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Expect the Unexpected - It Happens!
by Freda Jackson
for Will Klein, President, SkyMed International
SkyMed International
Comforting, yet frightening words to be sure. The unexpected does happen and rarely are we prepared for it.
When life-threatening illnesses occur and travelers are hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles from home, to whom can traveling companions turn in such a crisis? Very likely they are not familiar with local customs, medical facilities or even where to call for help. The comforts of one's familiar surroundings are not at their beck and call. And at what cost?
Such tales of woe are not unfamiliar to resort owners throughout North America or beyond. Case histories of travelers requiring medically equipped air ambulance services to an even adequate hospital can cost thousands of dollars. Should the traveler wish to be transported home, the dollar amount climbs into tens of thousands and must be paid cash in advance.
Management of timeshare properties know this refrain. And have seen it happen. Travelers often assume they have appropriate coverage only to find out when a critical illness or injury occurs they are left in that "appropriate medical facility."
Not with SkyMed.
William and Maralyne Hoenes traveled like they do every year from their Michigan home to Cancun, Mexico and their Royal Resort property. Little do they know what was unexpected in their future? Shortly after their arrival in the Mexican Riviera, Mrs. Hoenes suffered a very critical illness which demanded her return to her health care providers in Michigan. She required a blood transfusion, which was administered locally so that she could be stabilized for the Lear jet air ambulance home. She was successfully treated and now is enjoying great health again.
After her recovery, Mrs. Hoenes wrote, "Upon contacting SkyMed everything was handled in a prompt, efficient and friendly manner. An emergency air evac-uation was immediately arranged to take me home. If it were not for Skymed, I would not be here today. We recommend SkyMed to all of our friends who travel."
Will Klein, president of Scottsdale, Arizona based SkyMed International Inc. said, " Mrs. Hoenes experience is not unusual at a time of critical illness or injury whether at a foreign destination or in the USA or Canada. Even though medical facilities may be adequate where the initial hospitalization takes place, travelers prefer to be with their loved ones and personal health care professionals. When in destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean, the quality of health care choice can be greatly compromised."
"What is remarkable about our membership base is once they have become a SkyMed Survivor, they want SkyMed to relate their story to other travelers because they want to make travelers aware of how their trauma can be minimized."
In the June 2004 issue of the International Travel Insurance Journal, Milan Korchak wrote, "The good news is that buoyancy is returning to the U.S. travel market, the bad news is that Americans rarely buy travel insurance." Sky rocketing sales in the timeshare and vacation club markets are testimony of the commitment to travel of Americans and Canadians.
The Travel Insurance Journal predicted that U.S. residents would take some 145,000,000 business person trips in 2004. Over the past three years, 66 percent of Americans said they rarely or never purchased travel insurance. Astoundingly, 41 percent said they never heard of travel insurance. Americans made more than 29 million trips internationally in 2003 according to the ITIJ.
The article went on to say, "Travel (operators) need to remember ensuring clients are properly covered for whatever trip they are taking is just as important as advising them about airline or hotel options."
SkyMed is one of America's premiere emergency air evacuation membership services and is the only company that guarantees return of the member to their home and personal care givers. SkyMed members, when traveling more than 100 air miles from their home who suffer a critical illness or injury are air repatriated to their home at no cost to them. No copays, no deductibles, no claim forms.
Memberships are available in annual and multi-year programs. SkyMed has developed short-term memberships from 4 through 28 days, which is ideal in the timeshare industry. Several major timeshare and vacation club organizations have endorsed SkyMed to their memberships including Royal Resorts, Cancun; Pelican Resort, St. Maarten; Great Escapes, Lakeland, Florida; Princess Port de Plaisance, St. Maarten; La Vista Resort, St. Maarten.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Williams, Sr., Baltimore, Maryland were holidaying at their Mexican Riviera timeshare when Paul Jr. took critically ill. It was imperative to have young Paul in the care of his own doctor, SkyMed had a medically equipped jet pick their family up and have him back in Maryland within a matter of hours. Mr. Williams, an international business traveler, said, "When I tell my friends what SkyMed did for our family they didn't want to believe me.” The flight would have cost the Williams family a minimum of $25,000.
Mr. Klein said, "What travelers have to be careful of when they purchase travel benefit programs is the very small print. Most brochures talk glowingly of air repatriation but the fine print will always say 'to the closest appropriate medical facility' or similar wording. What that means is you may already be in such a facility. The SkyMed Difference is SkyMed takes our members home."
SkyMed was founded to serve the recreational vehicle traveler in 1989. Today more than 30 RV travel clubs including industry giants like Winnebago, Airstream, Holiday Rambler, Newmar, and Fleetwood have selected SkyMed as the service of choice for their members.
SkyMed offers a series of benefits within its program including the return of owned or rented stranded vehicles, physical remains return, children and grandchildren repatriation, airline tickets to visit members who cannot be moved due to the severity of their incapacitation.
What will be of real interest to resort managements is SkyMed can be offered to members and serve as a corporate profit center, an additional way to develop income while providing a world-class benefit to their members. "When you realize a service like SkyMed is available on an annual basis for less than $1 a day, it will be in their interest to call us at 800-475-9633 or visit our website at www.skymed.com, said Klein.