You might never expect to take a sudden ride in an air ambulance. So when it happens, you may end up with a huge bill. Some patients are receiving air ambulance bills that exceed the costs of their medical treatment:
When Saputo opened a letter from Anthem, he discovered the helicopter company, which was out of his network, had charged the insurance company $51,282 for the flight. Saputo was responsible for the portion his insurance didn’t cover: $11,524.79.
By contrast, the charges from the day of his transplant surgery totaled $40,575 — including $31,605 for his surgeon — and were fully covered by Anthem.
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Fortunately, California has several consumer protection laws that may help if you end up with an air ambulance bill — including a new law that goes into effect January 1, 2020, and applies to many private insurance plans.
If you have an air ambulance bill, please call the Health Consumer Alliance at (888) 804‑3536 for free and confidential assistance.
