Palo Alto Fire Department Proposes ‘Ambulance Insurance’: Report

PALO ALTO, CA — With a money crunch looming amid the coronavirus crisis, the Palo Alto Fire Department has come up with a creative idea to help soften the blow of impending budget cuts.

The Fire Department is proposing getting into the insurance business, Palo Alto Weekly reports
The Department wants to offer ambulance insurance at a flat rate to residents according to the report.

The program would provide a revenue source for the Department at a critical time and could help residents afford the cost of ambulance trips that top out at nearly $2,500, the report said.

Fire Chief Geo Blackshire offered up the proposal at the City Council’s Dec. 15 Finance Committee meeting, the report said.

"The biggest compliment we get as an emergency medical provider is our service," Blackshire said at the meeting according to the report.

"The most regular complaint we get is billing. What we feel is that we're providing some cushion to one of our biggest complaints that we get, and that's our billing. We can provide that to the customer and give them a means of saving money, even if it's over a long time."

Read more at Palo Alto Weekly