By Rob Luff
Public Opinion
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. — Chambersburg area residents have a choice to make this time of year: Join an ambulance company for $75 or review your health insurance policy closely.
Chambersburg Fire Department recently sent letters on behalf of its ambulance company, offering a year’s membership for $75.
Margery Ford, a resident of the borough, questions the motives of the ambulance company in asking for money in such a way.
“I felt like they were using scare tactics,” she said Friday.
Ford was referring to the fees she could be forced to pay if she does not become a member.
According to the November letter, the fee for an ambulance ride currently costs $550 plus $12 for each transported mile. There could be an additional fee of $900 if advanced life support services are used during that trip.
“While your health care plan or Medicare may cover these costs, many times there are deductibles or the insurance provider can deny the transport bill,” the letter says.
“Insurance companies do not always pay for 100 percent of an ambulance bill. When this occurs, the patient is responsible for paying the rest of the bill and this may be a substantial amount. Our annual subscription plan covers out-of-pocket expenses for a full year should you ever need our service.”
Ford, who is on a fixed income and pays for Medicare and health insurance, said she checked in the Medicare guidebook and found that all emergency ambulance trips are covered by the government service.
She has had two ambulance trips to the hospital and Medicare covered both of them.
Meanwhile, her friends on Medicare are paying the membership fee “because they’re afraid not to,” Ford said.
The guidebook, “Medicare and You,” by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service, says all ambulance trips are “completely covered” by Medicare as long as it is used for an emergency and not for a routine hospital visit. Air transport is also covered, the book says, but only if it is absolutely necessary at the time and no other form of ground transport can be used.
Emergency Services Chief Bill FitzGerald said the letter was not intended to scare residents. It is a standard billing practice used throughout the country.
“Certainly it’s not a scare tactic whatsoever,” he said. “We wouldn’t even think of doing such a thing.”
The company raised its non-member fees from $8 per mile to $12 per mile this year, and the billing fee from $450 to $550.
The membership covers unlimited usage of Chambersburg’s ambulance service and West Shore Advanced Life Support Services.
The money is not used as a fundraiser or for particular equipment purchases, he said. It goes into the Borough of Chambersburg’s general fund.
Shawn Hartsock, operations director for Shippensburg Area Emergency Medical Services, said his squad sends a pamphlet to area residents every summer in a similar fashion.
“We explain that a lot of insurance companies don’t cover the full cost (of ambulance transport),” he said. “We’re pretty cautious because we don’t want to come across like we’re trying to scare people.”
The station is unable to bill for specific services used during a call, so it charges a general fee to non-members, like Chambersburg does.
The membership fee helps the station proactively replace equipment used during calls, Hartsock said, as well as helping fund apparatus purchases.
Fees charged to non-members also help recover costs, but in a reactive manner instead of a proactive one.
Copyright 2009 Public Opinion