UNPAID BILLS FOR AMBULANCE SERVICES CREATE FINANCIAL EMERGENCY.Byline: James Nash Staff Writer With unpaid ambulance bills costing the city of Los Angeles
The city, which provides ambulance transportation through the Los Angeles Fire Department The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD), also known as the Los Angeles City Fire Department to distinguish it from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. It is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Los Angeles. , collects only about half of what it bills patients who are transported in city ambulances, officials said. The city charges $449 for basic life support and $692 for advanced life support. Most of the unpaid bills are owed by patients with household incomes of less than $30,908, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a city study. Members of the council's Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee said Friday that they weren't seeking to seize assets from low-income people but want to focus on unpaid bills from those who can afford to pay them. In addition, council members said they would push for legislation to raise the state's reimbursement for Medicare and Medi-Cal patients from current levels, which cover less than half of actual costs. Council members said they were taking a hard look at unpaid ambulance bills because the city faces a $300 million budget deficit and has been unable to expand the Los Angeles Police Department "LAPD" and "L.A.P.D." redirect here. For other uses, see LAPD (disambiguation).  This article or section is written like an . . ``(Money) we save is going to allow us to hire more (police) officers,'' said Councilwoman Wendy Greuel Wendy Greuel is President Pro Tempore of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 2nd District. Greuel was elected in 2002 to fill the remainder of the term of Councilman Joel Wachs. She was elected in her own right in 2003 and reelected in 2007. , chairwoman of the Audits and Governmental Efficiency Committee. But Councilman Jack Weiss Jack Weiss, is a member of the Los Angeles City Council representing the 5th district. Weiss was elected in 2001 and reelected in 2005. The 5th district includes parts of the Westside and the San Fernando Valley. , another member of the committee, said city efforts couldn't solve the underlying problem of indigent indigent 1) n. a person so poor and needy that he/she cannot provide the necessities of life (food, clothing, decent shelter) for himself/herself. 2) n. one without sufficient income to afford a lawyer for defense in a criminal case. and uninsured patients. ``This is just another symptom of the national health care crisis and the impact on our community. This is a hidden way in which taxpayers have to foot the bill because our society has been unable to come up with a solution to the problem.'' James Nash, (213) 978-0390 james.nash(at)dailynews.com |
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