May 19, 2010

COMMUNITY ALERT

Council Enacts Ambulance Fees

Bill 13-10, "EMS Transport Fees," passes 5-4

Study details dangerous effects.  

By a vote of 5-4, the Montgomery County Council voted to charge a fee of $300-$800 to any patient transported in an ambulance operated by any Montgomery County fire/rescue department, including the B-CC Rescue Squad.  Those voting for the bill (i.e., for the fee) were Council President Nancy Floreen and Councilmembers Marc Elrich, George Leventhal, Mike Knapp, and Duchy Trachtenberg. Those voting against the bill (i.e., against the fee) were Council Vice President Valerie Ervin and Councilmembers Phil Andrews, Roger Berliner, and Nancy Navarro.  The Rescue Squad continues to oppose ambulance fees and is committed to overturning them.  Please check this website for updates on this issue. 

Meanwhile, a report just released by the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire/ Rescue Association on ambulance fees shows that -- based on multiple sources of data -- ambulance fees will discourage people from calling 911 in a medical emergency and/or cause them to refuse ambulance transport when needed.

Read a summary of the the report (click here)

Read the B-CC Rescue Squad News Release (click here)

For the full report,  includng the source materials on which the report is based, visit http://www.stopambulancefee.org 

Read the Statement of the Rescue Squad in response to the latest ambulance fee proposal. 

Despite the public's (and the County Council's) previous opposition to ambulance fees, the Executive's proposal for the budget year beginning July 1, 2010, again proposes to charge a $300-$800 fee to people who are transported by an ambulance in Montgomery County.   For more information, read further.   For contact information of County Council members, click here. 

To view the proposed Fire/Rescue budget for the upcoming year, click here: 

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/omb/FY11/psprec/pdf/frs.pdf

(clicking on the above link will open a new window in your browser and take you to a third-party website.)

Officials from the Rescue Squad, other local fire/rescue departments, and members of the public continue to express their opposition to the proposed ambulance fee.   In public hearings, several members of the Council have expressed concern regarding the impacts of the fee on the poor, elderly, under- and un-insured, and those insured under certain federal employee health insurance plans.   Despite overwhelming public opposition, some County officials continue to promote the ambulance fee. 

This year the County Council has to make tough budget decisions. But not all revenue-raising proposals are worth pursuing. Ambulance fees are a bad idea in principle and in practice, and the Council should reject such fees again.  

Thank you for your support. 

Additional information:

(clicking on some of the links below will open a new window in your browser and take you to a third-party website.)

Montgomery to Charge Ambulance Fee," May 19, 2010    Gazette

" 'Shoot the County in the Foot!': Volunteer Firefighters Denounce Latest Attempt to Charge for EMS Service,"  April 15, 2010  The Sentinel.   "Already killed once by the county council, the idea of charging for the county's Emergency Medical Services just won't die. . . . Volunteers from fire departments, representatives from the county, and EMS volunteers addressed the Public Safety Committee headed by committee chair Phil Andrews (D-District 3) Tuesday afternoon to react to the latest incarnation of the plan."

Gazette Article, July 1, 2009.  "The Montgomery County Council on Tuesday voted down guidelines on how to implement a proposed ambulance fee, scuttling debate for now on the contentious issue. . . . But county fire officials say the rejection will not stop them from trying to persuade enough council members to change their minds on the issue."

"Ambulance Fees: Do Not Resuscitate," November 12, 2008.   Gazette commentary by Montgomery County Council Vice President (and Chair of the Council's Public Safety Committee) Phil Andrews.  "It would be a sorry day if Montgomery County resorted to chasing ambulances for revenue. . . .  Like the previous County Council, this council should nix the fundamentally bad idea of ambulance fees."

"Council Committee Tables Ambulance Fee in Montgomery,"  October 24, 2008.  Washington Post

 

"Volunteers Vow Referendum to Stop Ambulance Fees,"  October 22, 2008.  Gazette. 

"Dangerous Fees in Montgomery County,"  October 19, 2008  Washington Post Op-Ed piece by Councilmember Phil Andrews 

 

"Questions Remain on Ambulance Fees," September 17, 2008 Gazette Op-Ed piece 

List of organizations that have come out against the ambulance fee legislation. 

Community Alert, March 29, 2008

Previous events

Take Action Now

Ambulance fees are a bad idea in principle and in practice, and the Council should reject such fees. Email or write: To express your support or disapproval for any Councilmember's vote on this issue, use the following contact information:

Background

Ambulance service in Montgomery County is funded by taxes and donations and is currently provided at no charge to those who call for help. If approved by the County Council, the County will charge $300 to $800 for calling 9-1-1 for an ambulance. An ambulance fee is an additional tax on County residents and has the potential for discouraging many, particularly the elderly, the under-insured, and those with insurance co-pays and deductibles, from calling 9-1-1.

A resident experiencing a heart attack, stroke, or other life-threatening emergency should not have to worry about insurance hassles before calling 9-1-1. This is a basic public service, and we shouldn’t impose a separate tax on those who call 9-1-1.

Serious Concerns Remain; Questions About the Proposed Fee Are Unanswered

Important concerns about the serious health and financial impacts of an ambulance fee on our community exist: 

Residents might be discouraged from calling 911.   We have found no study or analysis that looks beyond jurisdiction-wide call statistics and examines specifically how ambulance fees affect the uninsured, under-insured, and other less-advantaged groups -- i.e., those most likely to be adversely affected by an ambulance fee.  In Fairfax County, a preliminary analysis shows that the per capita number of calls to 9-1-1 dropped once a fee was instituted.  Ambulance fee supporters say it will not deter calls, but have not offered any studies that contradict the common-sense notion that if you charge people hundreds of dollars, some will be deterred from calling 9-1-1 when help is needed most. 

The County should not turn an important public service into a profit-making center. Documents released by the County reveal that paid consultants have urged the County to maximize profits by “establishing rates that are comfortably above the approved Medicare fee schedule” and to re-train ambulance personnel “to fully realize these revenue projections.” Fire and rescue personnel should be saving lives, not altering their protocols to inflate government revenues.

Claims regarding Fire/Rescue budget are flawed.    Not all insurance companies will pay the fee–which undercuts the Executive’s revenue predictions.

County government expenditures, including within the Fire/Rescue System, need examining.  Alternatives exist.   Recent press accounts have highlighted the need for the County to eliminate wasteful spending.    The County needs to examine its spending practices to ensure efficiency before it hits County residents in the pocket with additional fees.  Moreover, the County has not explored alternative ways of saving money, such as maximizing the use of professionally trained volunteers.  

Charging Residents for Services Often Provided By Volunteers. More than 150 professionally trained volunteers at the B-CC Rescue Squad serve as EMTs, Paramedics and Firefighters. Hundreds more serve in other departments. We believe the County should not charge for a service we provide for free.

The Views of Others. Within the past year, many groups have declared their opposition to ambulance fees, including:

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association

Montgomery County League of Women Voters

Montgomery County Civic Federation

The Western Montgomery County Citizens’ Advisory Board

The Silver Spring Citizens' Advisory Board

Town of Chevy Chase

Town of Kensington

Town of Somerset

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Chamber of Commerce

Leisure World Democratic Club

Bethesda Fire Department

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad
Burtonsville Volunteer Fire Department
Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire Department
Chevy Chase Fire Department
Damascus Volunteer Fire Department
Gaithersburg-Washington Grove Fire Department
Germantown Volunteer Fire Department
Glen Echo Volunteer Fire Department
Hillandale Volunteer Fire Department
Hyattstown Volunteer Fire Department
Kensington Volunteer Fire Department
Laytonsville District Volunteer Fire Department
Rockville Volunteer Fire Department
Sandy Spring Volunteer Fire Department
Silver Spring Volunteer Fire Department
Takoma Park Volunteer Fire Department
Upper Montgomery County Volunteer Fire Department
Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad

Community organizations are encouraged to publish this information in community papers, electronic bulletin boards, and listserves, and to reproduce and distribute copies of this release.

To receive email updates on this and other Rescue Squad issues, click here to sign up for our email newsletter.  

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The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, Inc.

5020 Battery Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814