February 25, 2022 – According to a report from FAIR Health, along with the rise of air ambulance costs, ground ambulance costs have also continued to climb. The report says that the average allowed in-network amount for advanced life support (ALS) emergency ground ambulance transport from 56%, from $486 in 2017 to $758 in 2020.
The report stated that the increase was part of a general rise in costs for both ALS and basic life support (BLS) emergency ground ambulance transport during that period, including upticks in average allowed amounts for privately insured patients and average billed charges.
The report found that no federal law protects consumers against surprise bills from out-of-network ground ambulance providers. Some state and local governments regulate ground ambulance surprise billing practices, but these laws may have limitations in terms of which health plans or ambulance providers they apply to.
“Ground ambulance services have been the subject of substantial policy interest,” FAIR Health President Robin Gelburd said in a statement. “We hope that this study of ground ambulance transport proves useful to policy makers, researchers, payors, providers and consumers seeking to better understand this component of the healthcare system.”