Bullshit. I got an ambulance ride 10 years ago, 15 minutes and they billed me $2,200.
Helicopter would be way more expensive.
It depends. Some state police or local government have S&R helicopters for use. They’re typically cheaper by an order of magnitude than a commercial medivac heli. Or so I was advised by a DPS officer.
Ironically, search and rescue services in the USA are usually done by volunteers and park rangers, and typically free
Yes if they put you in a helicopter it’s gonna be expensive, like $10k, but 99% of the time S&R won’t cost you anything. They’d prefer you call when the situation isn’t so dire instead of waiting until it gets really bad because you are scared of the cost.
My friend got saved from a cliff by helicopter one time, and the bill was $0. In the US. I suppose that’s because he didn’t need any health care.
In my state SAR is free unless the person was doing something really dumb. Eg. Avalanche victim = free. Vs. Hypothermia evac from winter hiking without a coat = ~$2k total.
$2000?!?! I got charged $3000 for a 15-minute EMS transport. They didn’t even perform any medical care.
This sounds like bullshit, and if it’s true, arbitrary.
It is. Aviation falls under federal law.
Most of the SAR is voluntareer based here. There are several regional SAR groups all made of ordinary people who help the state in their free time. The $2k is an average not fixed amount. Depending on circumstances it’ll be higher or lower.
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This is what I did for my cancer, but stupidly paid $50 a month for the other bill. Kept all my credit cards up to date and never paid a cent on the big bill. 7 years later poof. 3 years after that I have near perfect credit. Fuck these assholes.
My Pa, in his youth, broke his back after hitting a railroad crossing at 90+ miles an hour on his motorcycle. The mercy flight and the ambulance arrived at the same time. They asked which he wanted and he asked which is cheaper.
You’ll still get a bill for them just showing up
Question, can you just refuse to give them your personal information?
You might. Depends on law enforcement’s involvement
Honestly? Me too.
