Quick, Call $911.00
A hot topic of discussion the past few months has been the City of Winchester’s decision to start charging folks who are taken to the hospital by the local EMS.
By collecting this fee, it is estimated the city will generate an additional $900,000 per year.
Here is the cost breakdown; $300 for basic life support transports, $355 for advance life support I, $510 for advance life support II transfers, and $9 per loaded mile. For more info. check out this article from The Winchester Star.
It has been stated since the beginning that anyone who cannot afford this new fee will not be charged. Medicare will pay “most” of these situations. Anyone who has private health insurance will be covered by their policy.
If your someplace in between Medicare and a private insurance policy, I don’t know what will happen. Are you automatically covered by Medicare? I don't know the answer.
An estimated 50 million Americans are without health insurance. Many are middle class folks with jobs.
I just hope that "most" of these folks are covered.
posted by RBV @ 8:23 AM
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This has got to be the dumbest idea I've ever heard of. If we are going to privatize and fee base every government service, then what do we need government for?
Maybe we should outsource the City Council: I'm sure we could get a better job for less money.
I agree, Ray. It makes no sense at all. If we are going to itemize each and every service government offers and make them all fee based we should do away with, or at least reduce other “taxes”. So far as I can tell, that is not happening.
Sadly, a lot of localities around The Commonwealth have a system similar to what they are implementing in Winchester, particularly larger ones. Fairfax County is the first that comes to mind.
But, Fairfax County must deal with a different set of circumstances. It’s not uncommon for a firefighter or EMT in Fairfax County to bring home 80K-100K/year if they work enough overtime.
That same job in Winchester will get you in the 30K-40K range – maybe.
Crazy world, ain’t it?
But RedBull- it isnt 'the same job' here and in Fairfax.
There shootings are a daily occurrence- Here they happen once a year.
There fatal traffic incidents are a daily occurrence. Here they are once a year.
There you have the ratio of paradmedic to tax paying citizen (plus the burden of illegals) at 5-8,000 to 1. Here its like 1,000 to one with only 2500 illegals.
Taking traffic congrestion into account; There it probably takes 10-15 to respond to a call- here its like 3-5 minutes.
They run probably 40-50 calls a day, here they run maybe 5.
You're not comparing apples to apples.
I say charge them all, thus the ones that havent any insurance nor funds to pay the 911 fee just wont use the service. Better for you and me. (and Ray Hyde)
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