Ambulance!

Whose fault, is it? Who do you think should pay the bill?

It all started when the doctor advised his patient that in case of any irregularity health-wise, the patient should immediately contact the Emergency.

The patient went home taking his medication regularly and everything was ok until one hot day in May 2020 while the covid was at its top, the guy fell down unconscious and when he opened his eyes, he remembered his doctor’s advice to call his eAlarm. At once, he pushed the button on his phone which was landed on the floor.

The patient could not breathe, and his head was too heavy. The guy was approaching his seventies; therefore, it was important to be seen by a physician or an emergency room etc

In 15 min, an ambulance arrived, and two guys were knocking at the door which was left unlocked all the time, considering any accident or incident that would necessitate the help of a stranger. Anyway, they came in asking the patient how he felt and if he had insurance. He answered yes pointing at his card over a side counter. One of the guys copied the number on some papers.

The patient told the two guys that he couldn’t walk or breathe normally and that could be covid symptoms. Both answered no and explained to the guy that they saw a lot of covid cases in all hospitals in his area and that none of his symptoms was related to covid. They both assured him that as a fact based on their late experience.

The two ambulance nurses/professionals took the patient temperature and his vital signs and told him that they could not take him to any hospital since all hospitals in that area were overwhelmed with patients. They added that the best thing for him to do was to take a rest and not to go anywhere.

The patient didn’t say anything; he was surprised of not taking him to the hospital, but he assumed that they knew what they were talking about.

Two months later the patient received a bill for over $500 stating that insurance didn’t cover his ambulance bill b/c he was not taken to a hospital which meant that his case was not critical, and ambulance should not be compensated.

The doctor wrote a letter to the insurance explaining to them what took place and that his patient contacted the Emergency based on the doctor’s advice which was reasonable for an elderly.

The patient couldn’t pay the bill and the insurance refused to cover it. While the ambulance should waive that bill completely since it took place under the covid terrible peak circumstances, they instead turned the bill to a collection office which would affect the patient’s credit.

Was that fair? Whose fault, was it? Should that bill get paid? How do you think this issue should be fairly solved?