Recently I personally encountered the exorbitant cost of using the Allen County ambulance service. Although I was expecting a quite sizeable charge I was none the less surprised by the numbers.
The ride from LaHarpe to the Allen County Hospital, less than five miles, was $735! But wait, there’s more … From Iola to Wichita is $3,583.50! To charter an airplane for the same trip would be less than $200.
In my personal situation this is not a problem as my insurance and Medicare covered nearly all the cost. It is, however, a good example of the sort of rip-off that has caused Medicare to go broke. Considering the thousands upon thousands of taxpayers’ dollars that the county continues to spend on the new Allen County EMS location, most of which could have been avoided, and the fact that the EMS equipment was paid for with tax money, and the employees are paid by the county, the cost of service seems more than somewhat out of reason.
Our roads and bridges are built and maintained by the county but we aren’t charged to use them. Our sheriff department and their equipment is paid for by the county but we aren’t charged when a deputy makes a house call. The airport is operated by the county but pilots aren’t charged for using it, etc..
Would it not seem logical that such a vital service should be granted the same consideration, at least to some extent? Unfortunately these high costs happen to the people who can least afford it. Aside from buying property and building new buildings the county might do well to give this situation some consideration.
Respectfully,
Gene Burrows,
LaHarpe, Kan.
