This California City Will Charge $225 For Anyone Needing a Paramedic
- Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:48am by
Jason Howerton
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If you’re wondering just how cash-strapped the state of California is, look no further than the city of Folsom. Starting Monday, the city’s fire department will begin charging $225 for anyone needing a paramedic, CBS Sacramento reports. And they aren’t the first ones to do so.
(Related: Only $150K in the Bank: Third California City in Two Weeks Opts For Bankruptcy)
The Folsom Fire Department is just the latest to charge fees for its medical aid. Sacramento Metro Fire currently charges $275 for medial aid and Sacramento City Fire requires a $96 fee if someone is transported to the hospital.
“We gotta find money from somewhere so it’s going to be from people like you and me,” one resident said.
Residents already pay for city services through taxes. The tax revenue goes to local police stations, fire departments and emergency services. The new fees will be on top of those taxes to help pay for gas, supplies and paramedic personnel when the fire department responds to an emergency call, according to officials.
“The real issue is how do we provide the essential services the community is seeking from us?” Folsom Fire Chief Ron Phillips said.
It is obvious that people might be more hesitant to call 911 for care if they know they are going to be charged for doing so. Phillips said he understands that, but that won’t stop the policy from going into effect on Monday.
“They’re constantly weighing out whether they should call 911,” he said. “And we really encourage people to call 911. Don’t let that weigh into this discussion.”
Folsom’s budget deficits have caused the city to lay off fire fighters for four consecutive years, going from 80 fire fighters to just 54. City Council approved the new fees unanimously.
The city of Folsom released the following statement on Tuesday:
Beginning July 15, the Folsom Fire Department will charge a $225 fee to help defray the cost of providing emergency care by highly trained paramedics on fire engine and truck companies. The City Council adopted the fee schedule at its June 26 meeting.
“The Fire Department provides Emergency Medical Service (EMS) for sick and injured patients that represents the highest level of pre-hospital care provided by non-physicians,” says Fire Chief Ron Phillips. “The first responders are typically on scene and caring for patients prior to the arrival of a public or private ambulance.
Philips notes that local taxes cover the capability of having fire and paramedic services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The new fee will cover direct costs associated with the response to EMS incidents by our engine and ladder truck companies,” says Chief Phillips. “It makes sense that the cost for supplies and treatment should be borne by the patients who use the first responder service, rather than subsidized by the community as a whole.”
The fee will be charged whenever a person is medically evaluated and treated by paramedics on a first responder unit. It will not be charged if an individual declines medical evaluation or treatment by paramedics.
Chief Phillips says that many regional fire agencies have charged first responder fees for years and that Folsom’s new fee schedule is less than the fees charged by many others. Ninety percent of the patients treated by first responders in Folsom are covered by private insurance, Medicare or Medical
CBS Sacramento reports Folsom fire paramedics respond to about 3,500 calls for service a year and anticipate collecting around $250,000 from paramedic fees during the next fiscal year.
Still, some residents are skeptical the policy will help.
“I believe that those who’ve paid their taxes all these years will end up paying for those don’t, just like we do now,” Folsom resident Judy Lowder said.
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Comments (68)
Man-On-A-Mission
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:25pmThe GOP destroyed the 8 largest economy in the World when Arnold took over. Let the Corporations and rich get away with paying no taxes and have the middle class losing state and private jobs and homes and this is what you get.
Way to go GOP……..
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:32pmLike I said to Mike.. Check the Assembly and Senate.. Who rules those branches.. Yes Arnold was a Rhino Liberal. But, the legislature is 2/3 Liberal. Nice Try
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:35pmI LOVE hearing this about California. Those people in California are suffering big time. They gave away their tax cash to non-white people and now California towns and cities are dying. They deserve everything that is happening. They had a paradise once and have turned it into a Liberal sewer. What happens if pranksters call and have EMS teams sent to people’s homes who do not need them? Who pays then?
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:49pm@muffy. Learn to read. If they refuse care they are not charged.
And I live in Calif and Hate what this state has became. But, remember you are talking about your fellow Americans. We are not all Liberal Stooges living in Calif. We are just outnumbered.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 2:25pmGray Davis had things humming right along? LOL
Report Post »johnboy0007
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:53pmThe democrats have been in power for over 20 years now. So where do you get that stupid idiotic remark from that has no validity or reference. If you would have discovered in your such infinite wisdom most of the democratic controlled states are the ones in trouble..Hawaii, New York, Connecticut, California, New Jersey, Delaware, Washington, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Nevada, Vermont, Maryland, Maine, and Iowa..ILL, just to name a few. Start reading and quit texting.
Report Post »Mikev5
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:19pmIn California the ex-Terminator of a Governor was going to make things better for all Californians instead all we got was another union controlled puppet and all the bills were shuffled onto the people of CA. what a pathetic looser he was now CA. is falling apart.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:28pmYes he was an ULTRA Rhino.. but, remember 2/3′s of the Assembly and Senate in Calif is and has always been Liberal.
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:41pmShove California’s face right into the gutter. Congress will sell California to the Chinese to get rid of the disaster and debt. Who needs California, we get all our vegetables from South America and Africa now.
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:45pmBut the Moon Beam Jerry Brown runs California now. The failed policies of the 1970s Jerry Brown have been modernized and brought into the 21 century. Brown is going to make sure his failures of the 70s will work now. When is Linda Rhonstead moving into the Governor’s home?
Report Post »muffythetuffy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:51pmCalifornia, bless them, should be building a new rail system from LA to Phoenix, Arizona for all the people that want to leave.
One day soon the COPs will go on strike and lets all watch what happens. I LOVE IT. I really LOVE what is going to happen to that Mexican cesspool called California.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:52pm@muffy.. nice man… Again these people you talk of are Americans.. I hate the liberal bs in this state but, California’s Farmers are NOT liberal. The Central Valley and the Imperial Valley grows most of the food you eat. Including the feed that the animals you eat. Those Farmers are the only Conservatives left in Calif.
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 2:20pmCA was failing long before Arnold was elected. It’s called to much lib control with ZERO spending restraints.
Report Post »Bill Wallace
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:51amJudy Lowder…welcome to California…or welcome to the US social safety net. I pay taxes. I don’t get a free ride.
Report Post »Man-On-A-Mission
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:28pmOH…so I’m laying bleeding to death and you want to know if I can pay the $225.00…..let it be your kid or wife…. or grand parent…..this is crazy. Poor will not be able to pay the bill….so how effective will this be…unless you just plan to let someone die.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:34pm@man on a misson
Um.. that’s only 3 or 4 months worth of Cell phone bills. Add in Cable and it’s 2 months Cable 2 month Cell. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices.
Report Post »The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:17amTh real question will be…who gets charged…the person who calls or the person needing help. I know in some areas, stores and such have to get verbal authorization from somebody who is hurt and conscious as to if they want 911 called to prevent the store from being charged for the ambulance.
Report Post »bumfuzeled
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:13amThe city/county needs to choose, they can have fee for service or taxes not both.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:04amA Helping Hand is $225 — Damn Prostitutes!
Report Post »FatManChew
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:55amIf this is true then the citizens of the city should demand that the paramedics start working on commission.
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:41amProperty taxes are un-American!!!!
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:40amSo if a little boy is hit by a car on his bike, will the onlookers need top take up a collection? Paramedics, what a joke, just more overpaid under worked union goons. They’ll need every buck to pay them off and pay for their retirement at 55.
Report Post »GrayPanther
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:15amNot 55, they can retire at 20 years, possibly at 40 years old and draw their pension then until death! And statistics show firemen and police have far safer work than many others. It’s time citizens all over wake up and replace compliant mayors and council people who roll over for public union demands for campaign contributions. This is killing states and cities in every state.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:32amI bet you won’t think they are a joke when you need them. And how long do you think they should work before they retire? Do you want a 70 year old paramedic picking you up when you need help?
Report Post »And this job is hardly safe. I don’t care what stats you pull out, people get hurt and killed doing it. That makes it dangerous by any definition. And don’t worry about paying for a long retirement. Most of us die within ten years of retiring, that ought to make you happy.
freeberty
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:44amTexfiregay
We get it, your a hero, not a lecherous government parasite, don’t you have a hose to polish or something?
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:52amWow, that’s pretty witty of you to change a letter and call me gay instead of guy. Man, that is so funny I’m just speechless. Are you always this mature or have you been studying?
Report Post »Regdunlop
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:54amFreeberty is a moron, just ignore him.
Report Post »freeberty
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 1:09pmThat’s it? Well at least we know one reason why you both ended up being government parasites.
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 2:22pmIt‘s NOT the medic’s rules, it the city leaders.
Report Post »Ted Zeppelin
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:31amWhat fools these liberals to think they’re going to collect a dime from any illegal. As a property tax payer when the city charges me $225 I will sue the city for millions for failing to collect from illegals which is obvoius racism against me by the city.
Report Post »HotFixIt
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 4:15pmNothing new for where I live… they have been charging over $500 for many years. They now have an ‘insurance’ plan where people can pay $60 per year in case they need to call and ambulance so the ambulance fee is waived. That is if they are called to your home.. I guess if you are in a car accident you get to pay the $500 plus all supplies used. I know I was billed over $1200 once when I was in an accident.
Report Post »perry1980
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:19amCalifornia is what America will look like if we get 4 more years of Obama
Report Post »johnjamison
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:24amSo this will yet another expense that th entitlement society will be exempt from and the tax payers will be forced to pay.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:21amEveryone needs to calm down about this. The insurance companies get billed, not the individual. And if they don’t have insurance, most cities don’t pursue it or attempt to collect. This is common practice here on Texas, most cities charge far more for than 200 bucks. There is usually a cheaper rate for city residents, ie tax payers, than non residents. The money collected helps offset the costs.
Report Post »The problem isn’t the average citizen who calls once or twice in a lifetime, the problem is the system abusers. There are patients we see so often we have memorized their info completely. They for anything, at all hours, and have never paid a dollar for any of it. They are soaking off of Medicare/Medicaid and are the poster children of system abusers.
johnjamison
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:25amSo this is another discriminative tax policy only applys to thoughs whose work for a living.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 11:21amAren’t most taxes only paid by those that work? About half of all Americans pay no income taxes at all. No wonder the system is broken.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 12:47pmSometimes the folks on here are so Hyperbolic. They over react to a lot of the subjects. Most have no idea what they are talking about. Case in point is the Closing of Border Stations. 90% of the comments were saying “They are closing border crossings”. When in fact those Border stations are miles, sometimes 100′s of miles from the border.
Report Post »Dustoff
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 2:30pmYep I’ve had a few of them before.
Report Post »scrudge
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:06amAh Yes…. did you expect anything different from the FRUITS and NUTS ?????
Report Post »LameLiberals
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:07amPeople on welfare do NOT pay for ambulances. Taxpayers will pick up that tab also.
Report Post »LameLiberals
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:06amWhat is WRONG with these cities?
Answer:
CONTRACT out all Fire Departments. They do NOT need to be public leeches. When they are NOT fighting fires which they are NOT 99% of the time, have the contract list that fireman mow the public parks and paint public building and be public school school guards. Give them a beeper (CHEAPER) and if they are beeped, their gear is in their trunks and they can show up at the fire.
Firefighters are a JOKE!! Stossel confronted a fireman union member and flat told them being a fireman was one of the SAFEST JOBS. Fishermen and a whole slew of other jobs were well ahead of firemen in the danger department.
Police can handle the jaws of life. Fireman waste tons of taxpayer money responding as EMTs (no fire) when there are PRIVATE ambulances ready willing and CHEAPER to do that job.
Lots of cities/towns have PRIVATIZED their fire departments or even made their fire departments VOLUNTEER as they were years before they became public leeches.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:24amGood luck with that plan. You know, there is a reason why cities that go with contracted fire services eventually switch back. The service is subpar and there is a reason why it is cheaper. Do you really want the lowest bidder showing up at your emergency?
Report Post »nzkiwi
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:55amAnd the chickens start coming home to roost…
Report Post »Baddoggy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:44amYea…get that off some welfare queen, gamgbanger or crackhead….What are they gonna do when that happens? hahaha
Report Post »snapperman
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:37am3,500 calls at $250 a call equals $875,000, quite a bit more than the $250,000 Folsom plans on collecting; evidently only the people already paying will have to pay the paramedic fee.
Report Post »ferggie
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:23amGosh, do they mean that the people that actually use the service will have to pay for it instead of just sticking it to the people that earn a living pay for everything else? That is a novel idea.
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:11amWhy should it be free? People over-use emergency services because they are free.
Report Post »Diane TX
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:10amBut, but … what if the person is an illegal alien? After all they’re only here to provide lawn care, and send what they make back to Mexico. It not like they file income tax returns here. Where does the City send the charges to? A Mexican who no-speak English, wouldn’t understand the bill.
Report Post »RightUnite
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:05amGeez!!! Next they’ll be charging for the friggin air they breath…..
Report Post »soybomb315
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:18amDont use the service then. I think a person should have to pay something for a life-saving vehicle….especially if it is at the taxpayer expense
Report Post »Meyvn
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 8:21amThey are working on that too.
Report Post »LameLiberals
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:19amsoybomb315
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:18am
Dont use the service then.
Report Post »______
no PRIVATIZE the SERVICE. That way taxpayer are NOT paying TWICE. It will be CHEAPER. There taxes on everyone’s cell phones and other communication devices to pay for 9-11. Our phone bills are HALF taxes. We do NOT need fireman to be EMTs. Privatize the Fire Department (see my other comment) and allow COMPETING PRIVATE EMTs to respond to calls. Let consumers choose (when they can – not unconscious) and their family members CHOOSE which PRIVATE ambulance to call.
9111315
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 10:11amThe carbon tax is a way to charge us for the air we exhale.
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:03amShall we all guess as to why this city (and many others) have no money? Do we want to bet that it is due to outrageously generous retirement and health insurance benefits?
Are more folks waking up to the big Ponzi scheme of gov’t worker benefits (no to mention the pending storm of Social Security and Medicare) ?
Report Post »Derek01
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:02amUnions are pricing themselves out of the market. The townspeople should fire them all and hire or contract out new firefighters that that the city can afford.
Report Post »texasfireguy
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 9:48amWhat do unions have to do with this? This is a descision by the city, and has nothing to do with unions or anything else.
Report Post »And for the record, I am not in the union and never have been and never would join.
historyguy48
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 6:54amComrades what a wonderful idea! Only they should price this more in accordance with proper ObamaCare procedures. $225 is far to low, perhaps a more reasonable price would be $225,000 that way medicare would pay $225.
Report Post »Isn’t Obamanomics fun?
dublinthewagons
Posted on July 12, 2012 at 7:05amIf you are not conscious, you will be frisk before CPR is administered. Unless you are illegal.
Report Post »