Sky-high bills for medical copter flights must come down
If you got a heart-stopping bill afterward, you may not have been so appreciative about that. Air ambulances, a common sight in the
Helicopter operators lose money flying patients on
"A person in this situation, and I'm sure there are many, feels rather helpless and does not know where to turn for protection from what I would consider predatory practices,"
Karwaski said he was billed
"While I greatly appreciate the service that was provided, the whole affair caused me more mental anguish than the actual injury which I suffered from the fall," Karwaski said.
State Rep.
State regulation of air ambulances is blocked by the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Federal judges cited that law last year when overturning regulations in
State Insurance Commissioner
"These vital services save lives but must be affordable to the consumers who need them," she wrote.
Helicopter operators believe the answer is to increase
"Without that, this problem is going to continue,"
Seven of every 10 patients transported by
"Simple arithmetic will tell you that if air medical transport companies are reimbursed substantially below cost for 7 out of 10 transports, then the remaining transports essentially pay for the whole system," Webster testified.
He said LVHN developed an alternative to flights taking patients from one hospital to another by using critical-care vehicles to drive some patients.
PennStar, which is owned by the nonprofit
Further complicating this issue is a sometimes tense relationship between helicopter operators and health insurers.
They often can't reach agreements for operators to participate in insurance networks. It's those situations that result in patients getting large bills because they are responsible for paying what their insurer doesn't, a practice known as "balance billing." If an operator is in-network, the patient pays only a deductible or co-pay.
Webster countered that some insurers deny or underpay claims. He said it's easier for hospital nonprofit operators to join insurance networks because they have other revenue sources, such as from the hospital budget. He said for-profit companies would like to join and could better negotiate if they received fairer payments from
Yantis said insurers can't just pay the entire bill for out-of-network services because while that would protect some consumers, the cost would be passed to others through higher premiums.
If you receive a surprise bill, try negotiating with the helicopter operator. Webster said AirMethods works with patients and has a charity care program.
"Our intent is never to put our patients in financial hardship," he testified.
Karwaski said the company that flew him -- it wasn't
You can file a complaint with the
The Watchdog is published Thursdays and Sundays. Contact me at [email protected], 610-841-2364 or
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