The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) has announced its partnership with Medical Air Services Association (MASA) to provide emergency medical services at a reduced cost.

Most motorcyclists probably don't have tens of thousands of dollars lying around to pay for an emergency. What if you need an air ambulance flight to a hospital? Who would transport your motorcycle home after a crash? What if you are traveling outside the United States and need medical care that's not available locally?

The solution to these worst-case scenarios is the Medical Air Services Association. MASA is not insurance. Like the AMA, it's a membership organization. MASA provides a variety of emergency services to its members.

An annual membership fee of $240 for an individual or $360 for an entire family earns AMA members all the benefits of MASA membership. Normally, there is a one-time $60 initiation fee. But now, AMA members can join MASA and the initiation fee is waived.

A MASA membership includes a list of benefits that apply all the time, whether you're at home or on the road, and could save you thousands of dollars or even save your life:

• Emergency air transportation: If you're hospitalized and need specialized treatment, MASA will fly you to the nearest medical facility that can care for you. Ground ambulance service to and from the air ambulance is also included.
• Commercial air transportation: If you need treatment more than 100 miles from your home, MASA pays your airfare. If you're hospitalized away from home, MASA will fly you home to recuperate. MASA also provides air transportation for the patient and an organ used in an organ transplant, and the return of a member's remains whether due to accident or sickness.
• Family benefits: If you need emergency air ambulance transportation, MASA will fly a family member or friend to travel with you. If you're hospitalized away from home for more than seven days, MASA will fly a family member to visit you. If minor children or grandchildren are left unattended because you need air ambulance transport, the children will be flown home with a qualified attendant.
• Vehicle return: If you use the air ambulance service, your motorcycle, car, truck or RV will be returned to your home. MASA has more than 30 years of experience handling these types of emergencies and has 750,000 current members.

"The greatest appeal to a motorcyclist is tremendous peace of mind," said Keith Knapp, MASA motorcycle division director and a motorcyclist himself for more than 40 years. "A MASA membership allows a motorcyclist to enjoy every ride, confident that both the rider and the motorcycle will arrive back home. At the cost of a good riding jacket or helmet, it's nice to know that help is as near as the membership card in your hip pocket."

Because MASA is not insurance, there are no deductibles to pay, no claim forms, no age limits, and no overall maximum dollar limits per flight. MASA covers you anywhere in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos.

To sign up for MASA without having to pay the initiation fee, AMA members must use the signup form in the Benefits section of the Members Only area of the AMA website, www.amadirectlink.com. If you're not yet an AMA member, you can join online. Annual AMA dues are $39 and you will instantly be eligible for the waiver of the $60 MASA initiation fee.

Learn more about MASA at www.medairservices.com/ama.