Everyone is worried about the rising cost of medical flight services and this includes people in general and also the government with lawmakers working on an overdrive to get the costs down. With all the news about rising cost, it might seem easy to squarely blame the medical flight services for rising costs. One needs to take time to look at the different factors that are pushing the costs towards the sky. Here, we make an attempt to go deep into the reasons that usually determine the cost of medical flight services.
Upkeep of Medical Flight Services is Never Cheap
Highly experienced pilots, nurses with several years of experience under their belt, qualified paramedics and support staff are just one part of the fixed expenses. Then, there is also the hangar, and the upkeep and maintenance of the aircraft itself, which is never cheap. All these expenses are incurred by the medical flight services, regardless of them carrying any patients or not.
Reimbursements that have Remained the Same Since Years
It has been a long-standing demand of air ambulance industry that insurance providers relook at the reimbursements that are provided. Currently, it seems that Medicare only reimburses about 58% of the costs, let alone leaving any room for profits. The surplus of course is expected to be borne by the people finally.
Air Ambulance Companies do Offer Discounts
Most often, air ambulance companies do not shy away from offering discounts when they find out that the patients simply cannot afford the high fee. This discount is usually to the tune of about 10%. Further reduction is possible in instances where the person proves his or her absolute inability to pay the bills by showing the tax stubs and other documents to support the claims. After all, medical flight services too are run by people who understand the compulsions of a common man.
