By Nolan Wilkinson
The News & Observer
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — An ambulance bill in Wake County can cost well over $1,500 depending on how far the emergency trip was and if the patient received treatment.
Insurance might cover some or all of that, but according to the Wake County website, “a typical emergency ambulance transport can exceed $500, and most insurance providers, including Medicare, will not cover the full amount of an ambulance bill.”
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So the county offers another way to help people avoid significant ambulance bills.
For $60 a year, a household will not be charged out of pocket — that is any costs left over after the insurance company pays its share — for any emergency medical transportation in that year.
The program starts two days after enrollment, according to the Wake County website, and ends Dec. 31 . The subscription’s coverage lasts to the end of each calendar year. Starting Nov. 1 , people can sign up for the calendar year of 2027.
“Navigating the healthcare system can be complicated. Wake County’s EMS Subscription makes one thing simple,” Wake County Commissioner Safiyah Jackson said in a news release. “In an emergency, where life is on the line, this program eliminates the worry about the cost of an ambulance.”
Who is covered?
Everyone in a household living at the same address — regardless of their relationship — is covered.
“Subscribers can use the program for any medically necessary transport by Wake County EMS, from a location inside Wake County to the nearest appropriate hospital,” the news release states.
It does not cover non-emergency medical transport, nor air transport.
And if an ambulance that’s not Wake County’s responds to a situation — which can happen even in Raleigh — then the patient will still have to pay out-of-pocket costs.
The subscription does not automatically renew and even if someone doesn’t have it, Wake County will still respond to their emergency like normal.
And health insurance is required to enroll. Uninsured people cannot enroll.
Wake County also maintains a full list of exceptions to what is covered by the service.
Does the county make or lose money doing this?
The N&O reported in 2022 that counties in other states, like some in Maryland, require taxes to pay for EMS services. In those cases, residents don’t have to pay any extra when using them.
That’s not the case in Wake County.
The subscription program nets the county $1.1 million, according to the county’s budget for the current fiscal year.
In total, EMS charges for services raise about $53 million.
That’s compared to the total EMS expenditure budget of $92 million.
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