Family charged $33,000 medical bill for using chopper.

Your CLAIMED a $500/hour cost for chartering an entire helicopter (you sure that is not PER SEAT? I have never heard of a twin jet powered helicopter leasing for that cheap of of a price - the maintenance reserve for the TWO jet engines alone is close to that - probably MORE, not even counting the engines jet fuel which is going to be another $250 to $350 per hour - (medical choppers are virtually all twin engine beasts fwiw).. Also your $500/hr is for a helicopter that is being used all day long ... not sitting around with a crew of several people doing nothing for 24/7 except for MAYBE one or two calls a day.

For a commercial "tourist type helicopter they won't land at anything other than a registered airport - their insurance requires that, so they will NOT be picking you up at the accident site OR at a hospital's PRIVATE helipad, but it will pick you up ONLY at an airport or heliport licensed for PUBLIC use and will ONLY drop you off at an airport or heliport licensed for PUBLIC use - NOT a hospital helicopter pad


And they won't be flying in bad weather

And they won't be flying at night

And they won't be flying with any medical crew or equipment

And they won't be flying after their regular business hours

And they won't be flying carrying a stretcher ... the person will have to ride in an FAA approved seat with seat belt

OH ... and if the helicopter is out on a regular flight, it has to stay busy ALL the time to keep it's operating costs down so of course the helicopter is going to be booked for flights all day long, you will HAVE TO WAIT until it's last already booked flight is over with, or at the very least until AFTER it gets back from the flight it is already on carrying paying passengers or doing a paying job.



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Why those who want to really save money would even use an ground ambulance bothers me. A private car, most of us have them, can get you there in about the same time as an ambulance for at most $10 in gasoline!!

Why pay several thousand dollars for a Fire Department ambulance with a crew of EMS people??! Pay $10 for fuel for a friend to take you to the hospital vs. $6,000 for a FD ambulance to take you to the hospital 30 miles away? Talk about an EXTRAVAGENT WASTE of money!! Taking a FD ambulance has to rank right up there for most of the rides they give!!

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BTW ... how much do you people think it costs to buy one of those medical helicopters anyway? The ones that are used for medical evacuation are generally NOT the same as the ones in the tourist trade!!

The ones used for medical evacuation are virtually all TWIN ENGINE helicopters with a MUCH HIGHER load capacity and room inside for the extra personel and medical equipment a medical flight requires. They generally cost on the order of 3x to 5x what a NEW helicopter for the tourist trade costs!! Generally in the $4 to $11 million EACH - the high altitude ones used in mountain areas are at the very high end of the cost curve.


Don't want to pay the money it costs to ride in one? Don't take a ride in one!! Or let a relative take a ride in one!! Have a friend drive you or your family member to the hospital!! Think of the $money$ you will "Save"!!

Last Edited by Midwest Skeptic on 05/12/2019 05:11 PM

I edited my post above. In no way was I saying she wasn't worth it. My daughter does have insurance, my son however does not. He can't afford it.

Edit: I was wrong. It was $32000. After insurance, her bill was $6,000, so she only has 25 yrs to pay.

It's ridiculous that the bill was that much. She didn't have any treatment or medication on the way either. Just the ride and someone taking her blood pressure & talking to her.

You should be allowed to choose who medivacs you, and provides medical care, ahead of time based on who offers the best prices. Hospitals should be in competition with each other and poor people should be cared for either by volunteer clinics, or by the cheapest they can afford.

Yes. the actual cost is even less, as everyone takes a cut. Thats why a 49 cent travel toothpaste costs $30 + dollars in the hospital. The cost for everything is high (college, health care, etc...) with anything that the govt gives to others or guarantees. The taxpayer foots the bill for everyone else.

There is a way to pay the real cost, but it's too complicated to get into here. Suffice to say, if you are in the insurance scam system, you'll pay way more out of pocket (as a deductible and premium) than it actually costs in real life, if you have health insurance.

If the govt stopped subsidizing everything, people could begin to afford everything, except those who do not work or are sick or the elderly. The churches and non-profits need to step up and stop the theft from govt. It truly is taxation w/o representation.

Nope, we just got the message from the Democrats, loud and clear! If illegal aliens can have full health care, and not pay an American penny....then No One in this Nation needs to spend a penny for their healthcare. Not One Penny for Our Healthcare! Not one Penny for Our Healthcare, none of us has to pay any Medical bills....not one penny. If illegals can use our healthcare system with impunity and for Free! Then is it a Declaration that All of Us Get Healthcare for Free.......
Hey Democrats, we got your Message loud and Clear, best healthcare ever and it is Free for All of us, Free for Everyone. Unlimited Free for All......
Open those borders and let everyone stand in line, free flu shots, free immunizations, free Mammograms, Free Medicine, Free hormones, it is all Free. Most of the Democrats agree and we are going to vote them in so we can have unlimited free education, free healthcare, free food, free housing, Free for Allllllllll........

They should sue them for having the nerve to charge that much

The people on medicaid do not have to pay a penny.

They are gouging Insurance companies. Nurses make 100k$ yearly, when the hell did this start ??? Hospitals are way too expensive.

I have been an insurance agent for two decades and I can promise you that this is certainly true! Not every state or every county is the same however. I can tell you that if you do not have MEDICAL of atleast 25 to 50k on your insurance you will be paying for the copter ride and it ranges from 5k to 35k from what I have seen. Your medical insurance does not cover this... It is also why you need to make sure you have enough liability insurance to cover a high end car and medical and expenses if you are found at fault in an accident. 100k should be the minimum liability and property damage.

This

Our country operates as a society not a walmart....

More like communism rather than capitalism...

$30,000 is totally outrageous BUT there IS a wee tad bit difference between that Kauai chopper and a medical chopper.

Brief is a shit disturber, never has much nice to say, but sure is funny sometimes.

Lol ever been to Canada? It's just like the states, I know I have a house in manhatten and Houston. But the big difference is healthcare, and poverty , the biggest is violent crime. The stats exist they show clearly Canada has all the same products and cars you buy in the USA but is safer to live in. Yes you can own guns in Canada the difference is if the cops have been to your house multiple times because you slap your wife arround you can kiss your gun license goodbye, god forbid they take away your drivers license for doing a buck fifty in a school zone e there brief.

All good brother but I can walk arround a Canadian "ghetto" without fear would not do that in Houston lol

33 so you have to call the Masons/Shriners and suck up to some charity.

Fucks...

Last Edited by CE1 on 05/12/2019 06:36 PM

Its called fuck you capitalism. I love capitalism but in cases like this a little socialism is needed or you can take your chopper and stick it in your pooper.

You are never supposed to accept a first hospital bill at face value. You're supposed to pay an attorney 200 bucks or consultant that negotiates on your behalf that specializes in these cases. Generally they can settle for less than half and a small fee. You're also supposed to attempt to negotiate a bill first, like, calling them and begging. You NEVER pay the initial amount they bill you for, unless you negotiated it before and knew the price. No chopper cost that, it's some medical proceeders that were done while on the chopper that made it so exspensive.

Gee, if only our military could be used to transport sick children to the hospital.

because as everyone knows, once you go past normal biz hours, say 5PM, then you absolutely must tack on a little bit extra....like say around $30,000 or so.....i mean it's so clear and simple i don't know why people don't get it

It would have been cheaper to rent a helicopter from a local airport. $300 an hour with a pilot versus $33,000. There's some fraud going on here.

A funeral would have been cheaper than that.

She needs to file for crime victim's compensation where this happened.

I was charged $43k for a one night stay in the hospital and settled for $6000. It did take a law firm.

Anyone seen BRIEF today?

Welcome to USA, land of the free and home of the shyster.

When my son 4 year old son drowned in the pool the day after Christamas, in Rural San Diego, CA, it cost us $11,000. out of pocket.

I believe the border county of San Diego tries to recoup the cost using US citizens to offset the cost of lifting all the illegals out of canyons and across the desert when illegals crosss illegally into the USA. We pay for illegals poor choices.

Also, I feel an air abulance should be covered by medical insurance.

Fun fact. Wait for the bill to go to collections. Once it is in collections, ask the collecting agency how much they paid for the debt. By law you only have to pay the amount that the collection agency bought the debt for.

This is really how much you will need to pay and it is usually 80% cheaper, than paying the bill at face value.

Available in Alaska as well.