Does Your Membership Work in Another State? The 70-Base PHI Air Medical Network, State by State
Does my membership work in another state? It is one of the most common questions we get, and it usually arrives right before a trip. A family is heading to see relatives two states over, or a retiree is driving south for the winter, and someone wants to know whether the PHI Cares card in their wallet means anything once they cross the state line.
The short answer is yes. Membership benefits apply to medically necessary flights by PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner, wherever those flights happen. This guide explains how that works, lists every state where PHI Air Medical has a membership base, and covers the one detail that surprises travelers most: the helicopter that comes for you may not be yellow.
How Membership Follows You
A PHI Cares Membership is attached to your household, not to your home address. When PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner performs a medically necessary flight for a member, the membership applies. It does not matter whether that flight happens in your home county or in a state you are visiting for the weekend.
What determines whether the membership applies is who performs the flight, not where you live. That is the rule to remember. If PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner flies you, your membership works. If a different air medical company flies you, it does not, because PHI Cares covers PHI Air Medical and cooperative partner flights only.
This is why the base network matters. The more places PHI Air Medical operates, the more places your membership can apply. Our post on how helicopter base locations support faster emergency response explains the coverage math. This guide gives you the list.
The 70-Base Network, State by State
PHI Air Medical operates 70 membership bases from coast to coast.¹ Some fly in the yellow and black PHI livery. Others fly under the name and colors of a hospital or regional partner. Base locations change as the network grows, so use our coverage map for the current picture. Here is the network by state as of this writing.
| State | Bases | Base communities |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 3 | Andalusia, Enterprise, Monroeville |
| Arizona | 12 | Eloy, Buckeye, Mesa, Miami, Oracle, Deer Valley, Phoenix, Safford (2), Sierra Vista (2), Wickenburg |
| California | 4 | Columbia, Modesto, Redding (2) |
| Indiana | 7 | Evansville, Greencastle, Madison, Marion, Rushville, Seymour, West Lafayette |
| Kentucky | 4 | Greenville, London (2), Somerset |
| Maryland | 1 | Baltimore |
| Michigan | 1 | Troy |
| Mississippi | 3 | Columbus, Jackson, Meridian |
| Missouri | 1 | Chesterfield |
| New Mexico | 3 | Milan, Rio Rancho, Tucumcari |
| Ohio | 5 | Cleveland, Jefferson, Medina, Middlefield, Wadsworth |
| Texas | 19 | Bay City, Cedar Creek, Columbus, Conroe, Corsicana, Denton, Kirbyville, Livingston, Longview, Lufkin, McKinney (2), Mount Pleasant, Palestine, Richmond, San Antonio, Temple, Victoria, Wills Point |
| Virginia | 7 | Brandy Station, Fredericksburg, Front Royal, Leesburg, Lynchburg, Manassas, Weyers Cave |
Some communities host more than one base, so the number of bases in a state can be higher than the number of communities listed.
The helicopter may not be yellow
Travelers are sometimes surprised when the aircraft that arrives carries a hospital’s name rather than PHI’s. In several states PHI Air Medical operates a program under a partner hospital's name and colors. These are cooperative partners: PHI Air Medical operates the program, and the partner’s name is on the side. A medically necessary flight by any of them is covered by your membership. Our post on why medical helicopters are yellow explains the color, and why it is not the thing to look for.
What Happens When You Need a Flight Away From Home
The process is the same as it is at home. Someone calls 911. Dispatchers and clinicians decide whether air medical transport is appropriate and which resource is closest and available. If that resource is PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner, your membership applies. If it is another company, it does not. Our post on the journey from a 911 call to the hospital walks through that decision.
Membership never affects whether a helicopter is sent or who is sent. It affects only what happens with the paperwork afterward.
Before you travel
- Check the coverage map for where you are going. If PHI Air Medical or a partner operates there, your membership can apply. If not, it will not, and it is better to know that in advance.
- Keep your membership card accessible. Members have access to a digital membership card through their online account, which travels better than a wallet card.
- Know who is on the membership. Traveling companions who are not on your household membership are not covered by it.
- Carry a one-page medical summary. Medications, conditions, allergies, and emergency contacts. Out-of-state hospitals will not have your records.
After a flight away from home
Call PHI Cares at 1-888-435-9744, or 1-888-I-FLY-PHI, to let us know you were flown. We confirm that your membership applies to the flight. PHI works with your insurance provider and accepts the insurance payment as payment-in-full, according to membership terms. Distance does not change the process.
Where Membership Does Not Apply
Being clear about limits is part of being useful:
- Flights performed by air medical companies that are not PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner.
- Ground ambulance transport, anywhere.
- States and regions where PHI Air Medical does not operate. Check the coverage map before you travel.
- People who are not on your membership, including friends and extended family traveling with you.
Our post on understanding the PHI Air Medical coverage map is the companion to this one. It explains how to read the map. This post explains what the map means when you are on the road.
How PHI Cares Membership Supports Your Household
Emergency air transport may result in significant out-of-pocket responsibility depending on the situation and your insurance plan. Financial responsibility can vary. A membership program lets families settle that question in advance rather than during a hospitalization.
PHI Cares helps households prepare for unexpected emergency transport situations. Members have $0 out-of-pocket responsibility for medically necessary flights by PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner. PHI Cares works with your insurance provider and accepts the insurance payment as payment-in-full, according to membership terms.
Coverage begins 5 days after enrollment, so a household planning a trip should enroll before it, not during it. Review options on our memberships page, and confirm your area is served using our coverage map.
Frequently Asked Questions About Out-of-State Coverage
Does my PHI Cares Membership work in another state?
Yes. Membership benefits apply to medically necessary flights by PHI Air Medical or a cooperative partner, wherever those flights happen. What matters is who performs the flight, not where you live. PHI Air Medical operates 70 membership bases across 13 states.
What if a different air medical company flies me?
The membership does not apply. PHI Cares covers flights by PHI Air Medical and cooperative partners only. Dispatchers send the closest available appropriate resource, and in some areas that will be another company.
Do I need a separate membership for each state?
No. One household membership applies to PHI Air Medical and cooperative partner flights in every state where they operate.
Why did the helicopter have a hospital name on it instead of PHI?
Because it was a cooperative partner aircraft. PHI Air Medical operates programs under partner names in several states. A medically necessary flight by a cooperative partner is covered by your membership.
Does my membership cover people traveling with me?
Only if they are on the membership. One household membership includes your spouse, dependents living at the same address, and up to 3 additional people at the same address. Friends and extended family who are not listed are not covered.
Who can enroll in PHI Cares?
Most households in a PHI Cares service area can enroll. Federal law does not permit Medicaid participants to enroll in air medical membership programs. See the PHI Cares FAQ page for details and current eligibility information.
Check the map before you go, keep the digital card handy, and know that the membership goes where you go. The rest is up to the crew.
Membership in the PHI Cares Program is not an insurance product. PHI Cares does not cover and will not pay or reimburse you for services performed by any other air medical transport services provider or any ground ambulance services provider.
Sources
¹ PHI Cares. Coverage Map. phicares.com