Special Investigation: Is California Government Ripping Off Ambulance Workers
Several months ago, a source I have known for years contacted me asking if I could investigate a looming healthcare crisis having to do with how the State of California reimburses private ambulance companies and the effect this reimbursement has on their EMT ambulance workers. Now for the record, lots of people contact me asking if I can report on some type of community concern they have. For example, everything from lead poisoning in their neighborhood or intrusive housing developments being built in their backyards; to financial improprieties and political corruption. Some of these stories are legit and I follow them. Others are duds and I reject them. Well, this ambulance story seemed intriguing. Especially when the source told me, quote… “The State of California is seemingly ripping off private ambulance companies and their ambulance workers. Can you believe that an employee at Target and Starbucks or even MacDonald’s can earn more money than some private ambulance workers who put their own lives on the line to save people everyday. How can a person flipping burgers or making cafe lattes earn more money than our hero EMTs,” said source.
Also for the record, there is nothing wrong with making an honest living and flipping burgers or making cafe lattes. An honest day’s work… is an honest day’s work. So kudos to all the millions of Americans struggling just to make a living and pay the bills. With that said, the question is, should there not be some sort of special reverence for our hero EMTs. So yeah, I decided to take this case… so to speak.
I began interviewing several private ambulance companies and some of their ambulance workers. Per my investigation and many interviews, I found that the State of California MediCal insurance reimbursement rate for private ambulance companies is some of the lowest in the U.S. How is this possible, when California has a massive economy; coupled with the fact that President Biden, upon taking office, immediately bailed out Blue States with COVID relief totaling billions of dollars. Given all that, shouldn’t California now have some extra cash in the coffers to reimburse our heroes more money?
For some background about my news story… many people assume that when you have a health emergency and dial 9-1-1… your city fire departments and paramedics are going to race to your house and take you to the hospital if necessary, or shuttle you from the hospital to an assisted care facility or a rehab facility. Well, that’s partly true. Except for the fact that three out of every four ambulances in California are private. These private ambulance companies often respond in collaboration with fire department rescue. And these private companies and their EMTs are often the ones to, let’s say for example, check your vitals and administer CPR or give you insulin and transport you to the respective facility. Well, what if for argument’s sake, many of the private ambulance companies were to go out of business. The question is… who is going to be there to help. That’s the claim of many private ambulance companies and their ambulance workers in California.
I was hoping to ask State of California officials about all of this… on camera. Unfortunately, state officials declined an on camera interview, saying they did not have a representative in Southern California where I am located. Ok, no problem, they’re in Sacramento. So I offered a Zoom interview which seemed simple; although, they ALSO declined that offer. However, the spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services eventually emailed me a very comprehensive written statement to answer some of my questions. I appreciate that substantive email which I explain in great detail in my news report. Kind of interesting to say the least. So here is that report as we investigate the California Ambulance Reimbursement Crisis.