Air Ambulances’ Sky-High Charges Leave Reimbursement Gaps, Lawsuits

By | June 11, 2018

  • June 11, 2018 at 11:00 am
    SWFL Agent says:
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    There may be some price gouging happening but the air ambulance industry is probably much like other parts of health care – the bills are inflated to those that can/will pay to offset those that can’t. I know little about this industry and they may be a bunch of crooks but at least they show-up when called and do their job first, then ask for payment later. This process may have saved her son’s life.

  • June 11, 2018 at 1:36 pm
    insexpert says:
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    Guess I better renew that air med insurance!

  • June 11, 2018 at 1:43 pm
    TX Agent says:
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    Why didn’t Obamacare address this since this was a “overhaul” of the system???? Good luck trying to get congress to do anything based on the gridlock surrounding healthcare……

    • June 11, 2018 at 5:10 pm
      NGWL says:
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      i”ll show up for that kind of money. So will Willie Sutton & Donald Trump!

    • June 11, 2018 at 5:19 pm
      NGWL says:
      Hot debate. What do you think?
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      Because he probably knew it was impossible,—especially in Texas where people like you are right now trying to have the Obamacare “pre-existing clause” removed. Hopefully, you will soon need this kind of transport, & then find that nothing is covered by insurance due to a pre-existing condition. Your main problem is due to under or no development of the prefrontal cortex,—–no empathy, no conscience—etc.

  • June 11, 2018 at 1:53 pm
    mike urbanek says:
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    The FIRST thing that went wrong was to put the Feds in charge of this industry. The FAA would still have control over every other aspect of their operations.

    The SECOND thing is that people don’t consider what it takes to offer any kind of medical services. Sorry, but all of it costs a lot of money. Ambulances, helicopters, treatment facilities, etc. All ALWAYS available any time night or day. All staffed with highly trained professionals, responsible for their own education, certifications, which those individuals paid to obtain. And who have their own families to support. $45K? If the parents had been told that beforehand they would have agreed in a heartbeat.

    This air ambulance business has been taken over by financial concerns because they are the only ones who can assume the risk. I am empathetic with families in this kind of spot – I couldn’t afford it, either. But when something is this important and must be available 24/7, it costs what it costs.

  • June 11, 2018 at 1:59 pm
    Retired Agent says:
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    A few years ago, I had my ninety-two year old father Air Lifted from the local hospital to another hospital that was seven hundred fifty miles away. I had a couple of days to make arrangements and got the cost down to $7,200. This shows how in an emergency you are stuck without any way to negotiate costs. My family has someone high up in the medical field and the stories of costs would make your heart skip a beat.

  • June 11, 2018 at 4:03 pm
    Hmmmmmmm says:
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    Such a sad story….. the air ambulance was needed and without it there would have been death or permanent brain damage. But to be stuck with a $40k bill, is frightening. The company is not a charity, but something has to give so that only the wealthy are allowed to have the service (or those on medicare/medicaid)

  • June 11, 2018 at 4:23 pm
    Perplexed says:
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    I get an advertisement every month to buy insurance for air evacuation for $65 per year. Guess I should buy it.

  • June 12, 2018 at 10:19 am
    service refusal says:
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    If you take an overseas trip buy the trip insurance as it often covers air ambulance back to the states.

  • June 19, 2018 at 2:55 pm
    Lori Conway says:
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    There is insurance for this; one provider is https://lifeteam.net; there are probably other outlets. I don’t sell it but we live in a rural area so purchased it; quite reasonable.

  • February 1, 2019 at 2:12 pm
    Margot Kast says:
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    Air ambulance charges will continue to be a major problem the more our system moves to managed care plans. Our politicians need to educate themselves and understand that shrewd business people who have the ability to create a monopoly will exploit the system when possible. The problem is that unsuspecting individuals have no way to protect themselves under the current system.



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