Should You Refuse to Pay Your Ambulance Bill? A Careful Look at Your Options

Getting slammed with a massive ambulance bill can be a huge shocker. Especially when it comes after an emergency when you had no choice but to call 911. But does this mean you should point blank refuse to pay it? Here’s an in-depth look at your options when facing an unfair ambulance bill.

I recently had a health scare that landed me in the hospital for several weeks. When I finally got home I was greeted by a stack of medical bills – including a whopping $3000 charge for the ambulance ride to the ER.

My insurance only paid $1200, so I was shocked when I got a bill for $1800. I was in such a bad mood that I couldn’t have looked around for an in-network ambulance service. Who cares about networks when my life is in danger?

I’m far from alone in this experience. A recent study found a shocking 79% of ambulance rides can result in surprise out-of-network bills.

So what should you do when you get this kind of ridiculous and unexpected bill? Should you refuse to pay your ambulance bill as a protest? First, here’s what you need to know:

Why Ambulance Bills Are So Problematic

Hospital bills that come as a surprise are often caused by ground ambulances. This is thanks to a few key factors:

• Fragmented Industry – Ambulance services range from municipal government programs to private companies. This makes regulations complex.

• Lack of Options— When you need an ambulance, you can’t look around for one that is in your network. You have to use whichever service shows up.

• Billing Incentives – Ambulance companies can charge whatever they want if they’re out of network, since patients can’t refuse transport in an emergency.

• Expensive Operations – Emergency services need to be available 24/7. This requires significant infrastructure and labor costs.

• Insurance Reimbursement Issues – Insurers often deny ambulance claims if no transport to a hospital occurs. But ambulances still need to cover operational costs for showing up.

• Limited Regulation – The recent “No Surprises Act” bans surprise billing for air ambulances but not ground transportation.

This broken system passes outrageous costs directly to patients – even though we have zero power to prevent or contest them.

As you can imagine, this regularly leaves people in financial distress and understandably furious about ambulance bills. But is refusing to pay the best course of action?

Key Considerations Before Refusing an Ambulance Bill

While it may feel justified to dig in your heels and refuse an unreasonable ambulance charge, it’s wise to fully consider the implications first:

• Can it damage your credit? – If you simply ignore a bill, it will likely get sent to collections and harm your credit score. Medical debts can stay on credit reports for up to 7 years. A poor credit score makes it hard to qualify for loans, mortgages, credit cards and more.

• Will you face legal action? – If you have the assets, ambulance companies can sue you to recoup unpaid bills. This forces you to deal with legal expenses on top of the original debt.

• Do you actually owe the amount billed? – Elevated “chargemaster” prices on medical bills often get negotiated down by insurance companies. You may not legally owe the full amount. More on this shortly.

• Are you eligible for financial assistance? – Many ambulance providers offer financial hardship programs, including sliding-scale payments and bill forgiveness. But you usually need to apply separately.

• Will you need ambulance services again? – Like it or not, refusing to pay could cause the provider to deny future services over unpaid debts. This poses serious risks.

As you can see, blindly refusing ambulance bills is not necessarily the wisest idea. But that doesn’t mean you have to quietly accept them either. You have options.

How to Fight an Unreasonable Ambulance Bill

Here are some effective strategies for contesting surprise ambulance charges:

• Negotiate – Call the provider and inquire about financial assistance. See if they can lower the charges or set up a payment plan. Don’t hesitate to negotiate firmly but politely. You can often get bills reduced substantially.

• Dispute – Contact your insurer and dispute the processing of the ambulance claim. Specifically ask them to cover more of the out-of-network cost. File a written appeal if needed.

• Compare – Research the average cost of ambulance services in your area to gauge if the charges are unusually high. Use this data to bolster your case.

• Investigate – Check if the ambulance company received federal CARES Act funds. If so, they technically can’t balance bill you for COVID-related services.

• Report – File complaints with your state insurance regulator and attorney general regarding excessive billing practices. This can strengthen your appeal.

• Review – Check your state’s surprise billing laws. A few states like New York provide some protections against out-of-network ambulance bills.

• Join – Look into ambulance membership programs that eliminate out-of-pocket costs for an annual fee. This provides peace of mind.

• Ask – For non-emergencies, call your insurer ahead of time to request an in-network ambulance provider. This prevents surprise bills.

With the right approach, you can successfully reduce or eliminate unfair ambulance charges. But refusing payment altogether is generally not the wisest decision. Protect both your finances and your health by handling the bills strategically and legally. You deserve affordable care – especially in an emergency.

What Happens If You Don’t Pay Your Ambulance Bill?

While it may be tempting to ignore an unreasonable ambulance bill, failing to pay it can have serious consequences:

• The ambulance company will likely send the unpaid bill to a collection agency after a few months. This can severely damage your credit score for years.

• You could face legal action if the ambulance company decides to sue you over the unpaid debt. Then you’ll also have court costs and legal fees.

• Some ambulance companies may refuse future service if you have outstanding debts, which could be dangerous in an emergency.

• If the unpaid bill gets reported to the state, it could impact your driver’s license renewal or cause issues with state tax returns.

• Outstanding medical debts can make it harder to obtain loans, rent an apartment, or qualify for other services that check credit.

• Interest, late fees and penalties will accrue the longer you put off payment, increasing the amount owed.

While ambulance companies aren’t always flexible, it’s usually better to try negotiating or applying for financial assistance before defaulting. Completely refusing payment can have lasting effects on your finances and credit.

If you simply cannot afford the full amount due, contact the company right away to discuss payment plan options. Some may agree to settle for a lower lump-sum or waive part of the balance. Don’t wait until collections get involved.

Negotiating Your Ambulance Bill: Dos and Don’ts

If you’ve received an unfairly high ambulance bill, don’t despair. You may be able to negotiate it down substantially. Follow these dos and don’ts when negotiating:

DO:

• Call the billing department directly and ask about financial assistance or prompt payment discounts.

• Highlight extenuating circumstances like medical emergencies or lost income if requesting a reduction.

• Offer to pay immediately if they can decrease the amount by a certain percentage.

• Ask about charity care applications and income-based discounts.

• Request an itemized statement and dispute any erroneous or inflated charges.

• File a complaint with your state regulatory agency if negotiating fails.

DON’T:

• Ignore calls and letters from the ambulance company. This will escalate the situation.

• Make promises to pay without being certain you can follow through.

• Provide misleading information on financial hardship applications.

• Lose your cool or get abusive with ambulance company staff.

• Pay without first trying to negotiate a discount or payment plan.

• Give up if your first attempt to negotiate fails. Politely escalate it up the chain of command.

With persistence and preparation, you can often succeed in getting ambulance bills lowered substantially or even waived entirely. Don’t immediately refuse payment without exploring negotiation first.

Finding Financial Assistance for Ambulance Bills

If you’re struggling with medical debt, check if you qualify for financial assistance on your ambulance bill:

• Medicaid Coverage – Those with low income may have ambulance costs covered retroactively by applying for Medicaid.

• Hospital Charity Care – Many hospitals have financial assistance for ambulance bills, especially if the hospital issued the bill.

• Payment Plans – Most ambulance companies can set up interest-free payment plans with monthly amounts based on your financial situation.

• Crowdfunding – Turn to reputable sites like GoFundMe to request help paying down medical debt from your community.

• Bank Loans – Personal loans or lines of credit may provide cheaper financing than paying high interest on medical debt.

• Non-Profit Groups – Organizations like RIP Medical Debt buy and forgive medical debt for those in need.

• Legal Aid – If you were wrongly charged or insurance unfairly denied a claim, free legal aid can help.

• Debt Consolidation – Debt management programs through credit counseling agencies can consolidate balances into one monthly payment.

Don’t let ambulance bills deteriorate your finances and credit. Seek assistance to make the costs manageable.

Bottom Line

Getting slammed with a huge ambulance bill can be overwhelming. But completely refusing to pay it usually backfires through credit damage, lawsuits, or collection harassment.

First call the provider to negotiate a lower payment, request financial aid, or set up a reasonable payment plan. If affordable options truly don’t exist, consult a lawyer or consumer advocate before defaulting.

Act quickly and knowledgeably, and you can resolve ambulance debt without tanking your finances. But ignoring or blindly refusing the bill often makes a bad situation much worse in the long run.