SkyMed Medical AssistancePlan

[Norm Friesen]

Any Canadians with experience/recommendations using SkyMed?

[Chad Heiser]

Skymed is a good service, but it has some limitations.  Take a look at MASA.  They are another provider that offer more services and aren’t limited to any particular transport companies.  Definitely do a comparison of the two.  I have sat through presentations from both companies and we chose to go with MASA over Skymed because they offered a wider range of coverage.  I don’t know if being Canadian would have affected that chose though.

[einmann]

1. SkyMed is NOT a medical assistance plan. They are a emergency medical transportation plan. Neither SkyMed nor MASA arrange or reimburse medical expenses.

2. Neither SkyMed or MASA provide ambulances to pick you up in the middle of a forest. SkyMed directly pays whatever you owe (after your insurance pays their part) when 911 or another local emergency transportation service transports you to the nearest hospital that can treat your medical problem.

3. MASA does not provide more services than SkyMed. MASA is limited in that their emergency medical transportation services require a doctor's approval (or "recommendation") AND their administrator's approval before they will cover your emergency medical transportation. SkyMed does not. Read SkyMed's Member Service Agreement by going to www.skymed.com and clicking on the words "Member Service Agreement" near the top of the page. The agreement is written in common English, not "legalese". Good luck with finding MASA's agreement. That should tell you something about which company is transparent and which company doesn't want you to read their "fine print".

4. SkyMed was created by Canadians with Canadians in mind. SkyMed's Chairman and President are both Canadians. Call SkyMed at the number given in the Member Service Agreement for information specific to your needs. They won't pressure or mislead you.

[Chad Heiser]

18 hours ago, einmann said:

3. …MASA is limited in that their emergency medical transportation services require a doctor's approval (or "recommendation") AND their administrator's approval before they will cover your emergency medical transportation. 

This is an incorrect statement.  MASA does not require doctor or administrator approval.  The transportation simply has to be related to an emergency medical situation.  They don’t cover non emergency transportation because they are not a taxi service.  This is the same for Skymed.

[Norm Friesen]

Thanks. The cost of travel medical from Canada is prohibitive(age 80+ and on no meds). Thinking a service like SkyMed would provide immediate transport home for treatment there, at a more reasonable cost. Looks like I’m over simplifying this. Norm

[einmann]

I don't think you are oversimplifying and your question is a good one.

I was misspoke, as Chad pointed out. It is the non-emergency transportation (the non-medically necessary transportation home to Canada or wherever home is) from somewhere else in the world where MASA requires your treating physician and MASA's Medical Director to determine whether it is feasible and medically appropriate to "transfer" you to a hospital near home. SkyMed makes it simple. You tell SkyMed you want to be taken to a hospital near home. SkyMed arranges and pays to take you to the appropriate hospital of your choice near home. You, as a member, pay nothing. Your treating physician doesn't have to determine the feasibility, recommend, approve, or order the transport. And there is no determination of feasibility and medical appropriateness needed from a SkyMed Medical Director either.