Des Plaines officials are considering changing how much the fire department charges for ambulance services.
Courtesy of Des Plaines Fire Department
Des Plaines officials are considering changing how much the fire department charges for ambulance services — but it won’t affect how much most patients pay.
The Des Plaines Fire Department’s fees for paramedic services and ambulance rides haven’t changed since 2019. Fees are the same for Des Plaines residents or people who live elsewhere.
Customers’ insurance companies or Medicare currently are charged $1,500 for evaluation, treatment and transportation to a medical facility, regardless of the severity of the emergency.
Additionally, insurance companies are charged $15 per mile for the ride. A $250 fee for patients who are evaluated but not transported to a hospital is on the books, too.
Des Plaines residents aren’t charged whatever balance isn’t covered by insurance. Residents of some neighboring communities, such as Mount Prospect and Park Ridge, also aren’t balance-billed for Des Plaines ambulance services because of municipal agreements, Fire Chief Matt Matzl said.
Patients from other towns are billed for whatever balance remains.
The city council may switch to a federally subsidized system that would increase the city’s revenue without increasing most customers’ costs.
The program’s fee for a participating fire department is determined annually by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, based on a cost report that includes the department’s budget for ambulance service.
The subsidized system’s current rate for Des Plaines would be about $2,647 for advanced life support service and about $2,756 for basic life support service, documents indicate.
“We run a lot more BLS calls than ALS calls, so that drives the cost of that service up,” Matzl said.
If Des Plaines switches to the subsidized billing program, residents of Des Plaines and the communities with municipal agreements with Des Plaines still wouldn’t have to pay out of pocket for any balance left after payment from insurance companies. Other customers might have to pay what’s left over, Matzl said.
The city council will meet Monday to debate the proposal, and it tentatively could approve the plan. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. at city hall, 1420 Miner St., and will air live at desplainesil.gov.