July 10, 2009

COMMUNITY ALERT

 Ambulance Fee Update:

Council Rejects Latest Proposed Fee, But Legislation Still Poses a Threat in 2009. 

Call the Council and Express Your Opposition to Bill 25-08, "EMS Transport Fee"

Thank your for expressing your opposition.     

Take action now.

View a sample letter to send to the Montgomery County Council. 

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.)

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

Update: 

At the County Council meeting held on Tuesday June 30, 2009, the Council voted on legislation related to regulations for administering an ambulance transport fee. The legislation was defeated by a vote of 3 for, 5 against, and 1 abstained.   Although the regulations were defeated, the proposed ambulance fee itself is still on the table and could be brought up for a vote at any time.   County fire/rescue officials say they plan to continue to promote the fee proposal.    Thus, the door is still open for the the Council to enact an ambulance fee this year.  Your calls, letters, and emails are still needed so that the Council hears your opposition.     

Please call individual members of the County Council to express your opposition. 

Officials from the Rescue Squad, other local fire/rescue departments, and members of the public comtinue 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.  

Take action: Your calls, emails, and letters make a difference.   Please call, write a letter, or send an email so the Council hears your opposition to ambulance fees.   Thank you for your support. 

Take Action Now

Ambulance fees are a bad idea in principle and in practice, and the Council should reject such fees. Email or write: Please send an email to every Councilmember expressing your opposition to Bill 25-08. For a sample letter, visit www.bccrs.org .

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 $350 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

Our March 29 Community Alert (which can be viewed at www.bccrs.org) raised important concerns about the serious health and financial impacts of an ambulance fee on our community. Several of these concerns bear repeating, and other concerns have arisen:

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. The County refuses to do such research. In Fairfax County, the per capita number of calls to 9-1-1 dropped once a fee was instituted. Thus, the fee could jeoparadize lives.

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 needs are suspect. According to the Executive’s budget, revenue from the Fire Tax, fire code permits and enforcement, and federal/state grants in FY 2009 will exceed fire/rescue operating expenses by $12 million (assuming no ambulance fee). (See http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/omb/FY09/psprec/frs.pdf at page 7). The overage should be available to address important capital needs (e.g., new stations, additional vehicles). While the legislation proposes using the fee to "supplement" expenditures for fire/rescue needs, the language is too subject to interpretation. Many subjective chargebacks and assignments of overhead costs occur in the budget process - a quid pro quo will occur that negates the intent of this provision.   Moreover, no business plan exists for the fee. 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 several months, many groups have declared their opposition to this latest ambulance fee proposal, including:

The Montgomery County Volunteer Fire-Rescue Association

Montgomery County Fire/Rescue Commission

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

Take Action Now

Please call or email your Councilmember (and all others if possible) to express your opposition to Bill 25-08, "Emergency Medical Services Transport Fee."  Thank you for your support. Click here to view a sample letter. 

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