Ontario New Democrats Would Scrap Ambulance Fees
(Niagara At Large is posting this June media release for our readers information. There will be more pledges from all three provincial parties as the Oct. 6 election approaches and we will endeavor to keep our readers informed of all of them.)
Toronto – A New Democrat government will start tackling the creeping cost of healthcare, starting by eliminating fees for ambulance service, said NDP Leader Andrea Horwath.
Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath
“The pain and stress of an emergency is hard enough, no one should have to deal with the financial burden on top of that. It’s time to eliminate ambulance fees,” said Horwath.
Most people are charged $45 when transported by ambulance for a medical emergency. The fee is distributed to the hospital and the province.
“Calling an ambulance is a decision people should take seriously,” said Horwath. “People should think twice before they call, but they shouldn’t think twice about the cost.” Horwath noted that families are paying for a growing list of healthcare fees out-of-pocket, from family physician fees to charges for accessing personal health records.
“Families are being dinged everywhere they turn,” said Horwath. “Eliminating the ambulance fee is one step towards strengthening our public healthcare system while making life more affordable.”
Eliminating ambulance fees would cost about $30 million annually. The move will have no impact on hospital or municipal budgets.
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The $45.00 ambulance fee charged by the NHS amounts to TRIPLE payment by the user.
The Region pays 50%, The Province pays 50% for 100% coverage of EMS costs from the taxpayers pocket.
Now along comes NHS and socks the patient for another $45.00..
Its sad when 100% is never enough to satisfy the hungry machine.
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Thisis a good move. People only seek ambulance services if they need them terribly!
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People DO NOT seek ambulances only if they need them terribly. I can give many examples. If someone calls with a supposedly “legitimate” complaint, the ambulance service cannot refuse to dispatch a vehicle. I have seen people call and say they have chest pain or are going to commit suicide and, upon arrival at the ER, get off the stretcher and go to visit a friend in the hospital. Taxi anyone? Of course these abusers can be billed but never pay and are repeat offenders. Others have come by ambulance inappropriately with minor injuries or ailments. Too bad some people are such jerks. Very often those who SHOULD use the service come by car. As usual, the idiots spoil it for everyone. I think there should be a fee but it should be calibrated according to the seriousness of the emergency. If someone is having a coronary, no fee. Use as a taxi service, major $ and if not paid, deducted automatically upon request from the person’s salary or benefits check. That would stop the abuse.
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PS – I think a user fee should be enforced for non-essential ER visits as well. That would divert a lot of the garbage to clinics. If I have a broken arm, a $20 user fee would be the least of my concerns. Something catastrophic like a coronary or accident – no fee as determined by the MD. If someone comes in with a cold, often after being refused antibiotics, (which are of course useless for such a malady) they might think twice. I have seen people go to 2 ER’s, a family MD and a clinic all in one day to get what they want. What a waste!
As usual, the clowns spoil it for everybody. Such fees would compensate for the financial losses accrued by removal of the ambulance and ER fees for ESSENTIAL visits. It’s time we stopped taking our “free” health care for granted or we WILL lose it.
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A user fee would definitely prevent me from seeking health care, as many times I don’t even have $20.00. Instead of plundering people that don’t have money, there needs to be somebody directing traffic at the emergency. If people are not there for the right reasons, they need to be told bluntly that they are in the wrong place, and where they need to go to get their problem looked after. Perhaps, there needs to be an urgent care clinic located near the emergency rooms, so people can easily pick up and go to these clinics instead of going to the emergency.
The $45 ambulance fee did deter me once from calling when I was experiencing symptoms of stroke or heart attack (rapid heart beat, sweating, one sided tingling, losing my breath, etc.). It was scary. It was cheaper for me to take a cab to the hospital and though it did not turn out to be a heart attack or stroke, what if it was? I don’t have people around me that will drop what they’re doing at any time of day or night to take me to the hospital if I need assistance.
I don’t know what the answer is, but it is certainly not nickel and diming people who are already in poor health, or could be developing more serious problems!
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I understand and sympathize with your problem Angela. You do not sound like an abuser. Your symptoms, whether they actually were of an MI or stroke or not, required an ambulance and would not be charged for at all under what I proposed. An MD or triage nurse could easily and quickly pick out abusers and simply put a check mark on a designated spot on the chart to indicate if there should be an ambulance charge or user fee. No muss, no fuss, simply a check mark. This way abusers would learn to go to an urgent care centre or clinic and stop abusing the ERs and using up resources designed for everyone who was truly ill. It would be good to have a clinic within the hospital 24/7 and if, after triage, the problem was deemed non-urgent they could be sent to it. The reverse could also be true. If someone shows up at the clinic who is deemed to be too ill, they could be sent to the ER.
As for a user fee for semi urgent problems, I would hope such visits would be few and far between and those who might not want to pay often do not hesitate to spend on a carton of cigarettes or a bottle of booze. This admittedly applies only to some while others just find it a financial hardship but somehow abuse must be stopped and you can bet a lot of inappropriate visits would stop with a user fee. Please excuse me if this post is screwed up because, for some reason,I cannot get my computer to do what I want so there may be repetition. Oops.b
far between but I find people who hesitate to spend for their own health often don’t hesitate to buy a carton of cigarettes or a bottle of booze on a regular basis.
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Some politicians promise tax reductions, but that translates to increased user fees for everyone, including those who can least afford them.
More has to be done to keep non-emergency cases out of hospital Emergency Rooms. An education campaign might be a start. (i.e If you have a cut, bruise, or cold, go to the walk In clinic).
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