If you don't get bogged down in details of the service, I see this as generally net good. For many, ambulance rides are prohibitively expensive, and while I certainly wouldn't be cost-conscious taking an ambulance in the event of a seizure or heart attack, for something like a broken arm, or non-life-threatening ailment, an Uber/Lyft/Cab is a good alternative to trying to drive myself.
Beyond that, I'd like to see statistics on whether people ride-sharing to emergency rooms / urgent care facilities was freeing up ambulances or causing them to sit idle. I suspect it's the former, which would mean ambulances could be more available for more people with more serious conditions, but I could be wrong.
Six years ago I had something similar to a stoke. I had a relative drive me from work to the ER in outer suburbs because:
a) I would literally rather die than pay for an ambulance. I put my money where my mouth was on that.
b) I knew from previous experience their ER was far cheaper, cleaner and quicker than the one in the cities.
Maybe I am just particularly frugal but I had the presence of mind to consider costs while I could not feel one side of my face.
Another time, I needed surgery and called around to get quotes. The place I ended up was something like a quarter the place my doctor wanted to send me.
I am glad you are safe. I obviously have no clue into your actual diagnosis, but just some thoughts.
This works if and only if you are in control of the situation. That being said, have you considered if when the worst case happened to you, the kind of stress your relative could experience afterward? Perhaps guilts? What about if you are permanently disabled? You probably won’t be able to keep your current job, and then have to re-adjust to a different life style and re-learning whatever physical skills you have lost. Meanwhile, others would have to take up responsibilities for you, and more money draining down the road. Next thing you know, you regret your decision.
I do share you views in general - I would prefer going to a hospital I know that can provide better service per dollar value, but when it is life threatening situation, I won’t choose money over my life. If it was a minor stroke that probably okay, but still, so much uncertainty. Yes, if ambulance is late, you probably should consider going there on your own (keep 911 operator on the phone - never hang up until an officer has arrived). I am too really frustrated with my ambulance bill, and I wish someone can help me understand why the heck an aumblance can cost $1000.
I am sure you know the risks, but I do want to give my two cents.
If I'm having a stroke, I'm not going to care about anything except getting to the nearest emergency room as fast as possible. Minutes matter in a stroke. The faster you can get basic drugs and a CT scan, the better your chances for preventing serious damage.
I'm still in my 30s and young. Maybe when my body is older and falling apart I'd have a different opinion, but your statement feels really ludicrous and dangerous advice to me.
> I would literally rather die than pay for an ambulance.
I wish more people realized this was an option. You can't even imagine how common it is to see the claim "medical care is a special market, because if someone is dying, they will pay ANY AMOUNT for care no matter how high".
Sure, if that person is dying and rates their own health infinitely higher than the welfare of their family, maybe. That's not many people.
Incidentally, the same stupid argument also proves that scamming a life insurance policy by committing suicide is impossible. Life insurance companies, in general, do not agree.
> Sure, if that person is dying and rates their own health infinitely higher than the welfare of their family, maybe. That's not many people.
I don't think that's true. I think that's actually the vast majority of people. Nearly all of them, even. The human survival instinct overrides so much of a human's rational thought processes or even their higher-order emotional processes. You may be one of the rare few for which that's not the case, but, well... you're of a vanishingly rare breed.
And it's not even exactly that. When you're in a life-threatening situation, it's likely that you're either a) unconscious, or b) completely unable to have even a remote grasp of what the cost will be to "fix" you. As in, not even a ballpark figure. Given the potential urgency, you may not have the time to get a second opinion or shop around for a cheaper fix. Just the cost of stabilizing you to the point where you can sit back and make an informed decision could bankrupt you.
Also, just a side note on:
> ... the welfare of their family
There's also a cost to their welfare if you die, too. It's hard to put a number on that while you're healthy, let alone in the midst of an emergency or life-threatening illness.
well people deciding between an ambulance or an uber aren't really qualified to make that decision so it wouldn't surprise me if a bunch of people who needs an ALS unit decide to take an uber.
> Beyond that, I'd like to see statistics on whether people ride-sharing to emergency rooms / urgent care facilities was freeing up ambulances or causing them to sit idle. I suspect it's the former, which would mean ambulances could be more available for more people with more serious conditions, but I could be wrong.
I'd also like to see whether ride-sharing increases the number of people who attend ED.
"I can't justify getting an ambo, so I won't attend" vs "I'm not wasting an ambo, so it's okay if I attend".
Beyond that, I'd like to see statistics on whether people ride-sharing to emergency rooms / urgent care facilities was freeing up ambulances or causing them to sit idle. I suspect it's the former, which would mean ambulances could be more available for more people with more serious conditions, but I could be wrong.