SkyMed Vs. Medjet: Choosing The Best Air Ambulance Membership

Medical emergencies can happen anywhere, anytime. And when they do, fast access to treatment can mean the difference between life and death.

That’s why an air ambulance membership is so valuable. It provides the peace of mind that comes with knowing you can get transported to a hospital quickly if you’re injured or become critically ill while traveling.

But with SkyMed and Medjet as the two major players in the air ambulance membership industry, how do you choose between them? Both offer emergency medical transport via private jet or helicopter, but there are some key differences.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare SkyMed and Medjet’s features, networks, costs, and more. Read on to learn which membership is the better fit for you.

A Brief Comparison Table

Aspects	SkyMed	Medjet
Aircraft Availability	130 aircraft<br>60 min typical wait	Partnerships with 60+ operators<br>Faster service
Medical Services	Air transport only	Extra services like security evacuation
Transport Types	Guaranteed private jet	Jets only for critical cases
Geography	North America + Bahamas	North America + Caribbean
Annual Cost	Individual: $419<br>Couple: $679<br>Family: $799	Individual: $295<br>Couple: $395<br>Family: $495
Trip Length	90 days covered	60 days covered
Options	Vehicle return<br>Visitor transport	Extended coverage<br>Hotel stays
Pre-existing Conditions	Covered	Covered
Reviews	A+ BBB<br>Mostly positive	A+ BBB<br>Mostly positive

SkyMed Overview

Founded in 1988, SkyMed pioneered the concept of an air ambulance membership program. They focus exclusively on providing emergency medical transport services.

With SkyMed, you pay an annual membership fee. In exchange, if you suffer a medical emergency while traveling 100+ miles from home, SkyMed covers the full cost of an air ambulance flight to the hospital of your choice. This includes transport via private jet or helicopter.

Some key facts about SkyMed:

• Over 130 aircraft available across North America
• Flying time within 60 minutes for most members
• Flown over 160,000 members since 1988
• Rated A+ with BBB

Medjet Overview

Medjet also provides air medical transport for travel emergencies. But they have a broader focus on travel safety and crisis response services.

Founded in 1989, Medjet provides medical, security, and travel crisis assistance in addition to air ambulance transport. Like SkyMed, you pay an annual fee in exchange for a complete air medical transport in the event of an emergency.

Here are some key details on Medjet:

• Partnerships with 60+ air ambulance operators
• Access to ICU-level aircraft
• Security and crisis extraction services
• Shorter wait times compared to SkyMed
• Rated A+ with BBB

Also Read: Comparison Between Survival Flight And Air Evac

Key Differences Between SkyMed And Medjet

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s do a detailed comparison of the two memberships.

1. Aircraft Availability

A top priority for any air ambulance membership is having fast access to aircraft. The quicker you can get loaded onto a plane or helicopter, the sooner you’ll receive hospital care.

SkyMed has over 130 aircraft at bases across North America. They state that most members are within 60 minutes flying time of the nearest aircraft.

Medjet doesn’t own or operate their own aircraft. Instead, they maintain partnerships with over 60 air ambulance operators in their network. This gives them access to thousands of aircraft across North America.

Most reviewers report shorter wait times with Medjet compared to SkyMed. Medjet’s larger network means there’s likely a partner aircraft closer by when transport is needed.

So for speed of aircraft access, Medjet is the winner. Their larger network results in lower wait times on average.

2. Medical Security Services

Beyond air transport, Medjet offers additional medical and security services not included with SkyMed. These include:

• Security crisis evacuation
• Medical monitoring by cardiologists during transport
• Roche Diabetes Advisor for glucose monitoring
• Kidnap and ransom assistance
• Travel security intelligence reports

SkyMed focuses strictly on providing air ambulance transportation to a hospital after an emergency. They do not offer crisis evacuation or the additional medical monitoring services.

If you want more than just air transport, Medjet is the better choice here. Their wider range of medical and security services provides greater protection when traveling.

3. Transport Types Covered

Both SkyMed and Medjet provide air ambulance transport via private jet or helicopter. This includes ICU-level care during the flight.

The main difference lies in fixed wing aircraft (private jets). SkyMed guarantees private jet transport for any emergency flight.

With Medjet, private jet transport depends on the circumstances. Less critical injuries or illnesses may be transported via commercial airline with medical staff onboard. Only the highest severity cases lead to private air ambulance flights.

So SkyMed ensures private transport in all cases. While Medjet reserves that for the most critical emergencies.

4. Geographic Coverage

A key question – where can these memberships be used? Both SkyMed and Medjet offer coverage across the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

The main difference is that SkyMed also covers emergencies in the Bahamas. So if you travel there frequently, SkyMed would have you covered.

Otherwise, the geographic coverage is quite similar between the two memberships. Both offer protection across North America and in popular Caribbean destinations.

5. Cost and Membership Levels

Of course, cost is often the deciding factor when choosing a service like emergency air transport. Here’s how SkyMed and Medjet membership fees stack up:

SkyMed Annual Membership Fees:

• Short term memberships:
  • 1 month: $159
  • 3 months: $299
  • 6 months: $439
• Standard annual plans:
  • Individual: $419
  • Couple: $679
  • Family: $799
• Multi-year memberships
  • 3 years: Individual $1079, Couple $1729
  • 5 years: Individual $1699, Couple $2719

Medjet Annual Membership Fees:

• Individual: $295
• Couple: $395
• Family: $495

So Medjet offers just 3 main plans, while SkyMed has short term, annual, and multi-year options.

For basic individual coverage, Medjet is more affordable at $295 per year. A SkyMed individual plan starts at $419 annually.

The companies are more evenly priced for couples and families. But Medjet still maintains a small cost advantage for those plans.

Overall for annual fees, Medjet offers lower prices, especially for individuals.

6. Health Restrictions

Neither Medjet nor SkyMed place age restrictions on membership eligibility. You can enroll regardless of your age and health history.

The one exception is for kidney dialysis. Both companies exclude people currently undergoing renal dialysis treatment.

Other than that, you can be any age and have pre-existing conditions. Your health does not affect eligibility for these memberships.

7. Trip Length Coverage

Emergency air transport is rarely needed for quick weekend getaways. That’s why Medjet and SkyMed place limits on the trip length covered:

• SkyMed allows trips up to 90 days long. After 90 consecutive days away from home, illnesses or injuries are no longer covered.
• Medjet has a 60 day trip duration limit before coverage lapses.

So SkyMed gives you 30 extra days of coverage on longer trips. If you take frequent extended vacations over 60 days, SkyMed is the better fit.

Optional Upgrades

In addition to basic air transport, both companies offer optional add-on coverage:

SkyMed Options:

• Vehicle Return: Covers cost of transporting your vehicle back home after a flight.
• Visitor Transport: For $100 extra per person, extends your SkyMed protection to visiting friends/family traveling with you.

Medjet Options:

• MedjetHorizon: Adds coverage for emergencies that occur within 100 miles of your primary residence.
• MedjetAccommodations: Pays for 4-5 star hotel stays during hospitalization away from home.
• MedjetTravelSecurity: Adds trip cancellation/interruption coverage due to terrorism, unrest, or severe weather.

The vehicle return from SkyMed is a unique perk not matched by Medjet. And Medjet offers more options to enhance your coverage while traveling.

8. Pre-Existing Conditions

A common concern is whether pre-existing medical issues impact coverage.

The good news is that neither SkyMed nor Medjet excludes pre-existing conditions from air ambulance transport. Both companies cover emergencies that arise from your current health conditions.

As long as you’re fit to fly at the time of transport, your medical history does not matter. This is a major benefit over some health insurance plans.

9. Added Benefits

Beyond air ambulance flights, SkyMed and Medjet toss in a few extra perks:

SkyMed Extras:

• Free scholarship program for family members
• Free gifts like first aid kits
• Referral rewards program

Medjet Extras:

• Perks like MembersOnly travel discounts
• Rewards for customer referrals
• Monthly Medjet travel risk reports

While nice perks, these added freebies don’t tend to sway most buyers one way or the other. They aren’t substantial enough to dictate a choice between the companies.

The core medical transport services remain the crucial factor in deciding between SkyMed and Medjet.

10. Reviews and Ratings

It’s always helpful to see ratings and reviews from past clients of each service. Here’s an overview of how SkyMed and Medjet are regarded:

• SkyMed – Rated A+ by BBB with mostly positive reviews. People praise their timely response and excellent service during stressful situations. Complaints cite slow claims processing.
• Medjet – Also rated A+ with BBB and largely positive reviews. Many rave about their travel security services. Complaints mention occasional difficulty getting ahold of representatives.

Both companies have overwhelmingly satisfied customers. Any criticisms tend to focus on administrative issues, not the core air ambulance services.

Also Watch This Review Video:

SkyMed Vs. Medjet: Key Takeaways

To recap the major differences:

• Medjet offers shorter aircraft wait times and more medical services like travel security and crisis evacuation.
• SkyMed provides guaranteed private jet transport and allows longer trip coverage of 90 days.
• Medjet is more affordable for individual memberships.
• Both get high marks from past customers.

For most travelers, Medjet comes out slightly ahead as the best choice. The lower annual cost plus their larger aircraft network is hard to beat. Their additional medical and security services also provide greater peace of mind.

But frequent world travelers may prefer SkyMed’s longer 90 day coverage and guaranteed private jets.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with either membership. Both provide invaluable protection against massive air ambulance bills. By giving you fast access to hospital care during medical crises away from home.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Still have some questions? Here are answers to common queries about SkyMed and Medjet:

Also Read: Comparison Between Aeroguard And ATP.

The Bottom Line

Hopefully this detailed comparison helps explain the key differences between SkyMed and Medjet. While both offer quality air ambulance memberships, Medjet seems to come out ahead for most travelers due to lower annual fees and enhanced medical services.

Whichever you choose, an air ambulance membership provides essential peace of mind. For less than a dollar a day, you can avoid financial devastation if a medical crisis strikes far from home. Stay safe and travel well informed with a SkyMed or Medjet membership.