Augusta County's plan to charge patients for an ambulance ride to the hospital is on hold again.
The county approved revenue recovery in May. But how much to bill, where that money goes, and what happens to volunteer squads is still all up in the air.
County supervisors have again, for the second meeting in a row, delayed a decision on those revenue recovery details.
Charlottesville attorney David Thomas is representing the Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad.
The county's biggest and busiest is ringing the alarm about proposed revenue recovery policies.
Thomas says, "We've been opposed to the speed at which it's been taken up and the manner in which it's been essentially ramrodded through at this point."
Thomas encouraged the county to take more time to review a committee's draft policy to bill patients for an ambulance ride to the hospital.
The Stuarts Draft squad worries revenue recovery would push volunteers out and take away each squad's independence.
Thomas says, "It's going to essentially make each of the volunteer rescue squads, which have each had their own identity for years, essentially arms of the county government."
At the crux of that concern is how the money from billing would be distributed back to the squads. A committee's draft plan for that was just turned over to county supervisors at Wednesday's meeting.
The projected $874,000 would go into one big fund. The county would buy ambulances, supplies, and pay for training.
Board chairman Larry Howdyshell says volunteers will continue to be a vital part of the county's emergency services plan.
"We do appreciate our volunteers and want to keep our volunteers as strong as possible."
With so many details still in development, supervisors voted to delay any decision for another month.
Thomas says revenue recovery shouldn't be about speed. "That's a problem for something that's going to affect county fire and rescue for decades to come."
Supervisors gave that revenue recovery committee another month to develop the policy details before the board meeting in late January.
As they stand now, you would pay $13 per mile in an ambulance, plus fees for emergency medical services.
For additional information,
Contact Patricia May, MichieHamlett, 434.951.7265 or by Email
David Thomas represents Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad in Ambulance Cost Debate 