Health Care, 'Murrican Style

[Minimalist]

Less about health but all about the money.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/woman-ki...h-to-take/

Woman killed by ambulance billed $25K for ambulance ride she didn’t live long enough to take

Sheila Breck was killed Sept. 23 when an ambulance slammed into her SUV at 85 mph as she was going to pick up her daughter from work, reported WRTV-TV.
The emergency crew that responded to the Hancock County crash, which also injured two ambulance crew members and a pickup truck driver, called for a medical helicopter for the 64-year-old Breck — who died before it arrived.
But her family was billed for the emergency helicopter, anyway.

[downbeatplumb]

Less about health but all about the money.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/woman-ki...h-to-take/

Woman killed by ambulance billed $25K for ambulance ride she didn’t live long enough to take

Sheila Breck was killed Sept. 23 when an ambulance slammed into her SUV at 85 mph as she was going to pick up her daughter from work, reported WRTV-TV.
The emergency crew that responded to the Hancock County crash, which also injured two ambulance crew members and a pickup truck driver, called for a medical helicopter for the 64-year-old Breck — who died before it arrived.
But her family was billed for the emergency helicopter, anyway.

I believe this is called "drumming up trade".

[abaris]

The charging part would have happened anywhere in the world. But in many other places, universal healthcare would have taken care of the charging part.

[Losty]

Less about health but all about the money.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/woman-ki...h-to-take/

Woman killed by ambulance billed $25K for ambulance ride she didn’t live long enough to take

Sheila Breck was killed Sept. 23 when an ambulance slammed into her SUV at 85 mph as she was going to pick up her daughter from work, reported WRTV-TV.
The emergency crew that responded to the Hancock County crash, which also injured two ambulance crew members and a pickup truck driver, called for a medical helicopter for the 64-year-old Breck — who died before it arrived.
But her family was billed for the emergency helicopter, anyway.

It's legally required to get the fuck out of the way when an ambulance is coming through. Had she survived and the person in the ambulance died, she could have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

[abaris]

It's legally required to get the fuck out of the way when an ambulance is coming through. Had she survived and the person in the ambulance died, she could have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Yeah, but, unless the laws are very differently in America, the driver is held to a higher standard than the other motorists. I drove an ambulance for several years and it's not as easy as get out of the way. You have to ensure to not drive recklessly. You may ignore red lights, but you can't simply blow over them. You have to make sure, everyone took note of you and only when they stop, you are allowed to cross, but the risk is still yours.

[Losty]

It's legally required to get the fuck out of the way when an ambulance is coming through. Had she survived and the person in the ambulance died, she could have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Yeah, but, unless the laws are very differently in America, the driver is held to a higher standard than the other motorists. I drove an ambulance for several years and it's not as easy as get out of the way. You have to ensure to not drive recklessly. You may ignore red lights, but you can't simply blow over them. You have to make sure, everyone took note of you and only when they stop, you are allowed to cross, but the risk is still yours.

I didn't read the article, I'm just saying the laws as I know them to be. If the woman caused the accident or if she was determined to be at fault then it's to be expected that her family would be charged for the helicopter ride even though she died before it got there.

Also, most times people are charged first and asked questions later so if her family cannot afford the helicopter ride they might be able to file indigent. Most people don't make enough money to afford a $25,000 hospital bill

[Minimalist]

Less about health but all about the money.

http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/woman-ki...h-to-take/

It's legally required to get the fuck out of the way when an ambulance is coming through. Had she survived and the person in the ambulance died, she could have been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

You got me curious, Losty, because generally speaking you are right. Now this is one of the advantages or disadvantages of having all the time in the fucking world on your hands but I went looking for the original reports on the accident.  And found them.  They reported that the accident happened at the intersection of Rts 600 North and 500 West and with the help of Google Maps....ta da...here it is.

[img]<a href=[/img]" />

Now, Rt 600 is the street where the two dump trucks are and they are heading in the same direction as the ambulance was.  Rt 500 W, and this is a little hard to see, is slightly offset so that one cannot drive straight across without making a slight turn to the left.  The SUV would have been behind where the second dump truck is passing.  Now, note the two trees on the far side of the road especially the one at the edge of the photo.  The branches are practically touching the ground and they are fully leafed out because the street maps shot was taken in July of 2015.  The trees would not have appeared much different in September when the accident happened.  It also would have been hot and humid as it frequently is in the mid-west which means the A/C on, windows closed, and (probably) the radio blaring. 

The SUV, if stopped at the intersection would have been preparing to cross Rt 600 in order to continue on Rt 500.  We'll never know if she heard the sirens or not but it is entirely possible that she was creeping up to see around the second tree when she got clipped by the ambulance.  If that were the whole story I'd say the driver of the SUV was fully at fault but, the original story specified that the ambulance was doing 85 mph.  On a two-lane country rd, approaching an intersection which obviously has some kind of traffic control devices, installed?  That seems reckless to me given the road conditions.  For that matter, the homeowner should have cut a few of the lower branches off that tree, too.
There's plenty of blame to go around here.

Out here the rule is if you hear a siren you pull over and stop until it goes by.  Many is the time that they are practically on top of you before you hear the siren but there is still usually time to pull over.  Still, even with that, I have never seen an ambulance or fire truck blow through an intersection at full speed.  They always slow down to make sure someone isn't pulling out of the side street.

[Minimalist]

duplicate

[Losty]

I don't know if it's right or fair, but I do think she was likely legally at fault. Driving 85 through an intersection really is reckless though. But I can't even see a traffic light. Just maybe a flashing light meaning whoever was coming the other way probably had a stop sign. People can be so oblivious it's really frustrating. They stop for a spit second and do a half asses look and then go on. Even the most wonderful people. It really upsets me because people get killed over laziness. There's an intersection where I used to live that looks so much like that. One person has a stop sign the other has a flashing yellow light. People with the yellow light have a 65 mph speed limit and people at the stop signs were constantly getting themselves and others killed by doing a lazy half stop and glance and then driving on to get smashed by someone coming from the other way at 70mph.

My heart breaks for the family of this woman and I can't imagine they have $25k to spare right now, but I think the accident was likely her fault.

My heart also breaks for the driver of the ambulance because s/he will have to live with that question of whether driving slower would have made a difference. I hope they learn their lesson in slowing down to be sure at intersections.

[The Valkyrie]

When I rode the ambulances as part of my training in emergency medicine the drivers were required to slow down when approaching intersections, no matter how urgent the case is (that is, after all, why there are EMTs - usually - on the ambulance).

Now, we'll never know what the lady heard or what was going through her mind, but running an intersection at 85, to me at least, is questionable.