Cole County approves ambulance rate hike

A Cole County ambulance responds to a call in Jefferson City. (News Tribune file photo)
A Cole County ambulance responds to a call in Jefferson City. (News Tribune file photo)

Perhaps for the first time since taking over the ambulance service in July 2009, the Cole County Commission has approved increases in rates for some service calls.

Ambulance Service Director Jerry Johnston said his records date back only four years, but nonetheless, they had been charging more for the calls they answer least and had not kept up with the charges for calls they answer most frequently, compared to other ambulance services in the area.

For basic ambulance transport, generated by a 911 call, the charge will go from $675 to $850. For a non-911 call, usually a transport to the hospital, the cost will go from $534 to $750.

Also, transport of patients who are bed- or wheelchair-bound from hospitals to nursing homes or other facilities will go from $349 to $500.

Mileage costs will rise from $12 to $15 a mile for all calls. Standby service, where an ambulance and crew are required to be at an event such as a high school football game, will stay at $125 an hour.

Johnston said the average increase is 16 percent, which works out to 3 percent each year. He said that's low considering the typical increase for ambulance service rates runs 8-10 percent a year.

He added the ambulance service probably will have to make another 7-8 percent increase next year to get rates to the levels they should be.

"Keep in mind that 55 percent of the population has Medicaid and/or Medicare, and those will only pay so much on the basic charges and mileage costs," Johnston said.