Air ambulances leave some with sky-high bills

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC

Charlie Taylor was loading a four-wheeler into the back of his pickup truck last spring when the heavy rig jumped a ramp, overturned and landed on Taylor’s chest.

The 49-year-old Lyons, N.Y., man broke seven ribs, leaving him barely able to breathe and with no detectable blood pressure, prompting paramedics to call for an air ambulance to whisk him 30 miles to the nearest hospital.

But when Taylor got the bill for that 15-minute flight, it took his breath away — again.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate the service they gave me,” he said. “But the average citizen can’t afford $8,700 to get to the hospital.”

Eventually, insurance helped foot the bill for Taylor’s flight. But he’s one of the lucky ones.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34419018/ns/health-health_care/

[Xenotime]

1. That's why we need single payer option...There is no other way to hadle these costs.

[WriteDown]

7. There actually is another way...

Eliminate the use of air ambulances and deal with existing resources. Probably not the answer you wanted, but it is "another" way.

[Xenotime]

15. Actually, wasn't there a time when doctors used to travel to you?!?

Would that save money?

[Kali]

2. my youngest son has been transported twice in a helicopter

first time at 18 months (rattlesnake bite) 1990 - I recall it costing about $1,200
second time 4 or 5 years ago for a head injury, it was something around $6,000

both times we drove and got there well before he did so I'm not entirely convinced it is so great

[madrchsod]

3. my 50 mile trip was 4500 dollars

my wife left by car about 15-20 minutes before i left and arrived 10 minutes later.....

[MineralMan]

4. I rode in an air ambulance 19 years ago. The bill was

$5000. My expensive health insurance denied the claim, saying it was unnecessary. Since I was unconscious at the time, I didn't have a lot of choice in transportation. So, I paid it.

[T Wolf]

5. My cousin, when stuck by an aneurism, was flown 20 minutes in an evac helicopter to

a better hospital.

And got a bill for $18,000.

With no insurance, how is she supposed to pay that fee plus the enormous hospital bills?

Maybe it would have been better if she just died?

[medeak]

6. local air ambulance sells it's own insurance plan

as it's $40 a year it's worth it imo. We live 300 miles from major hospital care

[WriteDown]

8. Cool...

and WOW. 300 miles? Don't think I've ever been more than 10 miles. :)

[audas]

9. IN Australia our bank privde search and rescue helicopters -

Westpac Rescue for example.

Ambulance subscription covers this cost. It all used to be free until we had aright wing government who forced health insurance on everyone along
with privatization of the ambulances which made them worse.


Private health care is still far, far worse than public, and any serious condition will ALWAYS be carried out publicly.

Private health insurance is the biggest scam of the century - all health care should be free beyond elective procedures. Period.

[canetoad]

14. How's this for an air ambulance bill

My bosses (husband and wife) were in Ecuador last year and he fell extremely ill. Needed a flying ICU to transport him from Quito to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Florida at a cost of $250,000. All up, with hospital and doctor bills, Aussie team sent out to accompany him home on a commercial flight, total cost came to over half a million bucks.

Both of them travel to LatAm a lot, often having motorbike touring holidays, so they never leave Oz without good travel insurance.

[FarCenter]

10. The private helicopter air ambulance services are very well connected politically

Where there have been public services, such as those operated by the state police, the private services have gotten legislators to cut off funding for the public service.

[pitohui]

11. they must be

in what other industry, if i'm unconscious and bleeding, can somebody take it up himself to order a service for me and then charge ME for it?

let whoever makes the call pay the bill, if you ask me, it would cut down on a lot of nonsense

[onehandle]

12. They tried to charge my Mom $1500 dollars for a five minute ambulance ride.

No life threatening condition. No treatment en route.

We laughed at them and tossed the bill.

[damntexdem]

13. Yes, but think of the wonderful views while one writhes in pain.

Of course, the view ain't so great any more when the pain comes in the form of a bill. ;-)

[tonekat]

16. A friend recently needed air evacuation in the foothills of Everest

She wasn't there to climb, she was a photographer with a group of doctors and dentists that went from town to town conducting marathons of medical and dental health provision.

Anyway, she got pretty ill, and they tried to tell her that she could pay out of pocket for the helicopter and then get reimbursed later from her insurance! Yeah, right!

They got her out of there without her having to whip out her credit card, but jeez!

Dont get sick if you're not rich.

[Dappleganger]

17. We had to fight with Medicare to get them to pay

for my mother's airflight when she had her first stroke. There were no beds available in any of their local neuro-trauma units so she had to be flown to Richmond from Norfolk. They finally relented, but it was just one more added level of stress for us.