Rough ride: Ambulance service continuing problem

The Oklahoman Editorial

Published: November 28, 2008

Ambulance service and how to pay for it is a topic of discussion at the state and city levels.

Many parts of rural Oklahoma aren’t covered by ambulance service because companies that run them have gone out of business. The head of emergency medical services for the state Health Department says the situation "is still a crisis,” and he and others plan to ask the Legislature for help. Ambulance operators will appeal to a House committee next session.

One thing they hope lawmakers will reconsider, and we do, too, is a plan that would allow emergency medical service districts to call elections on whether to increase an ambulance service levy from three mills to six mills. The Legislature did nothing with a similar bill last session.

In Oklahoma City, the city council will vote next month on whether to charge residential water customers a fee of $3.65 per month to pay for Emergency Medical Services Authority service.

The plan would enroll participants in EMSA’s TotalCare program, which covers the cost of ambulance rides. Tulsa implemented a similar fee and it was well received. In Oklahoma City, the plan would take effect in October 2009, with residents being allowed the option not to take part.

For years, the city has used its general fund to cover the difference between EMSA’s costs and the amount the ambulance services brings in. This year the shortfall was about $4 million, and the amount grows each year. This optional fee may be the best way to handle a problem that isn’t going away.

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