Story Published: Jul 29, 2010 at 6:00 PM PST
Georgia hasn't paid them because she thought insurance already did. But in the last few month the bills, amounting to $875 altogether, went into collections and she came to Action News because she doesn't understand what she's paying for.
"So what's wrong?" Georgia asked. "Why am I getting a bill for $175 when I pay my insurance and the bill should be completely covered?" In essence, Georgia felt like she was being charged for a service she didn't even call for.
It's not just Georgia. Her neighbor Glenna Russert's had the same problem. "I want to know why I got a bill and how I can pay it?" Russert said.
Action News looked into billing calls and complaints at the fire department and found they receive a couple every month. So KEPR went straight to fire officials. Benton County Fire District #1 Division Chief Mike Harris said folks living in Finley don't pay for an ambulance service. They only pay taxes on fire services. So in 1993, local fire commissioners authorized fire districts to establish a billing system for emergency medical services for people in unincorporated areas like Finley, Badger Canyon, Rancho Reata and some parts of West Richland and Franklin County. The law is under RCW 52.12.131.
But not only did they decide you could be billed for calling 911, fire officials decided that when folks did call for an ambulance in any of these unincorporated areas, they would send a fire truck too.
Action News wanted to know why. "If you live near a fire station you kind of expect that level of service that the EMT's (Emergency Medical Technician's) or firefighters are going to show up quickly at your house," Harris said.
But KEPR discovered, just because that fire engine shows up at your home for an emergency medical call, doesn't mean the fire department will charge you for it. The fire department uses a matrix to decide who pays. Essentially, if Benton County EMTs arrived at your home and provided some sort of patient care, it's likely you'll get a bill.
Once charged, there are three different flat fees, as high as $350 for an out of area resident or as low as $175 for low income residents like Georgia. The average person living within the unincorporated areas who calls 911 will pay $250. In all three cases, those charges account for the apparatus and equipment, two firefighters, an officer, hazardous waste, the dispatch center fee, and local and state licensing.
Action News also found that Medicare and supplemental insurance only pay for transport, which includes ambulances, not firetrucks.
They were not the answers folks like Georgia were counting on. "Somehow, they've got to fix this because people can't keep paying it," she continued. "Pretty soon it has to stop."
People like the freedom of living in rural areas, Harris continued, but often don't realize that it may cost more for medical emergencies than living within the city limits.
Georgia also wanted to know why the ambulance and fire services couldn't come in one bill. But the fire officials told us that's illegal. It's two different departments with two different budgets so it has to be two different bills.
RESOURCES:
The fire department says if you have questions, make sure to call them at the Fire Administration office at (509)- 737-0911. They offer payment plans.
