance will only cover flights within the United States. That is to say that the cost of flying into the US will be out-of-pocket, unless you have purchased special travel insurance, see our travel insurance post for more on them. Some insurance companies may cover the remaining flights within the US except for the deductible.
Our experience has been focused on Portugal, but we are sharing our experiences to help others that may fall into a similar circumstance. The US Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal provided no assistance and information of little value. We have been told to call them so many times, but the only response they give is a list of not vetted air ambulance companies and an offer for a possible low interest government loan. With persistence we are hoping to reach the ambassador, or somebody that can be more helpful. We have heard in many cases constantly reaching out can improve your chances with a US Embassy. We believe the only way the loans make sense is if your insurance will reimburse you for international air ambulances, which seems rare, if at all, or if you believe you can raise the funds to pay the loan over a longer period of time.
Below is a list of companies we have been in contact with. We are by no means recommending any of them, as we have not raised enough money to actually make use of their services. In the next posts we will speak more specifically to the pitfalls that you may encounter regarding these air ambulance flights. It is important to be very careful with any contract you sign with an air ambulance company. There is no international regulation, and that in the states is fairly new, they have had to introduce laws to protect consumers from their predatory practices. Some stories reveal them putting a lien on peoples homes over balance billing, though this may no longer occur with flights within the US, it certainly is still a possibility with international flights. While in the last decade the amount of companies engaging in this industry have doubled, due to lack of oversight the costs to the consumer have more than doubled.
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