SERVICE FEES

There are many laws, regulations, and insurer practices that affect ambulance fees. Bennington Rescue has little control over the amount and speed with which many insurers compensate us for providing services.

In the graph at the bottom of the page is an example of all our common fees. This includes what a standard Medicare plan will pay for transport (they do not cover non-transport situations), and the difference - what Bennington Rescue is not allowed to collect.

AMOUNT BILLED

This is the billed cost of the service. Without other reliable revenue streams, we bill what we estimate is the cost of preparedness, response, care, transport, and returning to service.

CONTRACTUAL ALLOWANCE

The difference between the billed cost of the service and what the insurer agrees to pay.

AMOUNT TO BE PAID

This is the amount the insurer and the insured (patient) will pay. How much the patient is reponsible for depends on the insurance, patient deductible & copay requirements, etc.

Our ambulance service fees & a comparison to Medicare amounts

The column with “OUR FEE” in the graph below has our July 1, 2023 - June 30, 2024 ambulance service fees. We update fees annually with our budget (Jul - Jun fiscal year). This adjustment takes the Consumer Price Index and regional cost factors into consideration.

*These are Medicare fees for a subscriber through standard Medicare for our region of the nation. The payment amounts can vary down or up depending on the type of Medicare plan.

FAQ: Can’t you just bill more, won’t the insurer have to pay more?

A: No, most insurers like Medicare will only pay their one set of rates regardless of the amount billed. It will make the difference go up a lot but won’t change the amount we receive. It would affect those that are still uninsured or underinsured who do not have ambulance coverage and pay out of pocket. We try to negotiate with large commercial insurers whenever we can.

NO TRANSPORT BILLING

FAQ: What if I didn’t call the ambulance, do I need to pay the fee?

A: Possibly, we have a protocol to follow to determine if a patient is responsible for the fee. Please review the attached No Transport Waiver Protocol and Hardship Waiver then contact our office at billing@brsvt.org.