Ambulance trips soon may cost more in Douglas County.

Douglas County commissioners on Monday discussed a proposal to increase most ambulance transport charges by $75 to help cover decreases in federal and state funding.

But commissioners delayed a vote on the issue. Instead, they requested more information about how the increase would affect poor Douglas County residents, in light of the fact that Medicare plans to decrease the amount it pays for ambulance calls.

“I don’t see how the poor of our county can survive those kinds of increases,” Commissioner Charles Jones said.

Ambulance fees currently range from $175 for nonemergency calls to $375 for emergency calls.

¢ 6News video: County discusses price increase for ambulance trips

Mark Bradford, deputy chief of Douglas County Fire & Medical, said the increase would put Douglas County in line with other counties. For example, he said, charges for emergency ambulance calls are $588 in Topeka and $425 in Lenexa.

By relying more on user fees, Bradford said the increases would help ease the department’s property tax burden. The fee increase and other adjustments would bring in an additional $280,000 each year.

Bradford said Medicare covered all but $32.84 of the $375 charged for an emergency call in 2002. By 2006, the Medicare bill will be $75 per call.