TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Most patients undergoing ground and air ambulance transportation receive sizable out-of-network bills
JO  - Health affairs (Project Hope)
A1  - Chhabra, Karan R.
A1  - McGuire, Keegan
A1  - Sheetz, Kyle H.
A1  - Scott, John W.
A1  - Nuliyalu, Ushapoorna
A1  - Ryan, Andrew M.
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - "Surprise" 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0278-2715
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.01484
ID  - ref1
ER  -