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.

FMI: www.pilotcareer.org