Ambulance Charges

This morning I was reading a post from blogger,Life under the Lights, and was shocked at the article he was referring to but not surprised. Click on his name to read further. I have been hit with bills before and had a heart attack. One time Max was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Months later I got a bill to the tune of $1005. After I finally got my heart and brain working again I called them up and hollered that I gave them my insurance information. They said that was my bill after the insurance paid. Huh!

Many phone calls later I found out my insurance pays only $400 towards ambulance rides and that was the bill of the left over amount. So I had to make the dreaded phone call to my ex and ask to have his medical insurance jump into the fray to help with expenses. I couldn't believe that my insurance didn't cover hardly any of that. That was the first hit. The fire department called a month later asking for $325 for a service fee for coming out to the house since we are in a county island and not covered by the city. Aw crap. Luckily after asking to speak to the supervisor he realized where I lived and that my apartment complex had coverage for fire services and that they shouldn't have called me. Whew! Saved by that one.

Months later Max had an accident at his high school and they wanted to take him by ambulance to the hospital for a burn injury. I flatly refused and said I would transport him, thinking about that dang huge bill I would get. The firefighters argued with me but I said that I didn't want to pay a huge ambulance bill again. They said that since the accident happened on school property that they would be responsible. I laughed and said with the school district being broke that would be an impossible and long process. I told them I worked at a hospital, was an EMT, it was non-life threatening, and would be taking him to my hospital as soon as we left the school. They were satisfied with that. And yes, I signed a refusal of care form.

As for the article he wrote I agree with what he said. If you refuse care from the fire service you must sign a refusal of care, we make you do that every time, and please do to make our lives easier. If the ambulance service makes you sign one, and you didn't call them, DON'T SIGN IT. I know from working with the fire service that you don't have to sign theirs of you didn't call them because they are a private service. Just like you don't have to talk to those dang reporters. You do have the right to ask questions so ask away before signing anything.