08/10/2026
It might surprise you to know that many small volunteer and paid ambulance services are going out of business because Medicare and Medicaid only pay when a patient is transported to a hospital, and they pay nothing for treat and release calls. Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements are not keeping up with inflation and it actually costs an ambulance service to respond to these calls. The prices of fuel, medical supplies and drugs have soared. Added to the ever increasing cost of payroll, insurances, utilities and ambulances it’s not hard to see why most ambulance services are operating with deficits. Contact your local politicians and encourage them to demand that Medicare and Medicaid increase their rates before it is too late!
