High ambulance bills can make emergency calls prohibitive for some of Lexington’s poorer residents. That’s according to Urban County Council member Peggy Henson, who is pressing the city to consider creating a dedicated fund to help pay those bills for Medicare recipients.
The council heard estimates earlier this week that put the total price tag for the idea around $2.3 million, but Thursday members learned that number may have been misleading.
"We were totally focused on the entire Medicare billing, not only the co-pay. And that's where we got off track as to what was being asked versus what we were reporting, " Finance Commissioner Bill O’Mara explained.
O’Mara said waiving the Medicare co-pays for ambulance calls takes the estimate down to just $700,000. With that new information, Henson plans to move the issue back to the city’s General Government and Social Services Committee for further review.
The 11th district councilwoman had proposed limiting the program to those 65 and older, but such a move would be prohibited by federal law.