EMSA service may be added to Oklahoma City water bills HealthPrice would start at $3.65 a month
BY BRYAN DEAN
Published: December 1, 2008
An Emergency Medical Service Authority ambulance is shown at the EMSA operations facility, SW 23 and Walker, in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma City Council will decide this month whether to charge residential water customers for ambulance service. photo by Paul B. Southerland, the oklahoman
Oklahoma City Council members will decide this month whether to charge residential water customers for ambulance service.
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The proposal would likely cost each water customer $3.65 a month, unless they choose to opt out of the program.
Following are questions and answers about the proposal, which is set for a final vote Dec. 16.
Q: What will residents get for their $3.65 a month?A: They will be automatically enrolled in TotalCare, the Emergency Medical Service Authority’s program which covers all out-of-pocket expenses for an ambulance ride.
Q: When will the program begin?A: Assuming the proposal wins council approval, it will begin Oct. 1, after the city’s new utility billing system goes online.
Q: Can residents choose not to pay the fee?A: Yes. There will be an opt-out period from Sept. 1 to Sept. 30. Those who choose to opt out will not be covered by TotalCare. All residential water customers will be automatically enrolled unless they opt out.
Q: What is the cost of an ambulance ride for those not enrolled in TotalCare?A: In EMSA’s Western Division, which includes Oklahoma City and 11 suburbs, the current price is $720. The council will likely raise that price to $1,100, the same price Tulsa charges, to keep the monthly fee down for those who enroll in TotalCare. The actual cost of providing an ambulance ride is more than $2,000, EMSA officials said.
Q: Will apartments and other multifamily residences be included?A: Yes. Landlords will have the option to opt out, and must inform residents in writing of their choice. Those whose landlords choose to opt out can pay for a TotalCare membership on their own at the same price as residential water customers.
Q: Are other cities using similar subscription services?A: Yes. Oklahoma City is essentially copying the idea from Tulsa, where more than 90 percent of residents are enrolled in EMSA’s TotalCare program through their monthly water bill. Burbank, Calif., Odessa, Texas, and Pinellas County, Fla., are a few communities that are using similar subscription programs.
Q: Will the $3.65 fee go up in the future?A: Maybe. The cost of providing ambulance service continues to rise. City officials believe the $3.65 fee will cover costs until at least 2012. After that, the council will decide whether to raise the subscription fee for water customers or raise the cost of an ambulance ride for those who opt out.
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If the city is going to start charging for the service. Then why don't they just absorb EMSA into the Fire Dept. like they had talked about several years ago.
Well, we're down to a final choice - either not have the service or have the service. I do have one question for the leaders out there: If you're so strapped for budget, why does the entire fire department have to respond every time? I used to live near an assisted living facility. Every time an ambulance was called (average two times per day) an entire fire brigade would respond. Why do you need a fire truck (with everyone dressed) when someone slips and falls? But I digress... This is another example of ill management by all. For the last twenty years, the leaders have passed out permits to every developer walking in with a crayon drawn plan. We pushed pushed pushed to be a big city, but when it came time to actually be a big city, we failed miserably. OKCPD manning has stagnated for at least 15 years. No one cared about funding the infrastructure, but they sure as hell wanted the population. So now it's 2009 and we still don't get it. Are the OKC leaders truly that stupid to not know what the hell happened? Too busy with those fish tattoo laws I guess. WTF?
We tried this in the City of El Reno, adding $5 to the water bill. It didn't work and not only is our Ambulance service still at threat of being lost, but also our community hospital. It's probably best to get to the root of the problem, the extreme high cost of the service itself. You can throw a thousand excuses at me as to why it costs so much, but when you get to the root of the problem it comes down to overcharging for services. From the salaries (especially of the administrators), fees, to the costs of gauze, fuel and tires, maintenance, everything - everything is so overcharged and the greed on ALL levels has made health care so expensive that a nation such as ours is one of the worse in the World now. Don't blame the uninsured, the insured can't afford it either. Why does a 3x3 piece of gauze cost a patient $700 on average. Specially imported from Mars? I understand the cost of running an Ambulance, maintaining it and it's staff, I used to be an EMT. But why does the ride cost $2000? Can a given service make public their monthly costs for the public's scrutiny and still justify their costs. It's profiteering on the sick, plain and simple. Yes, medical service is a business, but does it need to be more profitable than say banking or real estate?
El Reno’s ambulances face an economic emergency 12/15/2008 The cost of ambulance services is handicapping El Reno’s hospital, causing its board to hire a management company last week to try to heal its budget...
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