Editor’s Note
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Archive for March 11th, 2009

Will my house burn down if I write this?

6 comments March 11th, 2009

It’s always best to be on the good side of cops and firefighters. Yeah, I know, they’re pros and they’ll do their jobs well even if they dislike you, but being buddies beats ticking them off. Hence my headline: Will you let my house burn down if I write this?

The city of Rockford is trying to close a budget gap headed toward $10 million. One of the ways to get part way there is to reduce the number of firefighters on a crew from four to three. Many other cities our size do that to no detrimental effects; the Rockford firefighters have been crying foul and promising bad things would occur.

So, instead of trimming back the crew, they now appear to be in cahoots with at least some aldermen to pay for the four-man crews by increasing ambulance fees from $375 to $775 for basic service. Add on a couple of life-saving services and the rate climbs to at least $925. (That’s if you’re a resident; if you’re not, expect the basic rate to go from $665 to $1,125.)

Not a problem, says fire union President E.J. Dilonardo: “My hope is that this doesn’t affect the people of Rockford too much above what a normal deductible might be.”

Egads. Either the aldermen backing this measure or Dilonardo himself must not have  read the fine print on a health insurance policy recently. Sure, most policies cover some form of ambulance service, but not without Draconian restrictions.

Medicare estimates that at least 25 percent of its requests for reimbursement don’t qualify. Having paid for ambulance service out of my own pocket because the incident wasn’t “serious enough” makes me doubtful that Mr. Dilonardo’s “let the insurance companies foot the bill” optimism is founded in much research.

And, here’s the kicker: Even if the insurance companies and Medicare picked up the entire tab, what’s right about that? Sooner or later, those increased fees are going to end up as increased health insurance premiums for individuals and companies — and governments.

I’m willing to concede the city may need to raise ambulance rates — MAYBE — and only after doing a ton of research to compare our rates with other cities. But, if the rates must go up, let it be as part of the deficit reduction.

If City Council goes for this “stick it to the taxpayer” proposal, it should be ashamed.