This toddler’s nearly 40-minute ambulance ride cost his family $9,000

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🗞️ Driving the news: A 15-month-old Ohio toddler’s family was billed $9,250 for a 39-mile ground ambulance transfer between hospitals after he developed a severe bacterial infection
• The ambulance used no sirens, delivered minimal care beyond monitoring an IV line, and yet cost more than the child’s three-day hospitalization

🔭 The context: Ground ambulances remain outside U.S. federal surprise-billing protections, leaving patients exposed to full list prices
• The family is uninsured and part of a Christian health-sharing ministry, which does not negotiate lower medical rates, unlike traditional insurance or Medicaid
• Ohio Medicaid would have paid around $610 for the same trip

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Unpredictable emergency care costs undermine social resilience, a key sustainability dimension often overlooked
• High out-of-pocket medical charges deepen health inequities, strain vulnerable households during climate-driven health shocks, and reduce access to timely care during extreme-weather events
• Reliable, affordable emergency transport is essential to community preparedness and long-term well-being

⏭️ What's next: Federal advisers have urged lawmakers to extend surprise-billing protections to ground ambulances, but Congress has yet to act
• Advocates say hospitals should disclose transport costs and necessity before transfers, though patients often have little practical choice in urgent situations

💬 One quote: “You shouldn’t have to work so hard for it,” said Elisabeth Yoder, after months negotiating the bill down to $5,600

📈 One stat: More than 50% of U.S. ground ambulance rides can result in out-of-network or unexpected bills — far higher than for emergency room care

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