GETTING IT RIGHT

18 county ambulance squads and four helicopter services, is “working with lawmakers and the insurance companies to pass a law that would require insurance companies to make full reimbursements directly to the ambulance association rather than to the ambulance subscriber.”

Currently, he pointed out, the insurance companies pay the ambulance squad only a portion of the billable service costs; the balance is sent to the subscriber.

Martin cited this example: An ambulance service subscriber calls the ambulance for a life-threatening emergency. The total cost comes to $1,500. “We bill the patient’s insurance company for this amount but we only get back $1,000. The other $500 is sent to the patient. That money should be sent to us. It makes a difference between covering our costs and leaving us in the red. This creates a hardship for the ambulance organizations, making it difficult for us to function. In large part because of this crisis, many ambulance organizations have been forced to close their doors, leaving in their wake a void in service to their communities.”

Notable examples are Springfield Ambulance Association in Springfield, Montgomery County, and the Warminster Volunteer Ambulance Corps, both of which have ceased operations after serving their communities for many years.

Aside from the main obstacle—reimbursement for services—the MCAA has several other issues on the table. These include staffing and ambulance response time.

Prior to the formation of the MCAA, there were two associations: the Montgomery County Chiefs Association and the Montgomery County Administrators Association. ”This made absolutely no sense to me,” stated Martin. “Chiefs would go to one meeting. Executive directors would go to another. If the person

SUBMITTED PHOTO Chief and Executive Director of Lafayette Ambulance & Rescue Squad Edward Martin Jr. poses in front of an Ambulance.