Senior surprised by $315 bill for calling 911

[Hum]

I guess I was panicking a little bit because women don't have the same symptoms as men for heart attack," Sarrel said.

She dialed 911, and soon a team of North Shore emergency medical technicians were at her door. Her vitals were OK; so was the electrocardiogram. They told her she wasn't having a heart attack.

"'But we can take you to the hospital,' and I said, 'Why would I go to the hospital if I don't need to?'" Sarrel said.

A week later, a bill for her 911 call came in the mail.

"For a grand total of $315.38," Sarrel said. "I can't afford this. I'm a senior. I'm living on Social Security," Sarrel said.

North Shore Fire Chief Robert Whitaker told WISN 12 News that many residents don't know their taxes don't completely cover 911 costs, so the department posts fees on its website.

Whitaker said most private insurance covers the cost, but Medicare generally only covers the cost if patients go to a hospital because otherwise, it doesn't consider the call "medically necessary."

Whitaker said he believes that's a bad policy because patients either make unnecessary trips to an emergency room to avoid a bill -- or, worse yet, they have Sarrel's reaction.

"I said to myself, 'I'll never call 911 again,'" she said.

Friday afternoon, a Medicare spokeswoman told WISN 12 News the agency doesn't want to discourage anyone from calling 911. She said a case worker will contact Sarrel to review her claim.

North Shore Fire said it wants people to call 911 and works with those with financial hardships to resolve their bills.

source & video

[macrosslover]

Sucks it has to be this way but unless people want to pay more in taxes or fees to avoid this, this is a necessary cost of doing business.  Too many people call 911 trying to get free medical care because they can't afford to go to the hospital or just don't want to.  So they call 911 to ask for a few things thinking it will be free, not caring that ambulance could be used on a real call and the care they are providing you is not free.  $315 isn't that much though, senior or not.

[Digitalfox]

That's ridiculous... If it was a prank, ok deserved, but on this situation... I prefer living in a broke country than on one that bill you for 911. What a joke...

Sucks it has to be this way but unless people want to pay more in taxes or fees to avoid this, this is a necessary cost of doing business.  Too many people call 911 trying to get free medical care because they can't afford to go to the hospital or just don't want to.  So they call 911 to ask for a few things thinking it will be free, not caring that ambulance could be used on a real call and the care they are providing you is not free.  $315 isn't that much though, senior or not.

 

I will never understand the Medical health policy on USA, you guys have the most rich people and company's on the planet and you charge for calling 911?

 

Ok I had to add also this: You spent billions on stupid wars like Iraq based on lies and no one get's a penalty, prison anyone? And yet charge 911 calls?

 

I'm not a USA hater, far from it, I have great American friends but I do tell them you are running a really crazy country!

Edited August 19, 2014 by Digitalfox

[Mr. Gibs]

Sucks it has to be this way but unless people want to pay more in taxes or fees to avoid this, this is a necessary cost of doing business.  Too many people call 911 trying to get free medical care because they can't afford to go to the hospital or just don't want to.  So they call 911 to ask for a few things thinking it will be free, not caring that ambulance could be used on a real call and the care they are providing you is not free.  $315 isn't that much though, senior or not.

Why? If you have a real emergency the fee should be waived. If you don't and it's a prank call then charge the ###### out of those morons. Make it $10,000 for all I care.

[Hum]

Pay a dollar per week, and steal a can of cat food ... :shifty:

[xrobwx71]

Sucks it has to be this way but unless people want to pay more in taxes or fees to avoid this, this is a necessary cost of doing business.  Too many people call 911 trying to get free medical care because they can't afford to go to the hospital or just don't want to.  So they call 911 to ask for a few things thinking it will be free, not caring that ambulance could be used on a real call and the care they are providing you is not free.  $315 isn't that much though, senior or not.

It is when your SS income is $1100.00 a month. She has rent, food, utilities, etc. I am speaking for seniors I know and help personally, so I don't have an actual source that I can post. 

[macrosslover]

It is when your SS income is $1100.00 a month. She has rent, food, utilities, etc. I am speaking for seniors I know and help personally, so I don't have an actual source that I can post. 

I meant for the specific service that she got, it wasn't that much money.  Senior or not, if she went to the hospital she would have been paying probably two times as much for the exact same thing.

 

That's ridiculous... If it was a prank, ok deserved, but on this situation... I prefer living in a broke country than on one that bill you for 911. What a joke...

 

I will never understand the Medical health policy on USA, you guys have the most rich people and company's on the planet and you charge for calling 911?

 

Ok I had to add also this: You spent billions on stupid wars like Iraq based on lies and no one get's a penalty, prison anyone? And yet charge 911 calls?

 

I'm not a USA hater, far from it, I have great American friends but I do tell them you are running a really crazy country!

the main problem is what the Fire Chief said, taxes don't cover the full cost of services.  Unless people want to pay more in taxes, then this is the system that's in place for now.  What the article really needs to say is Senior's insurance company refuses to cover medical visit.  If she had went to the hospital, her insurance would have covered it, but since she just wanted to get checked out and probably take a pill or whatever to lower blood pressure, that costs money.

 

There is no way the paramedic services can absorb the cost of "free healthcare" and not attempt to get that money back somehow.  They'd go broke quickly and not be able to provide service.  Before people get worked up, you have to understand the fire departments in your area aren't doing this for profit they are doing this just to cover their costs that's it.

[Defcon]

Typical America. Spending trillions on wars and bogus programs like 'war on drugs' is perfectly ok, not to mention the trillions in subsidies to corporations. But mention anything that actually helps people, esp those in lower/middle class, and we are asked to pay more taxes. Wonderful.

[DocM]

This is very much a local thing. Here real 911 calls aren't charged, and seniors are a priority.

OTOH - if you're a prankster they'll come down on you with a load of bricks, including criminal charges its serious enough or a repeat offense.

[+Red King Subscriber²]

911 is a service and should be billed as such

[E Pluribus Unum]

Just take a closer look at the breakup of expenses, and you'll see that the generous benefits, pensions, and wages for these union workers are becoming a huge problem for the municipalities in the U.S. It's only going to be a matter of time before we see more and more cities, and possibly even states collapsing because they are unable to pay, they can only raise the fees and taxes so high before people either move away or start revolting.  

 

Mark my words.

[Dane]

That's actually still pretty cheap.

If you call 911 for an ambulance and we get there and you say "you know, I don't think I'll goto the hospital". You'll still get a bill. I think it's $150? If you are a member, you'll only have to pay $50. If you're a member and your insurance only pays half of the bill, you only pay $100-$150 depending on the service.

Medics, which is what came out to this lady did a good bit. Chances are, if she went to her Primary Care Doctor and he did the EKG too, her insurance wouldn't have covered it.

Medicare is a pain in the ass. They look for reasons not to pay anything at all. Same thing if you goto the hospital for treatment. If you get admitted for days and decide "I'm going home". Your insurance will most likely not pay a cent.

My organization isn't union.

Say the ambulance sends the bill to Medicare for $1,000. You got some meds, hooked up to the EKG, oxygen and whatnot.

Send the bill to Medicare, they give a check for $300. (This has happened a few times) and you pretty much accept it or you don't get money.

Edit:

For a comment above, "if it's a real emergency the fee should be waived". That's not how that works. Depending on your emergency and illness or injury you could be getting a decent amount of drugs given. Nitro, Epi, atropine, D50, and a few others they add up. The ambulances don't get anything like that for free. They have to order it and pay sometimes a ridiculous amount. Hospitals with their own ambulances get a cheaper rate because they get it directly from the hospital who buy it in bulk. Smaller places have to pay for everything out of pocket.

We just used an epipen on someone. And bought two and it was over $400 total. It's ridiculous.

[DocM]

Just take a closer look at the breakup of expenses, and you'll see that the generous benefits, pensions, and wages for these union workers are becoming a huge problem for the municipalities in the U.S. It's only going to be a matter of time before we see more and more cities, and possibly even states collapsing because they are unable to pay, they can only raise the fees and taxes so high before people either move away or start revolting.

Mark my words.

Detroit largely collapsed because of high union benefit and retirement costs, and the state of Michigan was close to it with a $1.7 billion annual deficit. Then in 2010 Gov. Snyder and his legislative crew were elected, took the bull by the horns and we now have a $500 million annual surplus. Turnaround took just over a year.

Then his team forced Detroit to accept a managed bankruptcy instead of waiting for an uncontrolled collapse. So far it's going rather well, but the gangs and their wars are still a problem

It takes the people deciding to elect grownups, not Pied Pipers.

California is still riding the tax & over-spend wave, but the cracks are showing and before long it'll be in crisis too. LA and other cities already are.

I agree that other states will go through the same problems, but you can't fix then with politicians legislatures that say yes to every grpup who wants some benefit or service at no or low cost. They have to learn to say no.

[Shiranui]

So get up get get get down

911's a joke in yo town