Item 1: Future Ambulance Transport Funding

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ATTACHMENT D REGIONAL AMBULANCE TRANSPORT FUNDING History and Problem Statement: In central Lane County, ambulance service is expected to be self-supporting; historically, general tax support has not been authorized, and the service instead has been funded by fees (and supplemented by FireMed ambulance membership revenue). This region’s ambulance system has a history of state and national awards for excellence. However, specialized equipment and highly trained emergency responders come at a high price, and as costs rise, so do the fees. But the actual fee schedule is only a small part of the story. In fact, the majority of ambulance transports in our area are provided to individuals 65 and over, who are covered by Medicare. Federal laws enacted over the past decade have greatly reduced the amount of reimbursement an ambulance provider may collect from Medicare. There is a corresponding issue at the State level, with Medicaid. In addition, the downturn in the economy is resulting in a higher percentage of patients being transported who are uninsured, underinsured, or unable to privately pay their bills. As an overall result, the ambulance providers – Eugene Fire & EMS, Springfield Fire & Life Safety, and Lane Rural Fire/Rescue – are losing money on most transports. The full listed fee is hardly ever actually collected. We have now reached the point where there is insufficient revenue available to continue the service on a self-sustaining basis. Because our ambulance agencies have become a revenue-negative enterprise, something must be done. Recognizing this, the elected officials of the City of Eugene, the City of Springfield, Lane Rural Fire/Rescue, and the Lane County Board of Commissioners have formed the Joint Elected Officials Ambulance Transport Service Task Force. With input from the public, and with information from ambulance service administrators, fire officials, firefighters’ unions, patients, and other stakeholders, the Task Force will make a recommendation – or series of recommendations – to the four elected bodies. The change to a new funding system may be fast or slow. It may affect the level of service. It may affect other government services. Whatever the change is, it will have pros and cons. But change must come if we are to keep high-quality ambulance service available in our region. Some of the options the Task Force is considering are explained on the reverse. A form to provide brief written feedback to the Task Force is also provided. Thank you for your interest, and we encourage your participation.