Insult to injury

[Loki]

The question is how do you get rid of this without having an explosion of ambulance rides when they are free.

[Doctor Phibes]

@loki said in Insult to injury:

The question is how do you get rid of this without having an explosion of ambulance rides when they are free.

Other countries seem to scrape by, somehow.

[xenon]

@loki said in Insult to injury:

The question is how do you get rid of this without having an explosion of ambulance rides when they are free.

Reasonable concern. Make the ride $40. (That's what it was in Canada, when I lived there last)

[jon-nyc]

Congestion pricing, FTW.

[Loki]

Interestingly it’s a 26B business. On average we just need to increase premiums less than 100 a year per person to pay for it.

Wonder how fast it would grow though when it becomes a free or low co pay.

[Axtremus]

@Loki what makes you think there are many people who would like to ride in ambulances when they do not medically need it just because they do not have to pay for it?

Riding in an ambulance as a patient is not exactly fun. There are a lot of "not fun" things that are free and still there is no explosion of demand for them just because they are free. What makes you think ambulance rides will be different?

[Loki]

@axtremus said in Insult to injury:

@Loki what makes you think there are many people who would like to ride in ambulances when they do not medically need it just because they do not have to pay for it?

Riding in an ambulance as a patient is not exactly fun. There are a lot of "not fun" things that are free and still there is no explosion of demand for them just because they are free. What makes you think ambulance rides will be different?

I know, including me, several people who were shocked with a bill and said if I had known I would have driven the person to the hospital myself. It wasn’t that bad.

Also the pressure these days in many townships to get in an ambulance after an accident is real.

Finally I have read about people calling an ambulance to get to a hospital or physican appointment. Medicaid is free.

[Doctor Phibes]

I'd worry more about the costs if I didn't see multiple vehicles show up at every little incident. Honestly, in our town if somebody farts whilst crossing the street they seem to dispatch multiple police and fire vehicles who screaming down the street as though the town hall is ablaze.

[Jolly]

@axtremus said in Insult to injury:

@Loki what makes you think there are many people who would like to ride in ambulances when they do not medically need it just because they do not have to pay for it?

Riding in an ambulance as a patient is not exactly fun. There are a lot of "not fun" things that are free and still there is no explosion of demand for them just because they are free. What makes you think ambulance rides will be different?

Well, let me tell you how it works and I'll name names and point fingers...

A previous sheriff of Avoyelles, Bill Belt, was making quite a bit of money housing state prisoners in the parish prison. Bill used some of his profits to subsidize ambulance service in the parish.

I have seen guys call for an ambulance ride to the ED, to treat a cold. I have seen them calk for an ambulance, because they didn't want to use the gas in their car.

In fact, they called for ambulances so much, they exhausted the year's budget for ambulance payments in a matter of a couple of months.

[bachophile]

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

[Klaus]

@bachophile said in Insult to injury:

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

Yeah, a very foreign concept.

That said, the "free" ambulance model also creates undesirable incentives, such as more and more people who call an ambulance for trivialities.

[Loki]

@bachophile said in Insult to injury:

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

Different entitlement culture here.

[Jolly]

@bachophile said in Insult to injury:

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

What do you do with a patient who calls an ambulance for a head cold?

[brenda]

@jolly said in Insult to injury:

@bachophile said in Insult to injury:

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

What do you do with a patient who calls an ambulance for a head cold?

Or to get a 'free' trip to the store. Yes, this happens here in the Twin Cities. People call an ambulance instead of taking a public bus or a taxi.

[mark]

Easy solution.

1. Medically necessary? No charge.

2. You're a stupid human and you waste the time and resources of a Ambulance and its crew, which is akin to pulling a fire alarm when there is no fire? You are arrested and thrown in jail for a few days and given a hefty fine. If you are unable to pay that fine you go to jail.

[Jolly]

@mark said in Insult to injury:

Easy solution.

1. Medically necessary? No charge.

2. You're a stupid human and you waste the time and resources of a Ambulance and its crew, which is akin to pulling a fire alarm when there is no fire? You are arrested and thrown in jail for a few days and given a hefty fine. If you are unable to pay that fine you go to jail.

You're going to need a bigger boat jail.

[mark]

@jolly said in Insult to injury:

@mark said in Insult to injury:

Easy solution.

1. Medically necessary? No charge.

2. You're a stupid human and you waste the time and resources of a Ambulance and its crew, which is akin to pulling a fire alarm when there is no fire? You are arrested and thrown in jail for a few days and given a hefty fine. If you are unable to pay that fine you go to jail.

You're going to need a bigger boat jail.

Maybe short term. Not long term.

We could always empty the jails of non-violent drug offenders.

[bachophile]

@jolly said in Insult to injury:

@bachophile said in Insult to injury:

Paying for an ambulance. How quaint.

What do you do with a patient who calls an ambulance for a head cold?

Yes obviously if it’s a spurious call u can be fined. But honestly doesn’t happen much.