Has anyone dealt with SkyMed?

Absolutely the worst customer service of any medical organization that I have experienced. The advertising leads you to believe that SkyMed has their own planes on which they book you and transport you in the event of emergency. They do NOT have their own planes. All they do is book you on a commercial flight. And once they have booked you, their service ends. If the flight is cancelled or delayed, SkyMed does NOTHING to help you get to your home or hospital. When you call and ask for assistance, SkyMed says there is nothing they can do about the commercial airlines operations. In our case, we were booked in a first class seat on a flight that was cancelled and not rescheduled to leave for three days. Meanwhile, a surgical team was waiting our arrival. SkyMed did not even inform them that we would not be arriving as scheduled. Then the airline, United, reseated my very, very sick wife in the middle seat in the very back of the plane and would not reseat her in the first class seat we purchased. When we called SkyMed for help, they said there was nothing they could do. My wife nearly died on that flight. SkyMed is a sham, a scam, and a complete rip off. Do not waste your money. You can schedule your own emergency flight and have much more control over what happens.

Wow! I’m so sorry you were treated so badly. Thanks for the heads up. I hope your wife is ok.

I'm sorry about your experience. I see nothing in SkyMed's advertising which indicates they have their own planes. When I attended their seminar, they made it very clear they would book you on commercial flights.

I have several friends who have received excellent care in emergency and non-emergency situations, including being taken to the airport, escorted on the plane, on the flight, and met with a medical team (as they apparently tried to do in your case). First class.

I am not sure what you expect SkyMed to do, (or how they would even know) if your flight was cancelled. They can't recoup the cost, and they can't just keep buying seats. I guess if you thought they were an airline, I could see why you were disappointed. SkyMed is known for great customer service; I even know of a case they extended coverage to someone who hadn't even signed up yet. I recommend you contact them now with your concerns and see how they respond.

Seems like United ignored your wife's condition even after you informed them. That's ridiculous.

Medical evac flights cost between $50,000 and $100,000 USD, so I caution those thinking they can schedule their own to consider the costs.

Thanks, Pogo, for sharing your awful experience. I also hope that your wife is feeling much better.

NoVaDamer wrote:I'm sorry about your experience. I see nothing in SkyMed's advertising which indicates they have their own planes. When I attended their seminar, they made it very clear they would book you on commercial flights.

I have several friends who have received excellent care in emergency and non-emergency situations, including being taken to the airport, escorted on the plane, on the flight, and met with a medical team (as they apparently tried to do in your case). First class.

I am not sure what you expect SkyMed to do, (or how they would even know) if your flight was cancelled. They can't recoup the cost, and they can't just keep buying seats. I guess if you thought they were an airline, I could see why you were disappointed. SkyMed is known for great customer service; I even know of a case they extended coverage to someone who hadn't even signed up yet. I recommend you contact them now with your concerns and see how they respond.

Seems like United ignored your wife's condition even after you informed them. That's ridiculous.

Medical evac flights cost between $50,000 and $100,000 USD, so I caution those thinking they can schedule their own to consider the costs.

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So you are not sure what I expected SkyMed to do. Let me clarify for you. I expected SkyMed to do exactly what they say they guarantee to do. This is a direct quote from their Membership Service Agreement:
It is important to understand the "Fine Print" in emergency transport services available to you! Only SkyMed guarantees to TAKE YOU HOME when traveling within the SkyMed service area. This is why we bought the package in the first place. When my wife got sick, we realized the possibility of the need for an emergency medical flight back to the states. When we spoke with the sales agent, they assured us that they meant exactly what they said. To wit, they guaranteed us that SkyMed would take us home in the event of an emergency medical event.

The fact of the matter is, that after talking to four different SkyMed people on the phone when our flight was cancelled, their answer was that there was nothing they could do. I say again, do not waste your money on SkyMed. Their guarantee to take you home in the event of a medical emergency is not worth the paper it is written on nor the hot air that it is spoken with.