March 25, 2008

COMMUNITY ALERT

AMBULANCE FEES POSE A THREAT IN 2008:

WILL YOU HAVE TO PAY A  9-1-1 TAX?  

Express your opposition. 

Take action now

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

The Montgomery County Executive has included an ambulance fee in the County’s upcoming budget. If approved by the County Council, residents will be charged $300 to $800 for calling 9-1-1 for an ambulance.  Ambulance fees are wrong for several reasons:

• Residents may be discouraged from calling 9-1-1 in a life-threatening emergency. This is particularly true for the elderly, un- or under-insured, and other vulnerable populations.

• Residents already pay a separate Fire Tax that funds more than 95% of the fire/rescue system’s operating budget, and many residents donate more to local departments. Why should residents pay twice for 911 service?

• Many ambulances are staffed by professionally trained volunteers who enthusiastically serve their communities for free.  Why should the County charge for the services of volunteers?

Take Action Now

Communicating your views now to the Montgomery County Council will help ensure that the County does not charge you for calling 9-1-1. Please call or send an email now to express your opposition. For a sample letter, click here.

Montgomery County Council

(If possible, call or email each Councilmember to make your voice heard):

To send an email to all Council members: County.Council@montgomerycountymd.gov

*The Council District 4 seat, previously held by the late Marilyn Praisner, will be filled by special election on May 13, 2008.

Background

Previous proposals to charge an ambulance fee have been rejected by the public and by the County Council, but officials responsible for revenue generation are again trying to institute a fee for 2008. An ambulance user fee has many hidden costs to the community, financial and otherwise, that Montgomery County residents should not be willing to pay:

• Fear of the billing process may cause residents, especially the elderly and those without adequate health insurance, to hesitate calling for an ambulance when they need one. In a survey conducted in April 2003, in response to an ambulance fee proposal, 39.6% of respondents said they would be less likely to call 9-1-1. Early activation of the 9-1-1 system is critical to patients with heart attacks, strokes, and other life-threatening emergencies. An ambulance fee may create another barrier that can risk lives.

• Many County residents–even those with Medicare or health insurance–will end up paying for an ambulance out of their own pockets. Patients will incur costs for co-pays and deductibles.  Patients may even end up paying the entire cost because of insurance company hassles and disputes over whether the trip was “medically necessary.” Some residents (such as the elderly) may be unlikely to contest charges or complete a burdensome appeals process to demonstrate they are poor. When a resident is experiencing a medical emergency, they shouldn’t have to choose between calling 9-1-1 or waiting for a taxi.

• Ambulance user fees may well lead to increased health insurance rates. Some have opined that an ambulance user fee will bring the County government “free money.” That’s a bit of wishful thinking. That “free money” must come from somewhere. Indeed, much of the cost will be born by Medicare and Medicaid -- which means the cost will be merely shifted to other taxpayer-financed programs.

• An ambulance fee would cost the County government at least $2 million a year in administrative costs alone, according to a 2004 County report. This cost includes administrative personnel and private bill collectors to pursue County residents for payment.

• Ambulance fees will be charged for services that volunteers provide for free. Many ambulances are staffed by professionally trained volunteer fire/rescue personnel. (In Bethesda, alone, the vast majority of ambulance runs are staffed by volunteers and other non-County personnel.) How can the County charge residents for services volunteers provide -- enthusiastically -- for free? That’s one reason the Montgomery County Volunteer Fire/Rescue Association strongly opposes the ambulance fee.

• Ambulance service is among the most essential of public services, and Montgomery County should not charge for it. The concept of charging for ambulance service violates the quality-of-life values fundamental to our County. You already pay taxes and donations for fire and rescue service. The fire and rescue service should remain a system that helps people rather than one that views each patient as a source of revenue.

Please call or email the Montgomery County Council to express your opposition to the ambulance fee proposal. 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.  

Return to Newsroom

contact us - news - join - donate - newsletter -search

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad, Inc.

5020 Battery Lane, Bethesda, Maryland 20814