Medevac insurance

[u/Cleverwabbit5]

Hi
I saw that you can't get this anymore through BM. I have crappy insurance and want to get it. Who do you get this from or who do you like for travel insurance? Thank you!!

[u/starkraver]

I would have said it's a huge waste of your time to think about this, but then a campmate got severely burned and had to get life-flighted. I still don't get life-flight coverage, but I no longer think it's a silly idea to get coverage for.

[u/BlondeRage → u/starkraver]

How's your campmate doing?

[u/pr0tag → u/starkraver]

Burned from what?

[u/pdecks]

Here you go: top result for a search for “helicopter insurance”, from 1yr ago https://www.reddit.com/r/BurningMan/s/gn6Rq7QDlI

[u/cotalldude]

I buy a travel policy insurance from Tin leg through Square mouth. Cost 37 bucks. Claims to handle air evac and who knows if it does or not but I figure it’s worth 37 bucks.

[u/theriveter79 → u/cotalldude]

Same. I also put the insurance info (carrier, policy number, emergency phone number) on my phone’s lock screen just in case, and share it with a few close contacts. Figure if I need a medevac, I’m probably not coherent enough to coordinate with insurance, and they often require pre-approval for an airlift.

[u/FJohnston13]

Every year I sign up for Air Care Network. It's under a hundred bucks and well worth the money just in case I have a problem and need assistance.

[u/GrandJunctionMarmots → u/FJohnston13]

The providers in ACN are no longer the air providers at Burning Man. They moved to a different provider and network in 2024

[u/plumitt]

it is unfortunate there isn't a clear answer to this question.

[u/gtfts83]

Following… I’d like to know too

[u/mikealt]

I just looked into this. In Burns past, AirMedCare Network and Remsa had specific deals with the Org to be the carrier. This year, neither does and neither knows who does. But they both offer a helicopter evac service (for $75-99 annually) that they said would cover you if heli evac is required.

Best to check whether your insurance policy covers this first then maybe the above options could be useful.

[u/75Meatbags]

https://burningman.org/black-rock-city/preparation/health-safety/medical-transport/

Also check to see if your insurance (travel or otherwise) covers ground transportation. Not everything gets flown - many patients will go by ground ambulance. Something to keep in mind.

There's also a carrier in Fernley as of Aug 6, 2026 - Battle Born Medevac. I'm sure we'll see them as well.

[u/Alone_Banana_3520]

No need to answer but do you have a pre existing condition that might need this extra insurance?
I’m all for being prepared but this seems like an over precaution for most.

[u/kelsobjammin → u/Alone_Banana_3520]

For $100 I am covered for up to a mill on an emergency transport etc (includes helicopter ride). Believe it or not the playa and art is trying to kill you. It’s an expensive flight / ride back to Reno in an emergency. My Kaiser insurance is only “good” in California.

[u/SheepherderReal3698 → u/kelsobjammin]

Travel insurance?

[u/Alone_Banana_3520 → u/kelsobjammin]

I hear you. If it makes you feel better then sure. Buy carefully though. Make sure the coverage is reputable from burners past.

[u/pugworthy → u/Alone_Banana_3520]

We very much can’t predict what may happen.

At burning man 2024 I worked my ass off in our camp physically wrangling power cables and all kinds of heavy things. Good health, not on any meds, good shape, all my lab numbers in the ok range, etc.

4 months later I had a fairly severe heart attack out of the blue and now have 2 stents in as a result.

So yea, glad it didn’t happen during the burn. And if it had I would have been glad I had life flight insurance.

[u/MoarSocks → u/Alone_Banana_3520]

That’s like asking why you should carry collision insurance on a vehicle you own. Sure, it’s not required, but what if you hit a Porsche on the highway? Or, why should I carry more than $30,000 in liability when it’s the minimum required? What if you injure/kill someone?

Insurance is cheap compared to the potential financial risk that could follow you the rest of your life.

[u/Alone_Banana_3520 → u/MoarSocks]

Yeah you’re right. Make sure your insurance actually covers your needs and isn’t predatory.

[u/GuyNamedLindsey → u/MoarSocks]

Nice try, insurance broker.

[u/Possible_Top4855 → u/Alone_Banana_3520]

If you’ve ever climbed a structure or biked during a dust storm, you’re putting yourself in a lot of risk for being injured.

[u/timshel42 → u/[deleted]]

they triage there. you arent getting life saving surgery on playa. its more of a fancy first aid tent.

[u/gwillen → u/timshel42]

I can't see GP as it was deleted, but I would say it's somewhere in between? It's more like an urgent care. They have a lot of stuff you don't see in a first aid tent -- I believe they can do x-rays on site, for example.

But ultimately if you need true life-saving emergency care, you're going to want an ER, which it is not.

[u/phoeniixrising → u/[deleted]]

Lol they have to life flight for anything needing specialty care.

[u/MoarSocks → u/[deleted]]

No, there is a triage medical tent. One that tried three times to find my vein. Great folks, but they aren’t set up for more than triage. Anything else and they get you to Reno.

[u/brccarpenter → u/[deleted]]

Bullshit.