Coaxed into taking an ambulance trip and trying to understand what will be the impact
Looking for advice on how to potentially contest upcoming ambulance bill and what type of documentation I would need to collect to file a claim.
Today I was in the park with my son (3 years) playing and he fell down and hurt his head and was bleeding, and had a cut that appeared to be small but deep. I went to the firemen, who were just a few feet away and asked if they had any first aid.
The firemen were very friendly but noted that the cut looked deep and they would feel more comfortable getting professional help and they called an ambulance. Before I know it there is a paramedic and EMT checking my son and recommending we take him to the hospital to be treated and tested. A police officer also came to take note of the incident and was asking me what happened and for my details. I was starting to feel overwhelmed, the paramedics recommended I call my husband and while I was trying to explain to him they were prompting me and my son to the ambulance. The paramedic then offered to speak directly to my son, but we were already being ushered in. I and my husband both expressed on the phone we were hesitant due to the cost of ambulances. With my husband in speaker, the paramedic stressed that he was a father and if it was his kid this is what he would be doing and he would ensure that his son received the best medical care, and that in his opinion he needed to be seen at a hospital that had good pediatric facilities. My husband was on his way to where we were but with the panic and everything I went with the paramedics/EMT. In the meantime my husband was blasting my phone angrily that this would likely not be covered by insurance the EMT tried to reassure me that it was usually covered by insurance, which gave me a mild panic attack that I was working to contain not to further stress my son. the hospital that they took us to was 30 minutes away, while there is a children’s clinic 10-15 minutes away.
Once we came home my husband contacted the insurance directly and they informed us that because it was likely not considered urgent we would need to pay the full expense until reaching our deductible. The average price per mile for our zip code is over $360 dollars, so we would be looking at over $6,000 for the ambulance ride alone, if not higher.
I sincerely feel like I was pressured to take the ambulance while my son’s cut was probably not that serious, as they only glued the wound.
Would welcome the insights of this community to know if I have grounds to contest this claim and what information I would need to gather?
submitted by /u/-Mandarinarina
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