posted May 28, 2020

We all see older adults around the country make their mark every day as volunteers, employees, employers, parents, grandparents, mentors, and advocates. They offer their time, talents, and experience to the benefit of our communities.

May is Older Americans Month (OAM) and, as we come to the end of the month, we wanted to make sure we recognized these invaluable members of our society. During this annual celebration, led by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), OAM offers resources to help older Americans stay healthy and independent.

At Air Methods, we are proud to do our part to ensure the health, safety, and independence of older Americans by providing air medical transport during emergencies ranging from accidents on the road to health concerns like heart attacks and strokes. When people from this older demographic are in need, we work hard to provide them with the best care available, and quickly get them to a facility where doctors and nurses can continue that care.

We are also dedicated to making access to air medical services as simple as possible. That is why, last year, we implemented our No Membership Required program.

For many years, air medical services have sold memberships as a way for patients to access emergency services in the most critical situations. However, these memberships are not right for patients – particularly for older patients. If someone ever needs air medical care, they receive it with or without a membership. They are in critical condition and the last thing anyone should worry about is of which air medical service a patient is a member.

In addition, air medical services are already covered for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, so no membership is necessary. As a commitment to these patients, Air Methods has been in the process of refunding any membership fees paid by those who have Medicare or Medicaid.

According to AARP, “the number of people 65 and older in the United States is expected to increase to 55 million in 2020; to some 70 million by 2030, and to 88.5 million – or 20 percent of the population – in 2050. (Put yet another way, between 2006 and 2030, the U.S. population of adults aged 65+ will nearly double from 37 million to 71.5 million people).”

It is important that this growing population of older Americans know what care they are entitled to, and that they understand memberships are completely unnecessary should they require air medical services.