Hundreds of life-saving flights completed and covered by the agreement since PHI Air Medical began operating in 2010
CALDWELL COUNTY, Texas, Sept. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Caldwell County Commissioners Court, has approved a renewal of a vital air medical agreement with PHI Cares, a division of PHI Air Medical, a leading U.S. helicopter-based medical transport provider. Local residents requiring authorized emergency air medical transport from Caldwell County or its adjacent counties, will benefit from no out-of-pocket expenses when utilizing PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner thanks to the agreement. The renewal is effective from October 1st, 2025 – September 30th, 2026.
The renewal has special importance for PHI Med 14 Flight Nurse Zane Atencio, who was flown as a baby for Neonatal Intensive Care by the PHI team at Air Evac 1 in Phoenix, Arizona. He has since progressed through his EMS/Nursing career and began serving at PHI in 2019 as a Flight Paramedic at Air Evac 24 in Sierra Vista, Arizona where he completed additional specialty training in High-Risk Obstetric and Neonatal Transport.
The local agreement was spearheaded by County Judge Hoppy Hayden who said: "The people of the Caldwell County are a main priority, and the agreement between Caldwell County and PHI Cares protects residents by offering vital, life-saving services in times of emergency. By renewing this agreement, the residents of Caldwell County and their household have peace of mind that they are protected in a serious emergency. We urge all residents to pick up their membership cards and seriously think about protecting the rest of their household and themselves when travelling out of county."
The agreement includes residents not on Medicaid who aren't covered by existing medical insurance, or have no third party responsible for their medical transport. In all other cases, PHI Air Medical works with the resident's insurance provider to resolve claims for medically necessary transports to ensure members face no out-of-pocket expenses, so they can focus on what matters most, their recovery.
A PHI Cares membership eliminates all out-of-pocket costs for Medicare participants, including the co-insurance requirements. Usually, Medicare requires each patient to pay 'co-insurance' for their medical treatments, procedures and services. With Medicare Part A only, air transport isn't covered. With Medicare Part B, Medicare will only pay 80% of the allowed amount, and the Medicare participant is responsible for the remaining 20% owed to the service provider. With PHI Cares membership, patients will owe nothing if transported by PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner within the Caldwell County coverage area.
As an additional benefit of this agreement, residents qualify for Coast-to-Coast coverage at a subsidized $40/year per household beginning October 1st. This optional expanded plan provides coverage for residents to be flown by PHI Air Medical when they travel out of county, giving them peace of mind whenever and wherever they travel. Household coverage also extends to resident's household dependents – the entire household remains covered, even when picked up outside the coverage area. Residents of Caldwell County who wish to enroll in Coast-to-Coast coverage can use code "CALDWELLUPGRADE" and contact Nathaniel Martin, Senior Membership Manager or visit https://www.phicares.com/Caldwell-County-TX.
In emergencies, residents should contact 911. Following a flight, the resident flown or representative on their behalf should notify PHI Cares at 1.888.I.Fly.PHI (1.888.435.9744) and supply the County membership number #61002 and any transport details available.
For more information, visit https://www.phicares.com/Caldwell-County-TX or https://www.phiairmedical.com/. Inquiries can be directed to [email protected] or 855-825-2124 referencing the "Caldwell County" Membership program.
About PHI Air Medical
PHI Air Medical is a leading air medical transport provider, operating over 80 air medical bases in the nation. These bases provide outreach education to local communities and healthcare systems across the nation. Safely transporting more than 22,000 patients each year, each PHI Air Medical base maintains a crew of highly trained pilots, flight nurses, and paramedics – prepared to respond to emergency medical transport requests.
Media Contact
Jamie Kightley, PHI Air Medical, 1 561 228 1940, [email protected], https://www.phiairmedical.com/
SOURCE PHI Air Medical
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