By David Wickert
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Hitching a ride to the hospital in Gwinnett County will cost an extra $225 this year under a plan approved by the Board of Commissioners Tuesday.
Commissioners voted unanimously to raise Gwinnett’s base charge for emergency medical transports from $750 to $975. The fee hike will raise an estimated $1.5 million for the county general fund, which began the year $18 million in the red.
County fire Chief Bill Myers said the increase will bring the charge in line with what it costs the county to transport patients.
“In the current economic environment, we recognize the need to do all we can, within reason, to make services like this as self-supporting as possible,” Myers said. “This increase moves us one step closer in being able to accomplish that goal.”
The Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services Department maintains a fleet of 23 ambulances across the county. Last year Gwinnett County transported people to hospitals more than 31,000 times.
Myers said Medicare covers about 40 percent of the county’s emergency medical transports. Insurance plans pick up 30 percent, and another 30 percent are paid for by patients.
Myers said it costs the county $942 to transport a patient. Raising the fee to $975 now will mean the county won’t have to seek another increase to cover costs in the near future, he said.
Last year the Engage Gwinnett citizen budget review panel recommended the Fire Department periodically adjust its user fees to reflect market forces and county costs, though it did not recommend a specific fee hike.
Even with the increase, a recent survey shows Gwinnett’s charge is comparable to those by other area governments. Nearby Rockdale and Athens-Clarke counties already charge $975.
Other area charges range from $600 in Clayton County to $1,650 in Fulton County.
In addition to the base charge, the local governments surveyed charge anywhere from $7 to $15 a mile for each trip. Gwinnett’s $15 a mile rate will remain unchanged.
Gwinnett’s fee increase comes as the county tries to plug an $18 million hole in its $448 million 2011 general fund budget. Commissioners approved the budget last month but pledged to spend this year finding spending cuts and revenue increases to bridge the gap.
The emergency medical transport fee increase will reduce the general fund deficit to about $16.5 million.
Copyright 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution