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Council reviews ambulance-billing data and approves Polaris Ranger outfitted for EMS use
Summary
Third-party biller EMSMC briefed council on ambulance revenue, payer mix (heavy federal payers), patient responsibility collections and an estimated $130,000 resident cost-share impact if the city waived all copays; council approved a Polaris Ranger purchase for DPS/EMS use (not to exceed $32,000) with ambulance fund as primary source and gambling forfeiture as backup.
The Fraser City Council heard a presentation from the city’s third-party ambulance billing contractor and approved purchase of an off-road Polaris Ranger vehicle outfitted to carry an EMS bed insert for public events and off-road response.
Billing presentation: Jodie Abraham of EMSMC summarized the city’s billing since the 2012 partnership and provided 2025 and year-to-date 2026 figures. She said the partnership has processed roughly $3.4 million in charges since 2012 and that the 2025 gross charges and collections reflected a payer mix dominated by federal payers (Medicare/Medicaid). Abraham reported about 14% of transports are private pay and that private-pay collection rates run about 12% after accounts are sent to collections; she showed an example illustrating how Medicare contractual allowances and co-pays reduce the apparent charge to an insurance-allowed amount and leave a modest patient responsibility in many cases.
Policy implications: Council members asked whether the city could waive resident cost sharing. Staff and the billing representative said waiving patient cost-sharing for residents is legally feasible only if the city adopts a formal ordinance or funding mechanism to absorb those costs; the billing rep estimated waiving resident cost-sharing last year would have reduced patient-billed balances by roughly $130,000 (an approximate figure provided during the presentation). Council discussed options for making up any revenue difference—raising nonresident rates, general fund transfers or a targeted levy—and asked staff to supply updated projections.
Polaris Ranger purchase: The public safety director requested approval to buy a Polaris Ranger XP Crew 1000 configured to accept an EMS rescue skid (stretcher insert). Cost estimates in the packet totaled about $27,000 for the vehicle and roughly $4,000 for the EMS insert; the director requested authorization not to exceed $32,000 including graphics. Council discussed funding: several members recommended using ambulance fund revenue; the mayor and city attorney said the ambulance fund was a likely fit but advised a contingency plan in case accounting language required gambling forfeiture funds. Council amended the motion to allow the ambulance fund as primary and gambling forfeiture as secondary; the motion passed and council approved a budget amendment to appropriate the funds.
What happens next: Staff will place the order, and the vehicle is expected to be available for the city carnival in July. The city also asked the billing company to return with clearer modeling on the fiscal effect of any resident cost-share waiver.
