Copyright 2006 The Daily Oklahoman
By JIM EPPERSON III
The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK)
It’s routine.
Firefighters drive south on Shartel Drive to the City Rescue Mission in Oklahoma City.
The Emergency Medical Services Authority is close behind.
Calls typically are for diabetes complications, respiratory distress, chest pains and drinking problems. The patients usually are uninsured.
If they’re taken to a hospital, EMSA is stuck with the bill.
Unpaid claims from Oklahoma City and Tulsa homeless have cost EMSA about $3.7 million the past three years. About $350,000 has been repaid, said Tom Wagner, EMSA chief operating officer for Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
The past three years, EMSA has responded to more than 5,000 calls to homeless shelters in both cities.
“We’re the last safety net for these people,” Wagner said.
The past year at the City Rescue Mission, 603 people were taken to the hospital, EMSA spokeswoman Lara O’Leary said. Of those, 335 patients have not paid, leaving a $222,973 debt with EMSA.
The state Health Department estimates that 700,000 Oklahomans are not insured. According to a Department of Health report, Oklahomans with health insurance pay an extra $1,781 a year in premiums to cover the uninsured.
Shawn Rogers, EMS director for the state Health Department, said the homeless who need medical attention have few options. Even minor injuries can turn into serious medical calls over time.
Federal funding also has been cut, Wagner said.
“The main issue for us is the growing number of uninsured and underinsured coupled with reductions in reimbursements in Medicare and Medicaid,” he said.
James Johnson, 55, moved to Oklahoma City just before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. He was searching for a better life. So far, he hasn’t found work and remains uninsured.
He uses a cane as he walks outside the City Rescue Mission. He said he has blocked blood vessels in his leg. He would rather walk to a hospital than ride in an ambulance.
“There ain’t no help for people without work,” Johnson said. “You scared to catch an ambulance. It’s a lot of money so really a poor person can’t make it.”