When deciding whether to send a patient by air, one factor that is not up for consideration is the cost.

“Price is never our concern,” said Joan Harvey, director of Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s emergency department. “Our concern is the patient’s health and the quickest way we can get them care.”

Without a doubt, air ambulances are thousands of dollars more than ground ambulances. For example, Life Star has a base rate of about $6,000 and charges $50 per mile. The final cost is usually between $10,000 and $11,000.

In comparison, the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical has a base rate of between $476 and $619 and a per-mile charge of $7.38.

Most insurance companies will cover some of the expense of an air ambulance. But for the uninsured, it can be one of the many bills left unpaid.

Just like emergency rooms, air ambulance services never recover the cost for a good chunk of their work. Federal law requires air medical services to transport anyone in need of care, regardless of their ability to pay.

At Life Star, the company typically collects about $5,000, about half of a typical emergency transport, executive director Greg Hildenbrand said.

Charges are higher across the board so Life Star can collect enough money to compensate for the underpayment of government reimbursement rates and those who are uninsured, he said.

Last October, Maria Thorson Feeney survived an accident along Kansas Highway 10. A trip by helicopter to Kansas University Hospital cost her about $9,000, a bill that is still unpaid as Feeney works with insurance companies.

The other driver, who was at fault, didn’t have insurance. And Feeney has maxed out her insurance benefits. Still, it’s an expense that Feeney doesn’t regret.

“Compared to all my other medical bills, I would say that it is actually a minor expense,” she said. “So it is absolutely worth it. I don’t think I would be here without it.”