Popular Program Benefits Instructors, GA Pilots, Professionals
Alike; Fixed and R/W
When I sat down and
shut up in the Pilot Career Foundation press conference, it was
mostly out of politeness. I had just been having a noisy
conversation in the back of the room with AVM (Ret.) K. Sridharan,
and aviation/adventure videographer Jim Bennett, and it would have
been rude to blow out of somebody's press conference, when he had
waited patiently for my friends and I to clam up before
beginning.
I'm glad I stayed; I heard about a program that sounded like it
was tailor-made for the FBO that I'm part owner of. Then to my
astonishment I found out that I wasn't the first one to know this
-- we were already members. (Right on top of things, that's me). It
was one of many paperwork items that the previous owner didn't
communicate to us. So let's put all the cards on the table here.
This program should work for us and some of our students, it may
work for you, it may not -- consider all alternatives when you make
an important decision.
PCF's Tracy Thomason
(right) explained the PCF's new announcement: the Total Health Care
plan. It's a self-funded PPO-based health care insurance program
for the student, professional or GA pilot, which has no aviation
exclusion, and thanks to PCF's non-profit status, is quite
affordable. It includes term life, major medical, and supplemental
insurance, and provides both traditional health care benefits but
also covers students against aviation accidents. In addition, an
AFLAC benefit prevents routine bills from turning a medical
interruption in training into a financially-forced
dropout.
The most basic plan provides $2,000,000 in major medical, 100%
coverage in a PPO network (after deductible), $10,000 term life,
$40,000 AD&D, a prescription drug plan and an AFLAC package of
policies -- it even covers an annual flight physical -- for $165.80
a month. Another plan sweetens the prescription drug benefit and
includes first dollar coverage for $25 a month more. Prices
are slightly higher for those over 39. Family coverage is
also available, although it is significantly costlier.
Executive Direct Marc Williams (below, right) developed the
program, based on his 20 years in the insurance industry. He
selected insurance carriers rated "A" by insurance watchdog A.M.
Best. He's also a longtime pilot. "Our commitment to pilots is our
number one priority," Williams pledged. "PCF Total Health Care is
just another example of that commitment."
Additional plusses for flight schools include the ability to
provide benefits to W-2 employees. Employees paid on IRS Form 1099
(such as many instructors) can join Total Health Care as
individuals.
Flight Schools and individuals join the Foundation as members to
participate. The student pays $140 a year, and the school pays a
monthly charge. Although PCF chose Heli-Expo to make the Total
Health Care announcement, all PCF benefits are available equally to
fixed- and rotary-wing schools and students.
Total Health Care fits
into the PCF portfolio well. What the PCF does, in a nutshell, is
remove some training obstacles that prevent students from
continuing or completing professional pilot training. The first
major obstacle that they tackled was financial aid -- PCF can hook
up a student with a good flight school and 100% financing. The
financing attaches to the student, not the school -- perhaps the
school goes out of business, or the student decides another school
is more suitable; in that case the student can take the money
along.
What the Total Health Care plan adds to that is security against
training interruption for minor health problems, and security
against training discontinuation due to major health problems
draining the student's funds.
"With THC, students can be insured while working towards their
goal," the Foundation says.
Full Disclosure: Aero-News Senior Correspondent
Kevin R.C."Hognose" O'Brien is a part owner of a New England FBO
which is a PCF member -- as recounted above.