KIMBALL, Tenn. – When Kimball officials voted to join a program in 2013 that covers the costs of emergency air transport that insurance doesn’t pay, they hoped to save some of the town’s residents from possible financial ruin.
Mayor Rex Pesnell said the board believes that’s exactly what the membership has done.
At its April meeting, the Board of Mayor and Aldermenn voted unanimously to purchase a third year of coverage with the AirMedCare Network by paying $633.33 monthly, or $7,600 annually.
“Just this past year, there’s been three or four [residents] flown from Kimball here,” Pesnell said.
Vice Mayor Jerry Don Case wondered how many calls for emergency transport flights had occurred in Kimball since the town started the program.
Even though specific numbers weren’t available, Jimmy Morse, a membership sales manager with AirMedCare, said there were at least three flights from Kimball in the past year.
“The first year Kimball had it, I did see one of the bills, and it was $22,000,” he said. “There were two [flights] that first year, and then three last year.”
One of the flights last year was for a Kimball city employee, while the other two included a teenager and an infant.
Officials estimate that each bill for those Life Force flights could total more than $25,000 for a trip to Erlanger hospital in Chattanooga even after insurance coverage is applied.
Alderman Johnny Sisk said a fourth Kimball resident was flown recently to Birmingham, Ala., and that enormous cost was covered through the town’s membership in the program.
“You’re definitely getting your money’s worth and keeping that money in the town,” Morse said.
The membership covers Kimball residents long as the emergency occurs within Marion County. Residents can sign up as individual households for full membership throughout the 34-state AirMedCare Network at a reduced rate of $35 per year.
Right now, any household can get a full membership in the program for $65 per year.
The nearby town of Jasper flirted with the idea of membership in the network in 2015, but didn’t take action on it.
In 2014, the Marion County Commission examined coverage for all county residents, but never brought the proposal to a vote either.
Under the proposed county plan, Marion would have paid about $11 per household, or approximately $127,500, for a one-year membership.
Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.