Q: Do you have to pay when you call an ambulance in the States?
A: Yes, of course. What you pay depends on where you live, the type of insurance you have, how far the ambulance travels, whether the closest hospital or the ambulance company are considered “in network” for your insurance company, etc. There are lots of variables, including the reason you need to go to the hospital! For example, if you are hurt at work, your employer will get the bill instead of you.
Some years ago, my mother fell down a flight of stairs, so we quickly called the ambulance. Her insurance covered the base fee, but she had to pay the mileage. It was only about 5 or 6 miles to the hospital from her home, and just her portion of the bill was $1,700. I recently read an article about a man who was billed $2,500 for his son’s ambulance ride, which was only 2 miles long.
Generally, Americans try to avoid going in an ambulance if they can, because we know it costs too much. Many people will refuse to go in the ambulance after a car accident if they think they can drive themselves, and I know some people who have taken an Uber instead of an ambulance.
In the case of a car accident, you still get the bill. If you or the other party have car insurance, then the insurance company should reimburse you, but this sometimes takes a very long time. Also, most car insurance policies and many medical insurance policies have a deductible, which is an amount you are responsible for before they start to pay, so you MAY have to pay for the ambulance yourself. An example would be if you had a $5,000 deductible and your ambulance bill was $3,000 – you would need to pay it yourself, plus $2,000 of your medical bills before your insurance would pay anything.
When I was hit I was lucky, because my own car insurance paid for the medical bills. Then they had to sue the other insurance company (the one covering the woman who hit me) to get the money back from them. This is also something that will vary by state (different laws) and by the kind of insurance policy you have. There are different rules about personal injury coverage and amounts from state to state.
I knew a girl who was hit by trees during a wind storm – the trees crashed down on her truck, trapping her inside. She was critically injured and it took about a year for her to recover. In her case, the city was responsible, as the trees were diseased and had already been marked for removal, but then they forgot to remove them. But even though the city was the responsible party, my friend was billed for everything – the ambulance, the cost of the firefighters who cut her out of her truck, the towing and storage of her truck, surgeries, the hospital bills, etc. Of course she did not have to pay those bills in the end, but she was the one who received them, so while she was in the hospital, her credit was completely destroyed, as it appeared that she was ignoring/refusing to pay bills. Once she recovered, she was unable to qualify for a loan for a new vehicle, because her credit had been so damaged by the tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical bills she received for her treatment.
(和訳)
Q: 米国では救急車を呼んだらお金を払わなくてはいけないの？
A: もちろん払わなくてはいけないわ。何について払うかは、住んでいるところ、加入保険の種類、救急車の走行距離、最寄りの病院や救急車の会社が保険会社のネットワークに参加しているかどうか等によるの。病院に行く必要性も含めてたくさんの要素があるの！もちろん、職場で怪我をしたら、雇用者があなたの代わりに費用を払うわ。
何年か前、母が階段の踊り場で転んだので、私たちはすぐに救急車を呼んだの。彼女が入っていた保険は基本的な費用の補償はしてくれたけど、彼女は走行距離のところを払わなくてはいけなかったのね。彼女の家から病院まで５、６マイルくらいだったんだけど、彼女が負担する分だけで１７００ドルの請求だったのよ。最近読んだ記事では、ある男性の息子さんの救急車代は２５００ドルの請求がきたそう。たった２マイルの走行でよ。
一般的に、アメリカ人はできる限り救急車に乗ることを避けるようにしているわ。すごくお金がかかることがわかっているからね。交通事故にあっても自分で運転できると思えば救急車に乗ることを拒む人も多いわ。救急車の代わりにウーバーを使った人も何人か知ってるわよ。
交通事故の場合でも、救急車の請求を受けるわ。あなたか事故の相手が車の保険に加入していれば、保険会社があなたに払い戻すはずだけど、すごく時間がかかることがあるわね。たいていの車の保険や医療保険の約款は免責金額、つまり彼らが支払いを始める前にあなたが支払わなければならない金額があるから、あなた自身が救急車代を払わなくてはいけないかもしれないわ。5000ドルの免責があって、救急車代が3000ドルだとしたら、保険会社が支払う前に、救急車代に加えて医療費の2000ドルを払う必要があるわ。
私が車と事故したはラッキーだったの。私の車の保険が医療費を払ってくれて、そのお金を回収するために、私をぶつけた女性が加入していた保険会社を訴えたわ。これは州（法律）やあなたが加入している保険会社の約款によって様々ね。個人のケガについて支払う範囲や金額のルールは州によって違うわ。
知り合いで強風の嵐のとき、木にあたった女の子がいるのね。木が彼女のトラックに倒れてきて、車内に閉じ込められてしまったの。彼女は重度のケガを負って、回復するのに１年かかったわ。これは市に責任があったの。木が病気にかかっていて撤去するようマークされていたんだけど、市が撤去し忘れていたのね。市に責任があるものの、救急車、彼女をトラックから救出した消防員の作業費、トラックのレッカーと保管代、手術、病院代など、全ての請求が私の友人のことろにいったの。最終的に彼女はその請求を払わなくてもよかったんだけど、請求を受けるのは彼女だったの。だから、彼女が入院している間、彼女の信用はゼロになってしまったわ。彼女が請求を無視あるいは拒否しているように見えていたから。回復してからも、彼女は新しい車のローンを組めなかったわ。治療のための何万ドルの医療費請求のおかげで彼女の信用はなくなってしまったから。
