Medical bills can sneak up on you when you least expect them to; however, air ambulance bills are perhaps the biggest shockers. The root cause is the fact that they are often not covered by insurance companies. This puts the burden of paying the balance bills entirely on the patients. There have been instances where the cost of the air ambulance has been much more than the treatment itself. Having said that, the role of a medical flight in saving lives simply cannot be ignored. There cannot be a price tag on enablers that ensure timely medical care. Moreover, receiving care on time ensures increased survival chances as well as better and quicker recovery.
The Tips that can Help You with Air Ambulance Bills
Hire a medical flight only if you need it. Not all medical conditions demand an air ambulance service. Insurance companies will approve the charges if they offer real value over ground ambulances. In this regard, ask the following quick questions to yourself.
- If there an immediate chance of losing life?
- Will the condition worsen drastically with time?
- Will the movement involved with ground ambulance worsen the medical condition?
- Is there a significant advantage over ground ambulance?
If the answer to the questions above is a positive ‘yes’, then you can go ahead with employing the service.
What If the Air Ambulance Charge is not Covered?
A refusal by the air ambulance company is not the end of it all. Here are some of the aspects that need a closer look.
- Ensure that all the insurance codes are in order. Use of wrong codes can lead to rejection, especially if they do not convey that the air ambulance was availed in an emergency situation.
- Ask for an itemized bill from the air ambulance company to ensure that you have not been charged unnecessarily for services that you did not avail.
- If at the end of it, you are still asked to pay up, negotiate with the service provider. There is a good chance that they will settle for a much lower amount.
- Pay in instalments. Medical flight service providers often allow the patients to pay in instalments, so take advantage of it.
