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Facts
for Understanding Ambulance Service Fees
- Since
1991 the West Chicago Fire District has been charging residents and
non-residents a fee when ambulance services from the Fire District
are used.
- The cost
of rendering quality pre-hospital medical care, along with other health
care costs, has skyrocketed in recent years. In fact, the costs for
delivering emergency medical services, has out-paced the revenues
assessed for purposes of providing this valuable service.
- Federal
regulations were amended in 2002 in order to establish reasonable
costs for delivery of emergency medical services.
- Many insurance
companies (Medicare and Non-Medicare providers) have agreed to pay
out benefits on behalf of their customers in order to cover the cost
of pre-hospital emergency medical care (ambulance service).
What
does this Ambulance Service Fee mean to me?
 If
you need the paramedics, Dial 911. After you have received ambulance
service, the District's ambulance billing service will contact you,
the patient, and obtain specific insurance information. Your insurance
carrier (or Medicare if applicable) will be invoiced for the ambulance
service (referred to as an Ambulance Service Fee). You will receive
an Explanation of Benefits (E.O.B.) from your insurance company explaining
the portion of the Ambulance Service Fee that they will pay. The portion
of the Ambulance Service Fee the insurance company will pay is considered
a reasonable cost of providing pre-hospital care. Any portion of the
fee in excess of the reasonable cost paid by your insurance carrier
will be considered a co-payment amount. For West Chicago Fire District
residents, revenues received by the District from a resident's local
property tax payment will be considered as payment of the co-payment
amount.
Non-residents do not pay local property taxes. The non-resident's
insurance carrier will be invoiced for ambulance services and the
non-resident will be required to remit the co-payment amount to the
District's ambulance billing service.
SO……………………
A resident
of the West Chicago Fire District, covered by Medicare or other health
insurance, should bear NO "out-of-pocket" expense for an
ambulance call.
What
if I don't have health insurance?
Residents
who do not benefit from privately held health care insurance, and
do not qualify for Medicare or Medicaid, will be assessed the Ambulance
Service Fee as outlined above. Payment options will be dealt with
on a case-by-case basis.
How
are Ambulance Service Fees determined?
How is
the reasonable cost of the ambulance service fee determined? A Federally
mandated fee schedule was published in the Federal Register in February
of 2002. The West Chicago Fire District uses this federally recognized
and approved system as a benchmark for determining fees. Applicable
fees for materials or services rendered during an ambulance call will
be itemized and provided to your insurance company.
Do
other municipalities assess Ambulance Service Fees?
Many of
the communities in the Chicago suburbs take advantage of this  insurance
benefit by assessing these reasonable costs. The leaders of these
communities have realized the value of this tool in an effort to continue
to provide the highest quality, cost effective emergency medical care
to you and your family. Those communities include: Bartlett, Winfield,
Warrenville, Naperville, Batavia, Geneva, and St. Charles.
SUMMARY:
If you're
sick or injured………………CALL 911.
Your health
insurance company (or Medicare) will be invoiced the "Ambulance
Service Fee". A resident's deductible will be covered by local
tax payments.
What
if I have additional questions?
Contact
the West Chicago Fire District at 630-231-2123
or through our website at:
www.wegofpd.org
West Chicago Fire District
Facts for Understanding Ambulance Service Fees
200 Fremont
St.
West Chicago, IL 60185
Phone: 630/231-2123
Fax: 630/231-2122
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