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Hospital + Ambulance cost
Would anyone to happen to know the cost of an ambulance ride to a hospital and the cost of living in a hospital for about a week? Also, how much would insurance cover if your insurance company was United Health Care?
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I used to work for Southwest Ambulance in their billing department (& I do medical billing now), so I'll probably be a lot more helpful. There is a flat rate for the ride of about $650 dollars plus mileage. Depending on how far you are planning to ride in the ambulance & the other things that may be administered to you during transport (Oxygen, etc), I'd say you're looking @ an average of $750-$800 for the ride. (Expensive, I know.) I'm not TOO familiar with United Healthcare guidelines as far as ambulance billing because I worked mostly Medicare. But I know that UHC, like Medicare & other insurances, will cover it if the ride was medically necessary. By medical necessity I mean -- could you have gone to the hospital safely by other means (car, taxi, wheelchair van)? If so, then UHC may not pick up your bill. For example: you could have no legs & call an ambulance for a headache or nosebleed (a lot of people call for that reason, believe it or not) & UHC may not cover it because you could have gone by a wheelchair van. There are certain situations where I HAVE seen UHC pay when I didn't think they would, so I guess it all depends on how it's billed. If you gave me your reason for the transport, I could probably give you a better idea if UHC would pay it or deny it. But if you call an ambulance simply because you don't want to drive yourself, you may end up with the bill. BASICALLY, don't call for an ambulance unless you truly need it. As far as hospital stays, I am not too sure; that's a broad question. It all depends on the reason & what you need during your stay.
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