Silver Spring’s citizens advisory board gave a collective thumbs down on the county exec’s proposal to charge patients for emergency medical services.
“Ambulance fees would be both dangerous and unfair,” the board wrote in a letter to MoCo exec Ike Leggett.
“Poorer residents might avoid EMS altogether. The result would be unfair and ineffective emergency services that could lead to increased death rates in the county,” stated the letter, approved Monday night in Long Branch at the board’s monthly meeting.
According to board members, Leggett’s proposal would charge insurance companies directly for ambulance services, while uninsured patients would not have to pay. Stafford and King George counties in Virginia charge residents for ambulance services.
Darien Unger, a board member and the letter’s architect, said po’ folks still might avoid a call to 9-1-1 out of confusion over billing issues or their inability to pay.
“Emergency services are a basic public good,” Unger told his colleagues. A fee “would certainly cause people to pause in getting the help they need.”
While the letter to Leggett was approved unanimously, some board members felt its language was over the top. The letter also didn’t provide stats on how fees would affect the public, which could help the board’s argument, board member Phil Olivetti said.
The county sits in a $401 million hole this fiscal year, according to The Washington Post. Leggett has proposed $23.6 million in budget cuts, with $3.7 million possibly coming out of the fire and rescue department.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Dan Dan the Binary Man. If he can’t do it, no one can.
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And what if our health insurance plans don’t cover ambulatory care?
Trust me, health insurance companies are like eels, they can slither and slime through anything to avoid paying for a patient’s medical treatment.
H.R. 676–a national health service plan for ALL Americans is the way to go.
A compromise that might help the issue would be to charge a flat fee of about $50. This would help people to realize that it is expensive to have an ambulance, so lessen non-emergency calls, yet promote through a nominal fee the incentive to call if it is an emergency. It’s important to strike a balance.
If you want national socialized health care (and I don’t), vote it in in 2008. But the county is not going to be able to wing it on its own. Legget’s proposal seems sensible enough, and judging from the health debt issues that so many people have, it’s clear that folks aren’t skimping on the basic care because it costs money – at least not initially.
I think that Leggett’s plan makes sense. Let the insurance companies pay for ambulance services. I agree with Lynn’s comment that a fee would lessen non-emergency calls but I would have the individual pay the full cost for transport in those situations where it was a non-emergency. That would really drive home the message that ambulance service should be used in emergencies only. I am a little surprised that the county is providing free transport and has not already been billing the insurance companies. I disagree with the comment that poorer individuals will have reason to pause to call 911 because of the fee. Uninsured individuals will not have to pay according to Leggett and insured individuals will have the expense charged to the insurance company. Why would they be hesitant in calling 911? The Citizen’s Advisory Board reasoning doesn’t make sense. Why would it be unfair? Why would it be ineffective? It appears that the Board is using scare tactic language (could lead to increased death rates) without any firm evidence or rationale. Why don’t they focus their time on other issues like pedestrian safety? There is a higher chance of someone dying from crossing some of these intersections in Downtown Silver Spring than from Leggett’s proposed plan. Leggett’s plan is a no-brainer.
You guys don’t get it.
Health insurance companies can give the middle finger to Montgomery County. They will exclude any Montgomery County resident policy holder from ambulatory coverage. Legally, they can do this. If you have a heart attack or car accident, you are paying BIG TIME.
So wait, I should pay $2,000 for a REAL emergency ride to the hospital because our local government is running from its responsibility to its citizens. Dumping the costs on to the health insurance companies will be a disaster. In the end, it’s the patients/voters in Montgomery County who get stuck with the bill. What a terrible idea, Mr. Leggett.
The cost for ambulance service should be on the health insurance companies. Why would you want to give the insurance companies a pass on their responsibilities? I pay for health insurance and I fully expect them to pay for ambulance service should I have the need for it in an emergency situation. I agree that the county has responsibility to its citizens but let’s not give the insurance companies a pass.