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Author: medgoddess Big red star, 1000 posts Old School Fool Add to my Favorite Fools Ignore this person (you won't see their posts anymore) Number: of 38661  
Subject: Re: A Small Example of Medical Costs Date: 9/3/2006 9:14 PM
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I suffered a non-life threatening and not even particularly serious injury Aug. 12 and was taken by an ambulance
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So you chose to go via ambulance.




Last week I was shocked to receive a bill from a private ambulance firm in Buffalo, NY, I had never heard of before. I just assumed the ambulance was a New York City police function, paid for by me and other local taxpayers
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And I'm guessing you didn't give them your insurance info (BTW, I have never heard of an ambulance company not leaving the ER without this info). And the word assume...hmmm. Never a good idea.



The lawyer who lives next door told me he received an $800 bill for a four-block ride in an ambulance after a minor foot injury in New Jersey before he was a lawyer. He ignored the bill and never paid it, and suffered no legal or financial consequences despite receiving bills for a year after the event.
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Despite actually using the service rendered. I don't care if you feel it's overpriced, you USED the service. Sigh, that's part of overhead, dealing with deadbeats.


Prices would certainly come down and a short trip that costs $10 in a taxi wouldn't cost $500+ in a "private" ambulance.
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Let's see, 2 drivers that are certified (far more so than any taxi driver that I'm aware of), the medicolegal joys (yes, EMTs get sued too), medical equipment that I know no taxi has, the cost of the vehicle itself, inspections that taxis aren't subject to; I can see why taking an ambulance may be more expensive than a taxi.


Well, not this person.
I'm not paying, period.

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Than why did you agree to the ambulance if you had self-diagnosed a minor injury?

Shesh.
Kristi
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