Hank Investigates: Steep ambulance fees

An ambulance took Leonard O'Neil from the hospital to his Wakefield rehab center. The trip was one tenth of a mile--that's less than 2 football fields. When his daughter saw the bill for that ride: she freaked. Nine hundred and eight dollars!

Leah Sellers/Patient's Daughter

"It's horrible, it's horrible"

Now guess how much it cost for the ambulance ride Mary Lou Cashman took from her Natick hospital to a rehab center--four-tenths of a mile away? Here's *her* bill. Nine hundred twenty seven dollars!

Hank:

"When you saw that bill, what did you think?"

Marilou Cashman, Patient:

"I think I was horrified by the amount."

Her niece could not believe it.

Lisa Natoli/Patient's Niece

"Close to $1000 to send someone to a facility that I can see from one place to another is ridiculous!"

Their insurance companies said *they* wouldn’t pay them. They'd decided the trips were "not medically necessary."

Both times, the ambulance was called by the hospital after doctors' orders. Leah's dad had a broken hip and was on oxygen. MaryLou was recovering from abdominal surgery.

Hank

"Could she walk?

Lisa Natoli

"No."

Hank

"Could she have gone in a wheelchair?"

Lisa Natoli

"No."

Hank

"Could you have taken her in a car?"

Lisa Natoli

"No".

Hospitals say they only use ambulances when the patients need them. But health experts say patients don't realize insurance providers can reject rides *they* decide are not medically necessary.

Alan Sager/BU School of Public Health

HANK: Is the insurance trying to save money? Are they managing their costs?

SAGER: Every insurance company tries to avoid paying claims."

And that's how a 500-foot ambulance ride can cost you almost a thousand bucks!

Hank

"Did it ever cross your mind to ask: how much will this cost?"

Lisa Natoli/Patient’s niece

"No!"

Ambulance companies explain: all that state of the art medical equipment and highly trained staff cost big bucks--so they bill a minimum charge the moment the ride begins. And we found: There's no regulation of ambulance charges.

And that leaves patients in the middle of a battle they never expected--one that puts their finances in critical condition.

Leah Sellers/patient’s daughter

"Families that are going through this thing don't need the extra stress of these bills."

If this happens to you--you can try to appeal to the insurance company--sometimes that works. You can also negotiate directly with the ambulance company--sometimes they'll make a deal.

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