Committee to recommend patients should pay no more than $100 or 10% of a bill, depending on which is less

Committee to recommend patients should pay no more than $100 or 10% of a bill, depending on which is less

A committee chartered to find ways to stop ambulances from sending patients exorbitant bills is set to tell Congress that patients should pay no more than $100 or 10% of a bill, depending on which is less.

The recommendation, which still relies on the convoluted private insurance industry, comes as nearly half of all ambulance rides in the US result in a “surprise bill” of often hundreds of dollars.

“America has decided to use an insurance system to spread the risk among many,” said Patricia Kelmar, senior director of healthcare campaigns at US Pirg, a consumer advocacy group.

“But when it comes to ambulances, without a surprise billing protection, that risk isn’t spread – the person who needs the ambulance is paying a lot more than anyone else who has that insurance.”

  • ColeSloth
    4·
    2 months ago

    Between the medic and the emt on an ALS ambulance, they’re making a total of like $45 an hour. So with employment insurance and all the other stuff it costs an ambulance company like $75 and hour. Over a 12 hour shift you can expect they may run an average of like 4 calls (major spitballing. This varies a ton by location).

    But just one ambulance ride at $1,000, which is fairly average for a lower priority ambulance ride would more than cover the $900 in payroll expenses. Supplies, gas, maintenance, depreciation, etc would be way more than covered by a 2nd call. Everything else is just profit.