[Mpls] Additional Fund Sources of the Fire Department..Insurance won't pay

[Dorie Rae Gallagher]

List,

You have an accident, someone calls 911...first arrival is the fire department. They can not do anything for you but give you " comfort ". Ambulance comes, two firemen help get you in the ambulance...off you go.

One of the bills you will receive is a $400.00 bill from the fire department. The insurance companies will not pay for this service. 1. There are no codes that the fire department can give for service of medical care since they did not /can not give any.  2. Insurance will not pay for comfort support.  3. Insurance company  feels it is way too much money being requested for the amount of actual time spent by the fire department at scene.

Looking at the 2004 budget......Additional Funds Sources of the Fire Department...it states "MFD is moving ahead on this initiative...it is looking into exactly what insurance companies need to make payment to set up data collection to meet these needs."  It does not give an amount.  www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/city-budget/2004adopted/sec8_fire.pdf 

No one knows that they are going to be charged this fee. No one in an accident makes the decision if they want the fire department or not. How can you charge a person for a decision they have not made?  How many people have $400.00 laying around to give to the fire department for seven minutes of comfort? People are paying for this out of their own pockets... only one company has paid.  We have a high percentage of elderly...fair to them? What other hidden costs are the citizens of Minneapolis going to come across that we do not know about up front. 

Dorie Rae Gallagher
Nokomis