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Resident questions $75 'treat-no-transport' ambulance charge; county to publish itemized fees
Summary
A Cusseta resident said he was billed $75 for on-scene EMS treatment without transport and asked why the public only learns of fees when billed; County Manager Thomas Weaver said the $75 covers on-scene treatment and the $10 water-bill item funds 911, and promised an itemized charge breakdown at the next meeting.
During the Dec. 2 regular meeting, resident Derrick White of Lafayette Road raised an open-forum complaint after receiving a $75 emergency medical services bill despite not being transported to a hospital. White said he believed the $10 line item on the water bill should cover EMS charges and that the public "doesn't know about the fees until they receive a bill."
County Manager Thomas Weaver responded that the $75 charge is a "treat-no-transport" fee for on-scene treatment (for items such as on-site vital checks and supplies) and that the $10 water-bill fee is earmarked for 911 services, not ambulance treatment. Weaver said the county will provide an itemized breakdown of ambulance charges at the next regular meeting so commissioners and residents can review how transport and non-transport fees are applied.
At the Dec. 22 work session Weaver offered regional comparators for ambulance transport: he cited typical local ranges and a basic ALS transport example of roughly $1,000 and noted other rates the county records show (ALS2 $1,600; network ALS $950; BLS/E numbers listed in the minutes include $900 and $400). Weaver emphasized the $75 fee is long-standing and was instituted shortly after the service began. The commission asked staff to put a formal explanatory item on the next meeting agenda.
