Ambulances charging extra for obese patients, is it fair?
PHOENIX -- As America battles the obesity crisis, ambulance companies increasingly are charging extra to transport patients who weigh several hundred pounds.
Oregon and Washington are two states already charging extra to take obese patients to the hospital.
Here in Arizona, ambulance fees are regulated by the state meaning everyone pays the same thing unless extra manpower is required.
"The only time there would be an additional charge is if we had to physically dispatch a second ambulance to the scene to assist," said Roy Ryals, the executive director of emergency medical services for Southwest Ambulance.
In the last five years, he's seen a distinct shift in the industry.
"Usually at that time, you started having problems when you had patients that were over 350 to 400 lbs," he said.
Instead of having to rent U-Haul's to transport patients, he now says crews can handle patients up to 1,600 lbs. with special stretchers and lifting equipment.
Right now, Southwest Ambulance has four retrofitted ambulances in the Valley geared to handle bariatrics, costing Southwest Ambulance about $30,000 each.
Additional time is needed to train crews to handle the specialized equipment.Ryals said it's a cost of doing dignified business with the capability of treating any patient.
"If you're a critically ill patient, it requires specialized equipment, specialized training," Ryals said. "We provide that, that's the business we're in."
And it's a growing business because more than one-third of Americans are obese.
To keep up, Southwest Ambulance has four more bariatric units on the way to hit valley streets in 2010.Do you think it’s fair to charge more for an obese person? Let us know what you think below in the comment section.
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