Fire chief highlights South Pasadena paramedic subscription program; subscriptions cover ambulance copays

Fire Chief Greg Lloyd told commissioners the South Pasadena Fire Department’s paramedic subscription program offers residents a $95 annual subscription that covers remaining ambulance costs and protects households from unexpected copays.

Lloyd said the program covers all household members for $95 per year and businesses can buy coverage for up to 10 employees for $106 annually. “For $95 a year we waive all of those other fees,” Lloyd said, describing the service as a financial safety net when an ambulance transport occurs. He added that ambulance transport rates are set by Medicare and the Los Angeles County Department of Health and that transport can “be in excess of $3,000.”

Lloyd described recent administrative changes intended to reduce billing costs: the department renegotiated its third‑party billing contract and reduced the billing company’s recovery fee from 7.5 percent to 5.5 percent. He said the fire department collected just under $1 million in ambulance revenue during 2024 and that subscriptions brought in roughly $26,000–$30,000 a year; staff estimated about 273 residential subscribers if subscriptions were entirely residential.

Commissioners and residents praised the program and asked about outreach to increase participation; Lloyd said the department sends renewal reminders, accepts payments at the fire station and is exploring online sign‑up and more active community outreach to raise awareness.

No commission action was taken; staff offered to provide detailed financial reports on reimbursement, write‑offs and subscription uptake on request.