The Medicare system was looking at running out of money by about 2030. Congress made some changes in how funding is allotted and in how much money Medicare is required to pay. The situation affects between 70 and 80 percent of ambulance services operating in the country today. Those who rely more heavily on Medicare patients are particularly vulnerable. Some services more than others are going to be hit harder, Ziemann said.
Some services really have no idea what s coming yet.
Ziemann said loss of revenue generated meant Lakes Region would have to either increase the volume of their service, increase rates for the service, make cuts, or find alternative funding sources. Increased volume means increased numbers of ambulance trips for the public, something Ziemann said he obviously has no control of, short of standing out on the corner and tripping people as they walk by. Raising rates on an already expensive service also was not quite feasible, he said. Service and equipment budget cuts were not seen as a real good idea, either. We re simply not prepared to handle this kind of dramatic change, Ziemann said.