Surprise Ambulance Costs — and How to Curb Them

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Disclaimer :: Thanks to Matt Zavadsky and MedStar Mobile Healthcare for this sponsored post.

Tell me about what’s unique about MedStar. Well, MedStar is a governmental administrative agency that was created by Fort Worth and 14 other cities through an Interlocal cooperative agreement in 1986 to provide ambulance and mobile healthcare services to the more than 978,000 residents and visitors of the member cities. Our mission is to provide world class mobile healthcare with the highest quality customer service and clinical excellence in a fiscally responsible manner.

Wow, that makes for some pretty busy days! Definitely. Most people don’t think they would ever need an ambulance, but in 2016, 135,000 people called MedStar. When you break down that number, there were 12,645 patients under the age of 18. That’s a lot of families who needed an ambulance, and a lot of parents who are dealing with scared kids. The last thing they should be worrying about is how to cover the ambulance bill.

MedStar AmbulanceSo, what does an ambulance usually cost? The average bill for an emergency transport is more than $1,500, which can be quite a shock for someone with medical bills on top of that. Many believe that ambulance services are free, like the fire department or the police, so they don’t think anything of it when requesting one, but once they learn how much it costs, some individuals are hesitant to call for help. That’s exactly why we launched the MedStar Saver program.

What is the MedStar Saver program? It’s a membership program that protects our members from having to pay those lofty ambulance bills most didn’t know existed. For only $69 per year for people with insurance and $110 for people who are uninsured, all MedStar Saver members and their household are shielded from this expense, and protected with unlimited medically necessary ambulance services. To be eligible, you don’t have to have insurance, but you must live or work in the MedStar service area.

$69 for your entire family is a steal! How do you sign up? Enrollment is easy and can now be done online by visiting www.MedStarSaver.org. The MedStar Saver program gives families peace of mind in life’s emergencies, while also saving them from financial trauma, too.

No one plans on needing emergency transport, but a moment’s hesitation can have life-shattering effects. With our MedStar Saver program, members will never have to second-guess calling for help. There are enough unexpected expenses when it comes to raising kids, so this is a great opportunity for families to make a smart financial decision.

MedStar LogoMatt Zavadsky, MS-HSA, EMT, is the chief strategic integration officer at MedStar Mobile Healthcare, the exclusive emergency and nonemergency EMS/MIH provider for Fort Worth and 14 other cities in North Texas. Matt has helped guide the implementation of several innovative programs with healthcare partners that have transformed MedStar fully into a mobile integrated healthcare provider.

Responding to over 140,000 calls each year, MedStar is the exclusive emergency and non-emergency ambulance service provider to Fort Worth residents and 14 other Tarrant County cities including Haltom City, Burleson, Saginaw, White Settlement, Forest Hill, River Oaks, Lake Worth, Sansom Park, Westworth Village, Blue Mound, Edgecliff Village, Haslet, Lakeside, and Westover Hills. For more information, visit www.MedStar911.org.

1 COMMENT

  1. This is misleading. If you sign up for their program they will only give a 40% discount. Their wording in this article does not mention that, and makes it sound like they “cover” the transportation cost. We called Medstar when my wife had a heart attack. Their bill was $2100 for a 6 mile ride. It took 45 minutes to get her there. They are unwilling to work with you on the bill. They have no patient assistance or any other help.

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