Frequently Asked Questions
Unexpected and serious illnesses or injuries can happen anytime, anywhere. In those situations, you’ll need to be transported to a medical facility that can provide appropriate care. Unfortunately, the Caribbean is not known for top-tier medical facilities. This means that medical air transport will be needed to fly you to another island or the United States for treatment. These flights can cost anywhere from $20,000 USD to $200,000 USD or more. Plus, most health insurance plans will cover little to nothing at all when it comes to your emergency transport bills.
MASA Assist provides coverage in all types of emergencies. If you or a family member needs medical air transport, we’ll fly you to the appropriate treatment center at no additional cost. Think of it like a physical and financial safety net. In all worst-case scenarios, we’ll get you the medical transport you need without the worry of bankruptcy or financial strain. Our family memberships cover your entire family with no deductibles, no out of pocket expenses and no questions about your health.
Yes. Most health insurance plans may cover little to nothing at all when it comes to your emergency transport bills. There are many dangerous gaps in modern health insurance and your lack of protection from excessive emergency bills is one of the worst.
The average cost for a retail air ambulance is $20,000 USD, but it can be as high as $200,000 USD or more. Even worse, most air ambulance companies will not transport you without upfront payment. Essentially, that means your health could be in danger without the right coverage. Also troubling is the fact that most health insurance plans will not fully cover these excessive charges. They also won’t pay for your transportation back home. Thankfully, a MASA Assist membership will cover all emergency air fees and provides a variety of additional benefits, free of charge.
The attending physician and MASA’s Medical Director will determine when you will be flown and to which appropriate hospital. These decisions are often made based on the medical specialists available for your specific condition. Once the decision is made, we will work out all the details and take care of the expenses after your insurance pays.
MASA Assist will return you to the airport nearest your permanent residence following hospitalization. The method of transportation will either be air ambulance or commercial flight, based on your specific circumstances. If you are hospitalized away from home for more than seven days, we will fly a friend or family member to your location (via round trip airfare), so that you don’t have to recover alone.
All MASA Assist Family Memberships cover you, your spouse and dependents up to a certain age. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, dependents up to the age of 26 will be covered under your membership. In the rest of the Caribbean, dependents 18 and under will be covered. If your dependents are enrolled in a recognized college or university, their coverage can be extended up to the age of 23.
Simply click here to find your local MASA Assist office or go for an in-person visit to talk with a representative and fill out an application form. Everyone is eligible for membership, regardless of age or medical conditions.
The basic coverage area for MASA Assist includes the Caribbean excluding Cuba, the Bahamas, and Bermuda, the United States, Canada, and Mexico. You do not need to submit an itinerary if you are traveling within these areas. However, if you are traveling outside these areas, you must submit a travel itinerary 10 days before your trip. By submitting a travel itinerary, you activate worldwide coverage for world medical transportation, pursuant to your Member Services Agreement. This allows us to prepare our staff and resources for the possibility of an emergency in those areas.
You can send us your travel itinerary in any of the four following ways:
- To log in online, click on “Members” in the upper right corner of the header, register as a user, and submit your itinerary.
- Email your itinerary to travel@masaglobal.com.
- Fax your itinerary to 817-769-2755.
- Send you itinerary by mail with a Return Receipt Requested to:
MASA Global – Transport Department, 1250 S. Pine Island Rd, Suite 500, Plantation, FL 33324
- Your name
- Your MASA Assist membership number
- Date of departure & date of return
- Where you are traveling
MASA Assist will arrange for member’s remains to be transported to the airport nearest their permanent residence. We will also take care of all associated charges with the return transportation.