Ambulance Cost - Buyer Experiences and Price Information

I used the national park ambulance service. I have Blue Cross/shield they paid approx 600.00 I have a co pay of 250.00 which left a balance of about 1200.00. I asked why they won't accept what the insurance company says the ride is worth. I was told they will not negotiate with insurance companies, which seems very strange since the government themselves via the affordable health care act forces people to take insurance. but the government won't accept the insurance companies authorized fees.

My sugar dropped in the middle of the night, our local volunteer ambulance was called, they called Monroe. Gave me an IV of sugar (a Gatorade would have the same effect), refused to go to hospital (they charge $16 a mile) and bill sent to me for $2300. I work, but insurance takes effect in 2 months.

Non emergency transport from Springfield, Vt ER to Lebanon NH ER. 41 miles, NO lights/siren/supplies/EMT/movie/meal/ care....just a ride

I had a toe injury and could not drive because of it. My husband could have taken me but I would have had to wait. I could have and should have it I knew that a 3.5 mile lift to the hospital would cost me over $500! I have insurance but they denied it and put the amount towards my deductible! We pay almost $190 a year to Fox River& Countryside Fire and this is the only time we have ever used them so maybe they owe us?

I broke my ankle and disclocated it in Puyallup, WA-was not at home and was too painful to move. Dialed 911 and had no idea the rip off of private ambulances. My past experiences (w/relatives needing an ambulance-fire dept responded and there was no charge. Expected a bill of maybe $500-was appalled when I got this bill and contacted the VA to see if they would cover any as I am a veteran and get my health care at the VA. I called the company and asked them to send there. I later got an adjusted bill w/new total of $1111.50-still a rip off. I am filing a complaint w/the Attorney General's office and contacting Pierce County to express my displeasure-maybe if they get a ton of complaints, it may have results. Are they no price controls on any medical costs in this country? Are they allowed to charge whatever they want? this company is not even a local company and appears to be based in Texas. I am delaying paying this bill until I contact agencies w/my complaints.

This is legal rip-off. In my case, just a 9 miles ride from 1 hospital to the other without any medical attention cost me 1200 out of pocket. How can states attorneys and legislators let this happen everywhere. How much greed is enough ? No wonder medical bills and insurance rates keep going up dramatically everyday.

It appears that Ambulance Services just charge whatever they want, and people have to pay, whether justified or not. I was in the San Francisco Airport, waiting for a flight, and I started to feel overheated. Medical staff at the Airport determined that I was NOT having a heart attack, but wanted to send me to a nearby Hospital to get checked out. EMT in the ambulance determined that the problem was low glucose, so he gave me a sport drink, which had glucose levels back to normal by the time I reached the hospital. The ER ran several tests, including an EKG, and gave me something to eat. The ER Charge was only about $700. Ambulance - $2,400. Seems outrageous to me, for a 10 minute ride! The cab ride back to the Airport was only $15.

I absolutely agree that my son could not have been taken by ambulance due to the nature of his injury but defiantly feel the cost of $43,000 is way expensive. I could have hired a private plane, private doctor and nurse for half of this cost! He was brought back by ambulance three weeks later can't wait to get that bill and compare. I can't put a price on my sons life but they can't really think people can pay that amount.

Mom fell and Dad could not get her up. Called ambulance and they took her to the hospital. No special feat. Insurance and Medicare refuse to pay any amount as of May.

I HAD A BROKEN ARM AND COULD NOT MOVE. I WAS PUT INTO THE AMBULANCE AND WAS TOLD COVINGTON, TN DID NOT HAVE AN ORTHO ON STAFF AND I WOULD HAVE TO GO METHODIST NORTH WHICH WAS CLOSER TO ME. IT WAS TOO CROWDED THERE SO I THEN WAS GOING TO BAPTIS EAST IN MEMPHIS, TN. I THINK THE AMBULANCE COMPANIES ARE ABLE TO DO THIS BECAUSE THERE IS NOTHING REGULATING THEM ON WHAT THE TOP AMOUNT SHOULD BE. WE MUST PAY FOR THE PEOPLE THAT CAN NOT PAY.

Speechless, I read comments about costs of $1,500 to $2,000 range and customers complaining. So what about this $5,500.00 for the ambulance $750.00 for 15 miles @$50 a mile. I thought it had to be a typo.The billing shows that blue cross/blue shield paid $5,000.00 and my part would be $1,250 I called and negotiated a $250.00 discount.Whats going on? This was a none emergency ride.superior air ground amb. service.

Statement: Outside Harrisonville-$790(did not need to go outside Harrisonville) 17.3 x $10.55=$182.52(to go outside Harrisonville). Isn't it enough to charge for outside Harrisonville, do they have to charge for miles too? This city has been ripping me off since I came here back in 2010. I was going to get up after bicycle accident and walk home but the people that stopped said they called an ambulance to take care of me. Did not need to go by ambulance, I was fine. Did not need to be in hospital either. Maybe the people who called the ambulance should pay my bills.

My 3 week old baby was running a fever so we took her to the ER. After waiting in a room for 5 hours and finding no results from the blood work they decided it was an emergency and that they needed to tranport her by ambulance to childrens hospital. When I asked if I could drive her myself I was told by the hospital staff that my insurance would cover the ambulance ride but if I refused the ambulance ride my ins co would refuse to pay any related medical bills due to the fact that I refused dr orders. Just received a bill for 1136 that insurance will not pay any on because it is an out of network provider after calling the ins co they informed me that they cannot legally refuse a claim and that they would have covered the medical expenses if i had driven her myself. So now i am looking at 7 k in med bills from her delivery and 5k in medical bills from the virus she had and that is after my insurance pays their portion of everything!

husband out of town;brought to hospital-kidney stone. Sent bill to his Father's address even though no association to him. Claimed looked up on internet and found his name. Both live in MD. Overcharge and wouldn't return calls.

Was put in ambulance with nothing but a ride. Took me to Selma alabama. Charged me $770.00 for ride and $328 for mileage. They took me 23 miles in an old ford van ambulance. Said my insurance paid $351 and sent me a bill for $747. A limo would have been $100 and a could have flown to l.a for only $400. P.s that's 2500 miles from me. What a rip off!! This is why people stay broke.

Was put in ambulance with nothing but a ride. Took me to Selma alabama. Charged me $770.00 for ride and $328 for mileage. They took me 23 miles in an old ford van ambulance. Said my insurance paid $351 and sent me a bill for $747. A limo would have been $100 and a could have flown to l.a for only $400. P.s that's 2500 miles from me. What a rip off!! This is why people stay broke.

This was from a 911 call and being picked up by a fire truck and firemen and taken less than 0.5 miles away, which literally took 2 minutes driving and probably 15 minutes total from fire station garage and back. Even though the firemen and fire truck are paid for out of our tax dollars, somehow some private company is allowed to charge whatever they want on top of that.

My friends called the cops because of suicidal ideations. When the cops came, I just wanted them to take the gun away. They had called the ambulance and when I replied that I wasn't going and that I was uninsured, they told me it would be free. They handcuffed me and forced me onto the gurney to be taken across the street from my home. I wasn't even able to get admitted into the ER because they then decided to take me to the psych ward of the jail. I was finally released with no charges - yet I have this bill that I can't afford to pay. I'm uninsured and am struggling to pay rent. Talk about getting screwed over twice.

Stuck an IV in my arm for the 30 mile trip so that I would not starve - advise them that I probably would not starve to death in 30 miles. Thier reply was that it was standard procedure (cost of IV $150.00) Provided no other care but the ride.Could have hired a limo for $200.

Well I too see it as excessive, but seems to be lower then others had paid in areas outside of NC

ALS Emerg Transportation - Wake Cty 591.60
Mileage Wake Cty 12 Miles 127.68
Total 719.28

I called AMR because I was vomiting excessively and had gone into atrial fibrillation. There was no one to drive me to the hospital and I did not feel safe to drive. The paramedic was rude and disrespectful to me during his assessment and transport. It wasn't until I notified him that I was a RN and I was going to report him did he stop. He never applied oxygen or started an IV, but in the end the billing was outrageous. I did notify AMR headquarters of their paramedic's behavior, but it did not lessen the cost. I then had to fight with my insurance co. to pay their portion. One of the worst experiences in my life.

I was diagnosed with renal failure at the emergency room and put on a plane to another city. The 3-day hospital stay came to $13,000. The air ambulance wants $19,720. I have no health insurance.

My wife called 911 after she found me in need of going to the hospital, though she could have drove me. The police showed up as did the ambulance. I wasn't too coherent and just went along with whatever. They checked my vitals and drove me to the ER. Over $1200 later I find that my insurance only pays $500. Rip off for the services charged.rnWorst of all is that if the Fire Dept had sent a Medic One instead of an Ambulance being dispatched by 911, the trip would have been FREE. Same services. My wife is never to call for an "ambulance" again. (She should have driven me in the 1st place!)

Was a passenger with a co-worker when the car hit black ice and went over a cliff landing upside down next to a creek. After pulling myself up the hill with a rope, I was strong-armed into the ambulance by an EMT--where I was quizzed by the CHP while the EMT took my blood pressure, checked my lungs, and irrigated my glass-filled hand, even though I had refused care by signing a form. I thought I had to get into the ambulance because law enforcement was investigating the accident and wanted to interview me there.

Bill was 1403.90 Insurance(BCBSM) allowed 558.83 toward deductible 2500. we had to pay 845.07

My daughter suffered a hairline skull fracture from a direct hit by a line drive baseball at local professional team. She was alert but was transferred to local children's hospital for observation. They MADE us use an ambulance service. They put me on the stretcher while I held her. They travelled 4 miles obeying all traffic laws, no sirens, and did not even touch her. They billed us $816 for 20 minutes. Insurance allowed $300 toward $1000 deductible. We had to pay the full $816. $61 for disposables. Disposable what??? Insurance won't pay more because they are out of network company. I asked which ambulance companies are in network? They said " There are no in network ambulance services in the state of Alabama". This is highway robbery!!

Was dizzy weak and called for help in case I was having another Heart Attack..Was taken to ER at Glen Oaks Hospital..I thought they give Seniors a discount but guess not..

My husband got dizzy and passed out hitting his head. He regained consciousness but his friends he was with called an ambulance to take him to an emergency room. They called 911 and the city ambulance arrived and took him already sitting up and mobile in for a three mile ride. Insurance paid $865 but the city would not budge on the other $836 due. They said they could charge what they wanted,

I was in skilled nursing facility after hip replacement. Before discharge, i was told Medicare
required a visit to my doctor 16 miles away.
The SNF set up the ambulance ride and told me the
cost was covered by Medicare. (They knew i only had
Part)
I said my son could drive me; he was at the place.
No, i should take the ambulance....
I did not require any attention, two ambulance fellows did have me get on a gurney.
What a racket. Whoever pays is being way overcharged.
In this case it's me,and i've delayed because i am
so disgusted.

In June 2011, I took my husband to the emergency room with a swollen lower leg, the on call doctor said he thought that it was DVT (deep vein thrombosis)because of the x-rays. They said they could not treat him there and wanted to send him to their other facility 10 miles away...they would NOT let me drive him there and THEY called for transport, but I get the bill ($2850.00). My health insurance paid $1449.00, but I still received a bill for $1401.00. My husband is unemployed, so he is on my insurance (which already costs too much), Please help! What can we do to get the bill lowered?