FRANKLY SPEAKING: Wondering about legal thievery

A number of my articles deal with things that I feel are either dishonest or harmful in some way to the public. The following example is not dishonest, but is certainly financially harmful – either directly or indirectly to any person who finds it necessary to be transported to a medical facility using a medical transportation service.

My 83-year-old wife recently found it necessary to be transported from Clinton Hospital to River Terrace Health Care in Lancaster, which is a distance of approximately 4.4 miles. This service was performed by Vital Emergency Medical Services out of Boston. I then received an invoice from them in the amount of $1,870, along with a notation that this service was not covered by insurance. This was very strange in that a few weeks earlier, I was transported from Clinton Hospital to Sterling Village in Sterling by the same company, and did not receive a bill.

Assuming that Vital Emergency Medical Services, or any other similar service, can charge such high rates to people without insurance – a rate of $425 a mile – is appalling. I have to wonder if they are charging those same rates to people who are covered by insurance. Any rates even similar to $425 per mile, when charged to an insurance company, are part of the reason insurance rates keep skyrocketing so drastically.

As mentioned before, my newspaper column occasionally highlights such examples of overcharging when I come across them – either due to personal experience or in conversation with someone else. My wife and I are senior citizens and somewhat unsure of our insurance coverage – a problem faced by many folks in the Clinton area. Because of this, it is crucial that hospitals, nursing homes and other similar organizations give clear assistance to both seniors and non-seniors in understanding what their insurance will - and will not – cover.

As an update, after writing the story, the company changed my share of the bill to $50, but what if I hadn't questioned the charge?

One reason for my writing about this recent experience is to make known to the public just how much is being charged for medical transportation services, whether paid by insurance or out of pocket. The other reason is to encourage everyone to check out all avenues of medical transportation, both commercial and private, to avoid the surprise (to say the least) that accompanies a bill in in the amount that I just received.

(By the way: Still no explanation why one ride was covered, the other had to be challenged.)

Frank Mitchell is the former superintendent of schools in Lancaster.

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