[runswithscissors]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

My guess is they got my medical insurance info from the hospital, as I had already been in and out many times. I was unconscious, so I did not give it to them.

In NC, I was part of the safety committee for our company, and we did indeed pay every single time we called an ambulance. It may have just been a company decision, but that is what we did. We never wanted a situation where decisions had to be made on someone's health. We just called and got them the help right away.

I'm still confused. LOL So you got admitted to the ER unconscious. Got treated, left, and never asked the hospital anything about payment? Never had to sign anything or speak to anyone in the billing department? Free medical, YAY!

My mother routinely was non compliant about her diabetes and shipped to the ER every month in borderline diabetic comas. No way was it all magic behind the scenes. And they never sent her home without being able to talk and resolve her insurance and billing. In fact, they had her RECORDS THERE.

Maybe they had your records in the hospital from previous occurrences.

You can always call an ambulance for someone without worrying about the payment. They just bill the person, who then submits insurance information. Ambulances are often private depending on where you live, not always city services.

YES "they" (the insurance company) got your bills from the hospital.

"Calling" the ambulance in No.Carolina doesn't mean "PAYING" the ambulance company. While they may have paid it, then taken it as a write off, and the incidents probably infrequent, did you actually WORK in that department that pays bills there? Why would they pay ambulance fees if the employees had coverage?

And the ambulance company in NC is NOT going to bill the PLACE where the person got picked up, you can't legally bill someone who didn't receive the services.

Anyway, it seems you didn't ask any questions of anyone about how anything happened regarding your admission to the ER or after so perhaps it'll get pieced together when that happens.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by Lior Arel

It's okay, though. The US Healthcare system is fine the way it is

I'd suggest that if you're looking to Obamacare for free ambulance rides, or free healthcare for that matter, you'll be sadly disappointed.....

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

Thx. Just wanted to know before paying, as this is the opposite of how we did it in NC. I plan on calling my insurance company to find out why they paid so little on this one before I pay. They have been paying great on everything else. Managing all the medical charges and insurance payments I have been going through is becoming a full-time job itself.

It's been my experience that the insurance company pays a set amount for ambulance services, and seems they consider most ambulance companies as "out of network", so they pay that fee and the subscriber is left with the bill...It's frustrating because at the time you need the ambulance it's not like you're in any position to argue against using their services, and the cost hits you later.

The ambulance (county fire rescue) that took my daughter to the hospital after she was involved in a multicar accident on the interstate charged her insurance about $650. Her insurance paid them $500 and the city of Tampa came after her for the additional $150- there was no bargaining with them over that amount.

Perhaps your insurance company will be of some help if you can talk to them. Or even the ambulance company. We did have some luck a few years ago and inadvertently uncovered what seemed to be a fraudulant operation involving a private ambulance company and a hospital providing transportation for patients at that hospital to its sister hospital down the street for routine procedures which were apparently also available at the first hospital.

[limehousemiller]

Originally Posted by PriusH8r

In North Carolina, if we (the employer) called an ambulance to take one of our employees from our work facility to the hospital, we (the employer) paid for it, as we called for it.

Well, my last day of employment here in Florida ended up with me having passed out and the company calling an ambulance. Somehow my insurance was charged, they paid a small percentage and the ambulance company billed me for the balance totaling $550. Does this sound correct? Is the employee responsible in Florida for the cost of an ambulance they did not call, but the employer did?

I just don't want to pay before I find out, as this is so different than my last employer.

Thx

All emergency services should be free. I say we start seizing the assets of some of these billionaires and large corporations to cover the costs if it is not affordable.

[jghorton]

The reality is that few people who need an ambulance actually make the call themselves. Are you suggesting that when someone is, for example, having a heart attack, that the ambulance company should insist on first getting payment approval from the victim before sending the ambulance?

The outrageous thing is that patients will sometimes be billed $1000-$2000 for a 10-minute ambulance ride with a driver and a paramedic! --- But, as with most medical services today, they typically accept 'whatever the insurance company and patient will pay.'

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

I'm still confused. LOL So you got admitted to the ER unconscious. Got treated, left, and never asked the hospital anything about payment? Never had to sign anything or speak to anyone in the billing department? Free medical, YAY!

My mother routinely was non compliant about her diabetes and shipped to the ER every month in borderline diabetic comas. No way was it all magic behind the scenes. And they never sent her home without being able to talk and resolve her insurance and billing. In fact, they had her RECORDS THERE.

Maybe they had your records in the hospital from previous occurrences.

You can always call an ambulance for someone without worrying about the payment. They just bill the person, who then submits insurance information. Ambulances are often private depending on where you live, not always city services.

YES "they" (the insurance company) got your bills from the hospital.

"Calling" the ambulance in No.Carolina doesn't mean "PAYING" the ambulance company. While they may have paid it, then taken it as a write off, and the incidents probably infrequent, did you actually WORK in that department that pays bills there? Why would they pay ambulance fees if the employees had coverage?

And the ambulance company in NC is NOT going to bill the PLACE where the person got picked up, you can't legally bill someone who didn't receive the services.

Anyway, it seems you didn't ask any questions of anyone about how anything happened regarding your admission to the ER or after so perhaps it'll get pieced together when that happens.

I awoke in the ER and where I had been before, so they had my medical records and insurance info. Just never had the chance to give it to the ambulance personnel, nor did I call them.

Yes, the company I worked for in NC did in fact actually call AND pay for any ambulance ride needed from work for every single employee. We never wanted our employees to ever have to decide if they should call for an ambulance or not. We did not want that pressure on anyone and did not want them to make the wrong decision. As soon as we knew an employee was in trouble, we called the ambulance immediately and we paid for it.

I called my insurance company today and they said the balance I owe for it covers my deductible and they covered the balance......so I just wrote a check to the ambulance company. That works for me, as I am having so many medical procedures that one way or another I was going to hit the max deductible anyhow. Now that is out of the way and I still have a few months left this year of medical procedures coming.

Thx everyone for your help.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by NowSoFlorida

Just tell them you can't afford it and you can only pay $10 a month.

No. I can afford it and I did use the service, even though I did not call for it. I always pay what I owe. Just wanted to make sure I did owe it before writing the check, which as you can see by my previous post.....I just did.

[kiggy]

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

" You have to read your policy FIRST to see what is covered.

Too bad Congress didn't do the same with Obamacare.

[Obrero]

Originally Posted by jghorton

The reality is that few people who need an ambulance actually make the call themselves. Are you suggesting that when someone is, for example, having a heart attack, that the ambulance company should insist on first getting payment approval from the victim before sending the ambulance?

The outrageous thing is that patients will sometimes be billed $1000-$2000 for a 10-minute ambulance ride with a driver and a paramedic! --- But, as with most medical services today, they typically accept 'whatever the insurance company and patient will pay.'

A few years ago one of my kids took a spill from the top of a slide. We were in the middle of nowhere and it took the ambulance 30 mins to get to the hospital. Cost: $3,000 for the ambulance use only. The paramedics were billed separately. At the time they asked if I wanted a helicopter which I refused as it wasn't that urgent. Found out later the billing for the chopper started at $15k and went up from there.