3.4k and 5k. I would expect the keys to ambulance after the ride for that price. How can that cost be justified, did you get any treatment in the ambulance other than oxygen and maybe some morphine?
It's not just a ride in a vehicle is it? Ambulances carry paramedics and sometimes doctors, tens of thousands of dollars worth of drugs and equipment. Even if you don't use all of that, they can't do anything else during the time that they're on your call, they need to be heavily insured, and they also need to stand by all day waiting for calls.
The numbers still seem extremely high, even if an ambulance only does 3 trips a day on a bad day, that's over 10k USD. A private ambulance ride in Thailand (Im not talking rescue org ambualances) for example is $80-$120. Now I understand the service standard might not be as high, and wages are lower, and so on, but is it really 40x as expensive in USA to cover costs?
Actually a better example, might be HKG, where service probably exceeds US, an ambulance ride is HKD990 (~USD127) apparently. It is mentioned elsewhere in this topic that its $82 in Canada for an ambulance.
Ok, let's say 3 people with reasonable salaries, $10k a month. Equipment and a car even though is costly is used for long period, let's say $500k over 5 years, that's $8.3k a month. Medications are expendable, because the more load an ambulance has (and medication usage) the more revenue it brings, but ok, let's add $10k a month for resupplying medications, plus other small expenses it's total $50k a month. In the situation described by rconti (5 miles) it probably took them less than an hour for revenue of $3400, let's say an hour, and let's say they have average load of 3 such calls a day (not really a heavy load). It's more than $300k a month in revenue. So, what's the reason for $250k difference?
I'm not defending the cost! Just saying you can't look at it and say 'that's more than the cost of the vehicle' because it's not about the cost of the vehicle.
Yes, I understand. That's why I wanted to take a look at components of the long term cost, not just one ride. And I'm really curious what's the cause for the difference.
I think ultimately the system is fcked across the board, private interests and greed combined with legal corruption (lobbying) to get their way and government guided by the people that line their own pockets. Weather it is pre-Obama, Obama or whatever Donald is planning all the pricing is insane compared against <take-your-pick> of any other developed country. None of the justification holds much weight, even "cross-subsidization" I don't see affecting it to this extent unless only 1 in 20+ actually ever pay anything.
