# Is it true that when you call an ambulance for someone, you have to pay for it? (need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 23, 2016, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621 "2016-09-23T04:24:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/21 "2016-09-23T12:56:31Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Ones where EMTs get a paycheck? So if you can’t afford to pay, you just stay home and die of pneumonia? Kneels down and kisses the floor of the NHS. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/22 "2016-09-23T13:00:14Z")
Just wanted to add, having gone to the hospital for asthma attacks a couple of times, that they take shortness of breath very seriously. There was mere minutes of wait time from triage nurse to being seen and treated by a doctor. Get your roommate to the hospital. Put him in a cab if you need to. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/23 "2016-09-23T13:08:31Z")
[QUOTE=Joey P;19647353On the off chance it’s being confused, calling 911 and requesting _police_ help or having burglar alarms will typical get you a bill after X amount of false alarms.[/QUOTE] Unless you call 911, usually repeatedly, for something you’ve been told not to call for, the caller will never face a bill or charges. If your neighbor’s alarm goes off every day, _they_ will get the bill, not you as the caller. Unless there’s something else going on, like it’s really the quitting whistle at the local plant & you call every day at 5 o’clock. > [@jtur88](#): > > Ambulances are very very very very expensive. You are not always doing someone a favor by calling an ambulance for someone. If they get in, they can face huge bills in the near future, literally thousands of dollars. I’d say $1000 - $1500, not thousand(s), plural, but yeah, it ain’t cheap. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > One data point I personally witnessed 2 was ago at the bar… > > A guy fell off his stool (not sure if by drunkeness or other reasons) and smacked his head pretty good. Bartender called 911 and emts showed up. After a quick q and a between tmem and the dude, they realized he was loopy and needed to go to the hospital. But he kept refusing to go. Utill the emt declared that it was illegal (in ca) for an emt to not transport a person deemed by said emt to need it. And refusal would force said emt to call the police. This is kind of a unique case. Is he loopy because he’s normally loopy, because he’s drunk, or because he’s got a head injury. A drunk person is usually not considered of sound mind & therefore, can’t refuse treatment. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/24 "2016-09-23T13:10:13Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Ones where EMTs get a paycheck? What? You don’t have taxes which pay for Ambulance service, either government owned or contracted out? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/25 "2016-09-23T13:14:33Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > So if you can’t afford to pay, you just stay home and die of pneumonia? > > Kneels down and kisses the floor of the NHS. They don’t swipe your credit card before putting you in, for crying out loud. 😛 The first priority is saving your life, payment is something sorted out later. People who can’t afford to pay presumably can have a payment plan or a discount thanks to government subsidies. Despite how much certain people villainize American health care, there are many safety nets for people in need. I’ve been dirt poor in the past and benefited from them, especially the first time I had kidney stones. With all that said, some ambulance companies seem to completely gouge people, reportedly charging you more than $1,000 for just showing up, checking your vitals, and then leaving without taking you anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/26 "2016-09-23T13:43:53Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > What? You don’t have taxes which pay for Ambulance service, either government owned or contracted out? Some areas do, but most ambulance services are private for-profit companies in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/27 "2016-09-23T13:44:54Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > So if you can’t afford to pay, you just stay home and die of pneumonia? > > Kneels down and kisses the floor of the NHS. Oh no, you call, you get the lifesaving help you need, and then you go bankrupt. Duh. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/28 "2016-09-23T13:51:04Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > … But he kept refusing to go. Utill the emt declared that it was illegal (in ca) for an emt to not transport a person deemed by said emt to need it. And refusal would force said emt to call the police. OP spin-off coming. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/29 "2016-09-23T14:12:08Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > People who can’t afford to pay presumably can have a payment plan or a discount thanks to government subsidies. **Despite how much certain people villainize American health care, there are many safety nets for people in need**. I’ve been dirt poor in the past and benefited from them, especially the first time I had kidney stones. This is true. Many Dopers would shriek in horror at this … but for people that aren’t dirt poor, but also can’t pull medical-bill money out of their sofa cushions: it’s not unknown for people to simply ignore some medical bills. Very occasionally, the medical establishment will drop the matter and not even take it to collections or anything like that. Such actions may or may not hurt one’s credit score eventually. The medical establishments have a lot of leeway on what and when to report to credit companies. On the part of most patients who do this, one hopes it’s not done cynically, but out of a truly perceived need. It ain’t pretty, but it happens. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/30 "2016-09-23T14:29:08Z")
> [@brainstall](#): > > Just wanted to add, having gone to the hospital for asthma attacks a couple of times, that they take shortness of breath very seriously. There was mere minutes of wait time from triage nurse to being seen and treated by a doctor. Get your roommate to the hospital. Put him in a cab if you need to. Yeah, one time when I walked into Northwestern’s ER in Chicago with wheezing/gasping I didn’t even get my first sentence to the triage nurse finished before two big guys bodily picked me up and put me on a gurney. I got the usual interrogation and insurance and stuff AFTER I could breathe normally again. If you show up at an ER with breathing problems you usually get immediate attention. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/31 "2016-09-23T14:40:12Z")
We had volunteer fire and EMS for decades, there was no charge for their services to anyone. Then people started abusing the system and would call 911 for an ambulance ride, get a ride to the nearest hospital ER 40 miles away, then walk away. So unfortunately a few bad apples ruined it for everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/32 "2016-09-23T15:11:20Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The United States. Land of the free to die because you can’t pay for preventative care. **Moderator Note** Let’s refrain from political jabs in General Questions. No warning issued. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/33 "2016-09-23T15:38:20Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > He won’t go, and he won’t say why. Perhaps he’s holding out for me to offer to go with him, but I won’t. He has literally zero patience, and is absolutely unable to wait anywhere for anything. He always ends up causing a scene and I just won’t do it. Drop him at the door, tell him you are going to park the car. Park the car back at your apartment. Don’t answer calls from him for a few hours, so you know there is at least a chance he has been seen. ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/34 "2016-09-23T17:26:02Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Canada too. At least in some provinces. Last ambulance ride I had (a couple of years ago) was about C$300 in Alberta. However the very minimal supplementary health insurance I have covered it except for the $50 yearly deductible. (As I’ve said in the past, UHC covers every **one** , not every **thing** , so supplementary health insurance does make sense up here). ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/35 "2016-09-23T20:07:16Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > Years ago, when I briefly worked as a bartender, a guy had an epileptic seizure in my bar. I was fucking 22 years old and didn’t know what to do, so I called an ambulance, and they came and took him away. Next time I saw the guy, he was royally pissed off and in my face about calling an ambulance, and he had to pay for it. > > Okay, fuck you, next time I’ll just let you die on the floor (not). A seizure, while scary, rarely requires emergency care. Most of the time there’s little they can do. Many of us with epilepsy have ended up with huge hospital bills by well-meaning but uninformed bystanders. Perhaps the guy should have been a little more polite, but having been in his shoes, I can sympathize. For future reference, the best thing is lower a person to the floor and turn them on their side, with their head slightly elevated. Make sure there’s nothing near by they can hurt themselves on, and time the seizure. If it lasts any longer than what, three minutes (I believe), THEN you should call for help. And finally, NEVER your hand, or anything else (a wallet, a spoon, etc) in someone’s mouth if they’re seizing. Not unless you want to get bitten. (My mother found that out the hard way!) They’re not going to swallow their tongue. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/36 "2016-09-23T20:55:17Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > The transported patient(s) pays for it. Yeah, I got woozy one time after getting dehydrated and overheated, and someone called an ambulance for me, and I was on the hook for that and the subsequent ER visit, even though I didn’t really want either one. ---
**Author:** ![blueninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ad7895/32.png) [@blueninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blueninja)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/37 "2016-09-23T22:38:10Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > I am warning you in advance that this is going to sound stupid and frustrating, because it is. > > My roommate is a guy I’ve known a long time, who I’m very close to, but he has certain issues. He is pretty sick; his breathing is kind of wheezy sounding, and he says he feels like he can’t get enough air. > > There is a hospital three blocks away. I told him hours ago that he should go to emergency and get checked out. (He has no job or income, but I’m just about certain that I signed him up for Obamacare a year or so ago.) > > He won’t go, and he won’t say why. Perhaps he’s holding out for me to offer to go with him, but I won’t. He has literally zero patience, and is absolutely unable to wait anywhere for anything. He always ends up causing a scene and I just won’t do it. > > SO: If he really does have pneumonia or something and I end up having to call an ambulance, will I be liable for thousands of dollars? I hate to sound like a hardass, but my income is quite meager and I just don’t know what to do. Ambulances are not a taxi service, don’t waste their time when you could just as well get a real taxi. That way they will be available to help someone who actually needs urgent care instead of wasting their time on someone who is just too stubborn to go to the hospital themselves. ---
**Author:** ![guitario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3d9bf3/32.png) [@guitario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guitario)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/38 "2016-09-23T22:38:27Z")
Being British, I find it unfathomable how it works in North America, but even so, I would assume that if you couldn’t afford to foot the bill… you could either wing it down to something like $5 per month, or not pay and it would be a civil matter and not criminal (akin to credit card or loan debt)? ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/39 "2016-09-23T22:55:33Z")
> [@guitario](#): > > Being British, I find it unfathomable how it works in North America, but even so, I would assume that if you couldn’t afford to foot the bill… you could either wing it down to something like $5 per month, or not pay and it would be a civil matter and not criminal (akin to credit card or loan debt)? It’s not a criminal matter, but people routinely go bankrupt over emergency medical bills. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621/40 "2016-09-23T23:20:40Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > I am sorry, but in which dystopian nightmare do people have to **PAY** for ambulances? > > :eek: Australia. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-true-that-when-you-call-an-ambulance-for-someone-you-have-to-pay-for-it-need-answer-fast/766621.md?page=3)