Montgomery County Ambulance Fee

Anonymous
Insurance rates are determined on a regional basis not a county basis. (For example, my DH's workplace provided health insurance is the same whether we live in PG, Mont Co, DC, NoVa.) All those other jurisdictions bill insurance companies for ambulance trips. Mont. Co. does not - the insurance companies are already billing us for ambulance trips - they just keep the money since Mont. Co. does not bill for ambulance trips.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I'm voting for it. Can someone explain to me why the volunteer FF are against it?


The volunteer firefighters are (generally) not against it.

The head of the MCVFRA is. I know Eric Bernard personally, and I suspect his motives are political. (He has talked about running for office before).

They argue that people won't call 911 if they have to pay an ambulance fee. They neglect to tell people that the county will not bill county residents who have no insurance. The insurance companies are already billed by the hospitals for emergency transport, the county just needs a piece of that.

I guarantee that the motive for opposition is purely political. Bernard rarely does anything unless he thinks it will benefit him in some way.

I am curious to find out just how much taxpayer money they have wasted on this campaign.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:what happens when a person without insurance calls an ambulance? who pays? Also, will the county negotiate rates with the insurance company? what happens when the country charges more than insurance is willing to pay?


Montgomery county residents will never receive a bill for ambulance services.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:It is only the insurance companies which would pay for the ambulance service, not individuals. . .so I don't quite understand how it would deter people from calling an ambulance when they don't really need one.

The issue is that your insurance rates include payments for ambulance service. Montgomery County does not currently bill the insurance companies for ambulance service so the insurance companies keep that money.

Please vote for this amendment - the County needs the money - every other jurisdiction in the region bills the insurance companies except Montgomery County. We pay the same insurance rates as surrounding counties and currently let the insurance companies keep the money the county should get to pay for ambulance service. Check out the endorsement lists - groups from every part of the political spectrum say VOTE YES - please do.


If it passes you can count on your insurance premium increasing to include this extra fee.


If it did actually increase rates (which I doubt), the additional increase would be so marginal that within the context of their annual rate hikes, you'd never even notice it.
Anonymous
Why hasn't MoCo been charging insurers for the ambulance fees already?

I really don't understand the opposition - what is the real reason (that is, what is the real political reason) they are against it?
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Why hasn't MoCo been charging insurers for the ambulance fees already?

I really don't understand the opposition - what is the real reason (that is, what is the real political reason) they are against it?


OP here. MoCo never had to. The government has always been (relatively) flush with cash. But it had to close a $1 billion deficit this fiscal year, and this was one of the ways it did it. I don't personally believe it will even bring in as much as they say (especially since it's been delayed through the referendum and court action). But as long as it balances on paper, that's what counts.
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