The air ambulance industry has witnessed heavy competition in recent times. It is a well-known fact that the payments can range from a few to several thousand dollars. Thus, the cost can be a huge concern for people opting for air ambulance services. The advertisements by medical flight companies are, therefore, targeted at convincing that their services can be affordable too. One such claim was made by AirMedCare Network. The claim was that subscribing to their membership program at a nominal cost can negate the headaches of the cost involved.
What were the Claims of the Advertiser?
The advertiser had claimed that the people who avail their air ambulance services would not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses. The exact claim was “never pay a dime.” This claim was contested by a competing air ambulance organization called Global Medical Response. The company claimed that the advertiser was making false claims. The matter had also reached the National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs.
The NAD looked at the claim closely and found that the advertiser was indeed making good on its claims. However, it noted that the description on the advertiser’s website was not clear enough. The fact that was not very clear was that the subscriber to the air ambulance membership program is freed from the burden of paying any balance bills only if he or she uses the advertiser’s services.
The Fundamental Question: Do We Need Air Ambulance Memberships?
The beginning of the year 2022 witnessed the introduction of the no-surprises bill. This means any person who is insured will never receive a demand to pay balance bills. Only amounts such as co-pay will be collected from the patients. The no-surprises bill becomes a matter that is to be decided between the air ambulance service providers and the health insurance companies. The demand for air ambulance memberships is also slated to fall drastically because of the new bill.
