By Robert Mittendorf
The Bellingham Herald
BELLINGHAM, Wash. — An ambulance ride will cost more next year, after the Bellingham City Council approved the first major rate hike in more than a decade.
Council members voted Monday unanimously to raise the rates by an average of $300 per transport plus $2 more per mile starting Jan. 1, 2027. The measure is up for a third and final vote at the council’s Oct. 19 meeting.
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In a committee discussion Monday, Fire Chief Bill Hewett told the council that base ambulance transport fees were last set in 2014 with annual cost-of-living adjustments that haven’t kept pace with inflation in the health-care sector.
“Our average cost per transport is somewhere around $4,000 right now, so if you think about that in relation to what we actually bill, that cost per transport is still significantly higher than what we’re billing,” Hewett said.
Cost of a trip to the hospital for a patient with non-critical injuries — called basic life support — will rise from $877 to $1,177 in 2027 with a $23 mileage fee. Advanced life support for people who are critically ill and need the services of a paramedic will rise from $1,093 to $1,393.
“It feels like a bit of a gut punch to see those big jumps,” Councilwoman Hollie Huthman said.
New fees were developed earlier this year by a panel of fire officials from around Whatcom County, and all county fire agencies will be changing the same fees, Hewett said.
Kristi Miller, the Fire Department’s administrative services manager, told the council the department has a financial assistance policy for those who cannot afford the fee. That aid is similar to the program offered by PeaceHealth at St. Joseph Medical Center, Miller said.
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