charging to much in waco.

[danielost]

The ambulance company here in. Waco tx. Hass a commercial running, which if you listen to it tells you how much they are over charging. They say it costs over $600 a ride. But, they willl wave it if you pay them $60 a year. I bet medacare/caid does not quilify..

[freetoroam]

Any chance of a link so i can read what you are talking about?

[danielost]

Sorry, no it is a tv commercial. But, I gave you the. Whole commercial iin snippitt form.

You pay sixty a year and you and family get free ride to hospital.

[Rafterman]

Sorry, no it is a tv commercial. But, I gave you the. Whole commercial iin snippitt form.

You pay sixty a year and you and family get free ride to hospital.

That's pretty typical. It's no different than paying insurance.

From their perspective, getting $600 from a few people vs $60 from a lot of folks - seems like a good deal to me.

[Gromdor]

They say the average ambulance ride costs $700-750, so that ambulance company already sounds pretty discount to me. But Rafter is right about the logic behind the $60/a year thing. What you have to realize is that these companies are in it to make money, taking care of you and your family is secondary.

[danielost]

Perhaps, but there are only around 100,000 people in waco and suburbs combined. That means the most they could collecf is around six million.

[sam12six]

I think this sort of advertising appeals to a growing part of the population that has absolutely no idea of saving money. I know a guy who rents a TV from one of those rent to own places. After a year, he's paid 5 times what it would have cost new, but he does it anyway because he can't save up for 2 months to just buy one.

Such people don't look at the ad and say, "Hmmm, pay $600 for an ambulance ride that your average person needs maybe once a lifetime or pay sixty every month for the rest of my life. Assuming I live till next year, I'm probably better off paying for the ride as I need it.", instead they think, "My god! What if I need to come up with 600 bucks all at once?!? I'd better get on this sixty a month plan."

[danielost]

The only ones who might think that are those without a car and tgey are probabl on medicaid which pays for the ride.

[spacecowboy342]

That's pretty typical. It's no different than paying insurance.

From their perspective, getting $600 from a few people vs $60 from a lot of folks - seems like a good deal to me.

Definitely a good deal all around I would say. $600 may be the average but no where near the high end. I had a heart attack a few years ago and the ride cost me 3 grand which for some reason my insurance declined to pay for.

[Varelse]

Definitely a good deal all around I would say. $600 may be the average but no where near the high end. I had a heart attack a few years ago and the ride cost me 3 grand which for some reason my insurance declined to pay for.

agree. There's a lot of people who know they're at risk it could work for.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

wait ... ambulance COMPANY?

You have private firms transporting people to hospital?

Ahh these Americans, they're crazy.

[Gromdor]

One of my close friends works in the E.R. of a private hospital. They employ the spouses of ambulance drivers as housekeeping personnel. When work is slow the shift manager or whatever he is called has the housekeepers call their spouses and divert more ambulance traffic to the hospital. And of course, they turn people away if their insurance isn't profitable enough when they are busy. The practice bums my friend out but he realizes that the hospital isn't working for charity but for profit. The shift manager isn't a doctor by the way so he isn't bound by the Hippocratic Oath.

[danielost]

He isn't but the hospital is.