Does Medicare Cover Life Flight? 

Life Flight is a private program that provides emergency air transport for people who are paying members. However, the terms life flight, air transport, or air ambulance all refer to the same type of emergency transport services – by helicopter or airplane. This type of emergency transport may be available to sick or injured patients under certain circumstances.

An air ambulance is a specialized medical transport service equipped with necessary medical supplies and equipment. They are operated by well-trained medical emergency staff on board. 

A Life Flight transport is typically used when ambulances or other types of emergency vehicles can’t get to a patient on the ground, or if a medical facility is too far from the site of the ill or injured patient to ensure safe transport. If you live in a rural area, you might be concerned about how you would get to the hospital during a medical emergency. In cases like this, it’s good to know what services are available, and whether your Medicare insurance covers air transport.

Does Medicare cover Life Flight? 

Medicare doesn’t cover the cost of membership or other fees for the private company known as Life Flight. However, Original Medicare Part B (medical insurance) may cover a portion of the cost of air ambulance services in some emergency situations, such as:

• When ground transport by ambulance or other emergency vehicle might endanger your health
• Ground transportation can’t transport you due to obstacles like traffic or weather
• The distance is too far to get you medically necessary health care services from any of the following Medicare-affiliatedmedical facilities:
• Hospitals
• Critical access hospitals in rural areas
• Rural emergency hospitals
• Skilled nursing care facilities

Is air transportation covered in non-emergency situations?

Non-emergency air transportation may be covered if it is medically necessary and you have a written order from a health care provider who accepts Medicare assignment certifying that this air ambulance transport is medically necessary. This could happen for someone with end-stage renal disease and needs kidney dialysis at a medical facility that accepts Medicare assignment. 

If you are transported by an air ambulance company in a non-emergency situation, the ambulance company must provide an Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN) if they aren’t certain that Medicare will pay for the specific ambulance transport. 

You should also be aware that your air ambulance company may ask for prior authorization for coverage from Medicare if you get three or more non-emergency round trips by air transport within a 10-day period (or once a week for three weeks or more) prior to your fourth-round trip in a 30-day period.  

How does Medicare cover air transportation?

Original Medicare Part B pays for 80 percent of the final approved cost for life flights that meet all Medicare requirements and are provided by a Medicare-approved air transport service. You pay the remaining 20 percent after you’ve paid your Medicare Part B deductible for the year. 

If you live in a rural area, you may meet the requirements for air ambulance transport automatically. However, your health care provider must sign an order certifying that either time or distance are obstacles to your medically necessary health care needs.

If you’re enrolled in a Medicare Advantage (MA)plan, your provider is obligated to cover the same benefits as Original Medicare Parts A and B, at minimum. Today, most MA plans offer additional coverage and extra benefits for enrollees, so you may have access to additional air ambulance services beyond those provided by Original Medicare. 

Depending on the type of Medicare Advantage coverage you have, it may require that you use network health care providers and medical facilities to be eligible for coverage. Check your policy for restrictions, coinsurance, and copayment charges.