How To Easily Pay Your Ambulance Bill Online

Getting an unexpected ambulance bill in the mail can be an unpleasant surprise. Especially when that bill is hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Paying for an ambulance ride is often an expensive necessity when you’re facing a medical emergency. Fortunately, most ambulance companies today make it quick and easy to pay your bill online.

Why Ambulance Bills Are So Expensive

Before we get into the nitty gritty details of how to pay, let’s first talk about why ambulance bills tend to be so expensive in the first place

An average ambulance ride costs between $300-$500 for basic life support (BLS) and $700-$1000 for advanced life support (ALS). But your final bill can end up being much higher depending on factors like:

• Mileage – Most ambulance companies charge per mile traveled to transport you. The base rate may cover just a few miles, then it’s an additional $10-$20 per mile after that. So the farther you need to be transported, the higher the cost.

• Medical services – You’ll pay more if you require medications, starting an IV, using oxygen, performing CPR, or other medical interventions during your transport. Highly trained paramedics on board the ambulance have the skills and equipment to provide these services.

• Emergency response: Ambulances must be ready to go 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means that paramedics must be on call 24 hours a day, even when they are not transporting patients. This level of readiness costs money.

• Equipment—Ambulances are filled to the brim with medical equipment and life-saving technology worth thousands of dollars. They are like mobile emergency rooms. All these tools need to be maintained and replenished.

• Insurance – Ambulance companies need to carry special liability and malpractice insurance in case accidents or mistakes happen on the job. This is an expense passed onto consumers.

Bottom line, providing ambulance services is an extremely complex and costly operation. While the prices may seem outrageous there are legitimate reasons behind them.

Confirm Your Ambulance Company Details

Before you pay your ambulance bill online, first confirm the correct company billing you. The ambulance crew that picks you up may not be the company that actually bills for the transport. EMS agencies often subcontract out work to each other.

Check the bill to see the real name of the business and how to reach them. Common major ambulance companies include:

• AMR (American Medical Response)
• Falck
• Acadian Ambulance Service
• Rural/Metro Corporation

There may also be smaller local companies like Metro Ambulance or MedStar Mobile Healthcare billing you.

If you’re unsure about who transported you, call the billing company listed on the invoice. They can look up your ambulance run by date and location to verify they have the right information. Getting this step right ensures you pay the correct company.

Have Your Invoice Number Handy

You’ll need to know your unique invoice or run number in order to pay your ambulance bill online. This is basically an account number that the ambulance service gives you.

The invoice number may be listed at the top of your ambulance bill. If not, look for a run number which should be a string of numbers like “1345281”.

Without this key identifying number, the ambulance company won’t know which bill you’re trying to pay. So be sure to have it handy before you start the online payment process.

Follow the Payment Link From Your Bill

Many ambulance companies make it easy by providing a payment link directly on your mailed invoice. Look for instructions that read something like:

“To pay this bill online, please visit [PaymentWebsite.com]”

This will send you to the ambulance company’s official payment portal to settle your bill digitally. It takes out the guesswork of hunting down their billing website.

If for some reason there’s no payment link provided, you can Google the ambulance company name plus “bill pay” or “online payment” to locate their website.

Select One-Time Payment

Once you access the ambulance company’s payment page, look for options to make a “one-time payment”. This allows you to pay the full balance due in a single transaction.

The other choice is usually setting up recurring payments or an installment plan. You likely just want to make a single payment to fully settle your outstanding bill. So be sure to select the one-time payment option.

Enter Your Invoice Number

At some point in the online payment process, you’ll be asked to provide your invoice number. This is where you’ll need to enter that unique run number discussed earlier.

Double check you’re entering the correct digits from your bill. Entering an invalid number may result in your payment being misapplied or rejected.

Choose Payment Method

Similar to other online payments, you’ll be able to pay your ambulance bill with either a debit card, credit card, or through your bank account.

Using a credit card allows you to earn rewards points and potentially defer payment until your next billing cycle. However, watch out for high credit card interest rates.

Paying directly from your checking account as an ACH transfer is usually the cheapest option. Just be aware it pulls money immediately from your available balance.

Select whichever payment method best fits your financial situation. The good news is you have choices when paying online.

Print or Save the Receipt

Once your ambulance payment is processed successfully, make sure to print or save the digital receipt. This is your proof of paying the bill in case any issues arise later.

Also hold onto the receipt for your personal records come tax season. Medical expenses like an ambulance ride may be tax deductible depending on your situation.

Setup Automatic Payments in the Future

If you find yourself needing ambulance transport frequently, consider setting up automatic bill pay with the company. This has your monthly payment deducted directly from your bank account.

Automatic payments mean you don’t have to go through the payment hassle every single time. Just be sure you have adequate funds in your linked account when the monthly withdrawal hits.

Ask About Financial Assistance if Needed

Facing an expensive ambulance bill can be daunting, especially if money is tight. Don’t hesitate to call the billing company about financial assistance or hardship programs.

Many ambulance companies offer:

• Payment plans – Spread balance out over several smaller monthly payments.

• Discounts – If you pay the entire balance quickly, discounts of 25% or more may apply.

• Fee waivers – Programs to completely waive fees for households meeting low income criteria.

• Community benefits – Non-profit hospitals offer financial assistance for ambulance bills resulting from visits to their ER.

If paying the full ambulance bill upfront poses financial difficulty, be proactive in asking about relief options. Companies would rather get paid something than nothing at all.

Don’t Delay – Pay Promptly to Avoid Collections

It’s understandable to feel sticker shock seeing a huge ambulance bill in your mailbox. But avoiding or putting off payment will only make things worse.

Delaying payment can result in:

• Late fees – Ambulance companies will start tacking on late fees, usually around 10% per month. This adds insult to injury.

• Credit damage – Unpaid ambulance bills get reported to credit bureaus, negatively impacting your credit score.

• Collections – After 60-90 days of nonpayment, expect your account to get referred to aggressive collections agencies.

• Legal action – As a last resort, you may face lawsuits or wage garnishments if you continue to ignore the bill.

Save yourself further hassles by promptly paying your ambulance bill online through the company’s payment portal. Follow the tips in this guide to smoothly handle this financial obligation so you can put the matter behind you.

Needing an ambulance in a medical crisis is stressful enough without worrying about how to pay the bill. Fortunately, with modern online payment options, settling your ambulance invoice has never been easier.

The key steps are: confirming the correct billing provider, having your invoice number ready, using the company’s online payment link, entering valid account details, choosing a payment method, keeping the receipt, and watching out for available financial assistance.

While the cost of an ambulance ride may be a hardship, avoiding payment only makes the situation worse. Now that you know how to pay your ambulance bill digitally, you can take care of this essential expense and move forward.