Residents in Louisa Reassured on EMS Fees: All in Need Will Receive Service, Officials Say; Hearing is Today
By Calvin R. Trice, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Nov. 5–Louisa County officials want residents to know that at no time will anyone be denied emergency medical services for financial reasons.
The Louisa Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing today during the board’s 5 p.m. meeting on a proposal to charge fees for emergency transportation. However, supervisors and emergency-services personnel say no one will be denied emergency assistance because they can’t pay the fee.
If the proposal passes, the rules don’t change in case of a medical emergency. Just dial 911, and an ambulance will arrive with medical technicians and lifesaving equipment to treat anyone in need. And they’re not going to ask for money.
After treatment or transport, the fees would be billed to insurance providers, Medicare or Medicaid. Those without insurance would receive a series of three bills, but if they are unable to pay, the fee would be waived.
Supervisor Richard Havasy said the fee amounts have not been set, but officials are considering about $350 for basic service, plus $8 per mile. Advanced life support could be about $450, but it depends on the kind of medication used. The proposal also includes an option for Louisa households to pay an annual subscription fee of $69 to avoid being sent any bill for services that are not covered by insurance.
“We’re doing this mostly to make sure we’ll be able to continue the excellent service we’ve been providing,” he said.
Havasy said he expects the board to vote on whether to go ahead with the plan, but if approved, it likely would not take effect until July.
Money from the fees would be used to offset the rising costs of emergency medical equipment and ambulances. County EMS officials also are projecting an increased call volume because of Louisa’s growing population. According to census data, the county’s 2006 population estimate was 31,226, an increase of almost 22 percent in six years. Statewide, the overall increase in population was 8 percent during that time.
As the population has grown and volunteers’ employment situations have changed, the county has come to rely more on paid emergencyservices workers to cover daytime shifts, Havasy said.
“[The] cost of providing EMS is increasing at a rapid rate, so the county is looking at its options to help recover some of those costs,” said Michael Schlemmer, coordinator of the county’s Department of Emergency Services.
About 100 rescue squads in Virginia bill for transport, including those in Richmond, the counties of Chesterfield and Hanover and all Tri-Cities localities. In Richmond, the basic charge is $430, or $530 for advanced life support-level two, plus $8.25 per mile. Caroline County, according to its Web site, charges a $400 basic rate, or $500 for advanced life support-level one or $600 for advanced life support-level two, plus $9 per mile.
Adopting fees doesn’t turn EMS into a business for paying customers only. It’s still a public service along with fire and police, delivered when needed with no questions asked.
Volunteers expect to continue relying on donations to operate.
Louisa’s supervisors have taken extra care to make public the proposal, called the Revenue Recovery Program, without alarming the public and discouraging people who might need help from calling.
In addition to holding a public hearing on ambulance fees today, the county has posted an explanation of the issue on its Web site. Also, a special committee assembled for the issue held an open house on the matter last month.
The county could recuperate as much as $1.6 million in emergency transportation costs from insurance providers, said Havasy, the board liaison to the committee. And county residents won’t notice a difference in service, except possibly an improvement, he said.
“This revenue is going back to our emergency service to provide better equipment, the latest technology and even education for them,” he said. Contact Calvin R. Trice at (540) 932-3674 or ctrice@timesdispatch.com.
Times-Dispatch research librarian Kathy Albers contributed to this report.
—–
To see more of the Richmond Times-Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesdispatch.com.
Copyright (c) 2007, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.