Who pays for the ambulance when it is called ?

crotalus667 · 15-04-2014 6:46pm #1

Long story short I called an ambulance for some one that threw them self drunk in to a river (no chance of drowning but he was freezing) the guy got into the ambulance and let them check him out but then got out, will I get landed with the bill or will it go to the person it was called for ?

Prenderb · 15-04-2014 8:06pm

Usually the beneficial user - so the fella who gets in the back.

In a case like that there mightn't even be a bill...

BandyMandy · 15-04-2014 9:13pm

I never knew you had to pay for an ambulance. Is this a new thing?

timmywex · 15-04-2014 9:31pm

crotalus667 wrote: »

Long story short I called an ambulance for some one that threw them self drunk in to a river (no chance of drowning but he was freezing) the guy got into the ambulance and let them check him out but then got out, will I get landed with the bill or will it go to the person it was called for ?

Prenderb wrote: »

Usually the beneficial user - so the fella who gets in the back.

In a case like that there mightn't even be a bill...

BandyMandy wrote: »

I never knew you had to pay for an ambulance. Is this a new thing?

The HSE pay.

There is no charge for calling an emergency ambulance, so no bill to worry about.

Prenderb - potentially your getting mixed up with the fire brigade which in some counties charge. Ambulance service certainly does not.

NonBeliever14 · 16-04-2014 11:01am

The taxpayer bears the cost. The HSE are allocated a "Vote" by the Oireachtas each year and must submit a Service Plan (Business Plan) on how they propose to delivery quantums of service, achieve savings, implement service developments, etc. Needless to say, there is not enough cash to meet the myriad of demands. HSE Corporate then allocate budget to fund services and developments if contained within the NSP. Service developments invariably reflect government/political priorities. In turn, each unit, including NAS must submit a Service Plan doing the same thing but at a more granular level.

The funds allocated to NAS are not activity based funding (ABF) and are predicated on last years budget, minus any over spends, minus any cost saving targets plus service developments. Needless to say, the funds don't cover all cost pressures so calls like this have to be "absorbed" with the budgetary pressure managed by achieving savings elsewhere.

19hz · 18-04-2014 2:13am

timmywex wrote: »

The HSE pay.
There is no charge for calling an emergency ambulance, so no bill to worry about.

Plenty of friend's that have been charged for the ambulance, about 100-120euro. afaik there are exemptions but most are issued with a bill, whether they pay it or not is a different story? :P

NonBeliever14 · 18-04-2014 5:55am

19hz, they did not get a bill from the National Ambulance Service. No one gets a bill.

Mycroft H · 18-04-2014 7:41am

19hz wrote: »

Plenty of friend's that have been charged for the ambulance, about 100-120euro. afaik there are exemptions but most are issued with a bill, whether they pay it or not is a different story? :P

That's a bill from the A&E. The trip to hospital was and still is free.

therealme · 18-04-2014 7:47am

Was in a car crash a few years ago (my fault seemingly). Had to go to hospital for a few days. Got a bill for €800 for the ambulance. Not sure if charge still applies but there was a charge.

timmywex · 18-04-2014 8:23am

therealme wrote: »

Was in a car crash a few years ago (my fault seemingly). Had to go to hospital for a few days. Got a bill for €800 for the ambulance. Not sure if charge still applies but there was a charge.

Again, complete nonsense!

There is no charge for an emergency ambulance in Ireland!

The 100euro bill was an A&E bill, you would have received this had you walked in aswell, the 800 bill was probably a more general hospital bill, that again you would have received had you run/walked/skipped/drove/flew in

Bang Bang · 18-04-2014 9:21am

With regard to being billed for an ambulance, I have seen a charge being served on someone for an ambulance but the charge came from a hospital.

A person I know approached me asking me about charges for an ambulance, they showed me an invoice for €120 from the hospital they were treated following a road traffic collision. The invoice clearly showed the ED fee and the additional €120 fee for the ambulance. When I enquired to the said hospital admin asking where the 'ambulance charge' goes, they couldn't give me an answer!

So it appears people are, or were being charged by at least one hospital.

In my experience many people in Ireland believe that ambulances are responded by the hospital, the question is often posed as to what hospital I work for when I am clearly in a NAS uniform and vehicle, I am not employed by any hospital. So those people may actually believe the NAS are charging for ambulances if they receive a request for payment for an ambulance, by a hospital.

Fred Swanson · 18-04-2014 9:24am

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Bang Bang · 18-04-2014 9:28am

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

You cannot privately hire a NAS ambulance to respond to an emergency, you dial 999/112 you get a NAS crew or if in Dublin you get either a NAS or DFB crew.

In the past there was a private company contracted to respond to emergencies in the West, I don't think that practice is still ongoing.

seamus · 18-04-2014 9:31am

I believe the hospital may charge differently if you arrive to the A&E via ambulance rather than as a walk in.

They are also required to charge an additional fee if you arrive at the hospital having being involved in a road traffic accident.

Perhaps these claims of €800 bills are just confusion about how it was labelled? Maybe they label it "A&E Ambulance Admission - €800" or something, which makes it look like you're being charged for the ambulance when in reality it's for the full range of services you received?

Fred Swanson · 18-04-2014 9:35am

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Fred Swanson · 18-04-2014 9:36am

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Bang Bang · 18-04-2014 9:40am

seamus wrote: »

I believe the hospital may charge differently if you arrive to the A&E via ambulance rather than as a walk in.

Can I ask why you believe this?

seamus · 18-04-2014 9:44am

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

http://www.amnch.ie/Patients-Visitors/Hospital-Charges-at-January-1st-2013/

The health (Amendment) Act 1986 requires the hospital to levy the following charges upon a person who has been the victim of a Road Traffic Accident.
Adult A&E: €100 Statutory Charge plus €346 RTA A&E charge
Childrens A&E: €100 Statutory Charge plus €236 RTA A&E charge
- See more at: http://www.amnch.ie/Patients-Visitors/Hospital-Charges-at-January-1st-2013/#sthash.vZ1CZ3tL.dpuf

Bang Bang wrote: »

Can I ask why you believe this?

Anecdotally. Perhaps it's a confusion over the above statutory RTA charges. Most people's first/only trip in an ambulance will be after an RTA, so perhaps they think the above charges are ambulance charges.

Bang Bang · 18-04-2014 9:57am

seamus wrote: »

Anecdotally. Perhaps it's a confusion over the above statutory RTA charges. Most people's first/only trip in an ambulance will be after an RTA, so perhaps they think the above charges are ambulance charges.

Good point.
One of my colleagues did mention at the time that he remembered talk of a levy being brought in, but I've never seen anything official.

It would be interesting to know if the hospitals fed any of these levies back into the ambulance service, or are they a direct tax back to the government.

There might be some interesting reading to catch up on.

therealme · 18-04-2014 10:06am

timmywex wrote: »

Again, complete nonsense!

There is no charge for an emergency ambulance in Ireland!

The 100euro bill was an A&E bill, you would have received this had you walked in aswell, the 800 bill was probably a more general hospital bill, that again you would have received had you run/walked/skipped/drove/flew in

Sorry??? I got the bill for the AMBULANCE, I HAD to pay it. I am not in the habit of lying so kindly don't accuse me of doing so.

therealme · 18-04-2014 10:09am

seamus wrote: »

I believe the hospital may charge differently if you arrive to the A&E via ambulance rather than as a walk in.

They are also required to charge an additional fee if you arrive at the hospital having being involved in a road traffic accident.

Perhaps these claims of €800 bills are just confusion about how it was labelled? Maybe they label it "A&E Ambulance Admission - €800" or something, which makes it look like you're being charged for the ambulance when in reality it's for the full range of services you received?

No confusion, I remember the shock I got at the time where the bill CLEARLY stated Ambulance €800.

Pawwed Rig · 18-04-2014 10:10am

therealme wrote: »

Sorry??? I got the bill for the AMBULANCE, I HAD to pay it. I am not in the habit of lying so kindly don't accuse me of doing so.

Was this in Ireland?

Fred Swanson · 18-04-2014 10:15am

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Yawns · 18-04-2014 10:16am

I've brought this up before where when in work, the owner had to call an ambulance for someone who then left before ambulance arrived. The person hadn't gone far and ambulance driver found her. Long story short, she showed up in the workplace a few days later looking for the own to pay for bill for ambulance and a&e charge. Both! She had to pay for ambulance call out and A&E charge and wanted the owner to compensate her. I was called a liar then and presumably again now so not gonna bother going into full details again but I saw the bill with my own eyes. She got nothing off the owner btw.

therealme · 18-04-2014 10:23am

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Was this in Ireland?

Yes, happened about half an hour outside Dublin.

Bang Bang · 18-04-2014 10:25am

Yawns wrote: »

I've brought this up before where when in work, the owner had to call an ambulance for someone who then left before ambulance arrived. The person hadn't gone far and ambulance driver found her. Long story short, she showed up in the workplace a few days later looking for the own to pay for bill for ambulance and a&e charge. Both! She had to pay for ambulance call out and A&E charge and wanted the owner to compensate her. I was called a liar then and presumably again now so not gonna bother going into full details again but I saw the bill with my own eyes. She got nothing off the owner btw.

I would say that was someone chancing their arm.
It is quite clear that in general, there are no charges for ambulances. But there is evidence out there of a levy when the incident is related to a road traffic collision. As to what or how many hospitals are passing on the levy, I don't know, but I have only ever heard of one person being charged the levy and I seen the invoice.

therealme · 18-04-2014 10:27am

Fred Swanson wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I had to. There was no legal case as it was my car that was damaged, not other party. I got a second request from the hospital to pay it & did.

It's about 7 years ago. As I said in my first post, I don't know if there is still a charge but at that time there was.

Yawns · 18-04-2014 11:20am

Bang Bang wrote: »

I would say that was someone chancing their arm.
It is quite clear that in general, there are no charges for ambulances. But there is evidence out there of a levy when the incident is related to a road traffic collision. As to what or how many hospitals are passing on the levy, I don't know, but I have only ever heard of one person being charged the levy and I seen the invoice.

The person was chancing their arm in trying to get the owner to pay but the owner refused. The lady did pay a charge for both ambulance callout and A&E charge. It wasn't a RTC either. This was about xmas - new year period of 09 - 10. it's the only case I've seen an invoice for the charge but have heard of others getting one. As to the legality of it, I'm not sure. As I said, I was basically called a liar in the last thread but it appears to have appeared a number of times.

There was other times where I've called an ambulance for someone myself for a family member and there was no charge. So I don't know what to think of it tbh.

NonBeliever14 · 18-04-2014 1:02pm

you mentioned 7 years ago?

you mentioned you received a bill from a hospital?

you mentioned it was 30 minutes from Dublin?

That puts you in the former Eastern, South Eastern or North Eastern Health Board areas. None of those former ambulance services charged for 999 calls and none of them had HQs associated with hospitals.

This is 2014 and the National Ambulance Service does NOT charge for 999 calls anywhere in the country.

If you are going to make a claim at the start of the thread, try providing all the fascts rather than drip feeding. The timeline is obviously important, given NAS was formed in 2005.

therealme · 18-04-2014 1:39pm

So you saw the bill and the cheque I sent the hospital that was cashed???

Final time I say I PAID THE MONEY. Done with arguing.

Maybe read what I actually said in my first post.

Tango Alpha 51 · 18-04-2014 8:13pm

therealme wrote: »

So you saw the bill and the cheque I sent the hospital that was cashed???

Final time I say I PAID THE MONEY. Done with arguing.

Maybe read what I actually said in my first post.

therealme, no one disputes the fact that you got an invoice with an "ambulance" charge on it but as a paramedic for nearly 15years, I can assure you that the ambulance service doesn't bill for our services & never has. This was obviously the hospital concerned trying to get more money out of you & despite the fact that you paid this bill, the money wouldn't have gone to the ambulance service.

Who pays for the ambulance when it is called ?

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