Ambulance fees rise $200 to $368 to cover costs the 2014 rates no longer meet
Pays forBellingham Fire ambulance transport. The chief puts the average cost of a transport at about $4,000.Cost$200 to $368 more per transport from Jan. 1, billed to patients and insurersOffsets2014 base rates that, per the staff report, fell behind costs and comparable agencies
What happened: The City Council passed new Bellingham Fire ambulance rates on first and second reading Oct. 5, 7-0 (AB 25081). The ordinance's own rate table, effective Jan. 1, 2027: a basic life support transport goes from $877 to $1,177, an advanced one (ALS 1) from $1,093 to $1,393, the highest level (ALS 2) from $1,385 to $1,585, and a scheduled non-emergency basic transfer from $802 to $1,170. Mileage goes from $21 to $23.
Why it matters: These are billed to patients and their insurers. The base rates in city code date to 2014 and have moved since only with a yearly inflation adjustment; the staff report says that adjustment fell behind costs and comparable agencies. A countywide work group of fire chiefs and County EMS set the new fees, and most Whatcom fire agencies are adopting them. The fire chief told the Council the average cost of a transport is about $4,000, so the new basic rate bills 29% of it. Under city code, advanced life support fees follow whatever the County Council adopts.
What's next: the final City vote Oct. 19. The department has a financial assistance policy for patients who can't pay. How fire and ambulance service gets paid for