@article{ref1,
title="Most patients undergoing ground and air ambulance transportation receive sizable out-of-network bills",
journal="Health affairs (Project Hope)",
year="2020",
author="Chhabra, Karan R. and McGuire, Keegan and Sheetz, Kyle H. and Scott, John W. and Nuliyalu, Ushapoorna and Ryan, Andrew M.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="&quot;Surprise&quot; out-of-network bills have come under close scrutiny, and while ambulance transportation is known to be a large component of the problem, its impact is poorly understood. We measured the prevalence and financial impact of out-of-network billing in ground and air ambulance transportation. For members of a large national insurance plan in 2013-17, 71 percent of all ambulance rides involved potential surprise bills. For both ground and air ambulances, out-of-network charges were substantially greater than in-network prices, resulting in median potential surprise bills of $450 for ground transportation and $21,698 for air transportation. Though out-of-network air ambulance bills were larger, out-of-network ground ambulance bills were more common, with an aggregate impact of $129 million per year. Out-of-network air ambulance bills averaged $91 million per year, rising from $41 million in 2013 to $143 million in 2017. Federal proposals to limit surprise out-of-network billing should incorporate protections for patients undergoing ground or air ambulance transportation.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0278-2715",
doi="10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01484",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01484"
}