Members of the Twin “W” First Aid squad, which responds to overnight emergency services calls within the township, are opposing an ordinance that would allow West Windsor to bill for calls covered by its paid personnel.
Among the arguments against the ordinance, scheduled for a public hearing and possible adoption on Tuesday, April 6, is that the move will hurt the image of the volunteers, who collect donations throughout the year to support their needs, said Michael Lahey, the squad’s president.
“This impacts us in our fund drive, our relationship with the township residents,” said Lahey. “It’s going to hurt our reputation.”
If adopted, the ordinance would permit the township to bill third-party insurances for ambulance services that are provided from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Township residents will not be charged directly for service, nor will they be asked to pay a co-pay when their insurance companies are billed. Township officials estimate that the township can generate some $200,000 in revenues annually by adopting the ordinance.
Township officials insist that the billing measure is not aimed at hurting the volunteers. “It is not the intention of the township to jeopardize any of the operations of the volunteer first aid squad because we recognize the valuable service provided to the township,” Business Administrator Robert Hary said. “We want to continue to support them in any way we can — it’s a win-win situation for the residents if the services are provided on a volunteer basis rather than having to go to a paid service 24/7.”
According to the ordinance, the township will contract with a professional medical billing service for the collection of payment for services by the township’s fire and emergency services personnel. The bill will be issued to the insurance company for the person served, if any, or directly to that person if insurance coverage is not available.
The ordinance also sets up the fees that will be charged for service. For ambulance transportation: $600. Other charges include $14 per loaded mile for basic life support; $75 for oxygen administration; $75 for automatic external defibrillator pads; $25 for cervical collars; $1,000 for motor vehicle extrication; $250 for first responder engine response; and $150 for fire responder response.
If a resident requires an ambulance or emergency response, the resident’s insurance carrier will be charged. The resident, however, will not be responsible for covering the co-pay, nor will a resident without insurance be forced to pay the entire bill.
The volunteer squad, however, is not satisfied. Even though township officials said that West Windsor residents would not be billed because they pay taxes, “they would still be billing your insurance carrier,” alleged Lahey. “I’m a resident of the township. You’re telling me it’s going to cost $1,000 to remove my son or daughter from a vehicle because I have insurance, or you’re going to say it’s $1,000 you’re going to write off because I don’t have insurance.”
As a result, he said, members of the rescue squad are launching a campaign to ensure township residents know that the volunteer squad will not bill for expenses associated with any of the calls to which it responds. The volunteers respond to calls Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and on second calls when the paid staff is working.
“We want to make sure that the residents of this township are very clear that between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., or any second call, the residents will not be billed,” said Lahey.
Another argument against the move made by Lahey is that the volunteer squad purchases the medical supplies used by both the volunteers and paid personnel hired by the township. It does not currently require reimbursement from the township, but “we’re going to have to bill the township now,” he said. “We stock the ambulance with medical equipment and supplies. The township is saying they’re going to have to bill for those medical supplies. The volunteers are going to have to bill the township for stocking the vehicles.”
“We do not support billing because it will hurt the volunteer,” he said. “We supply the medical supplies to the township. It is very interesting that they would have a price list that’s standard for the industry.”
But those prices are “astronomical” because the township is “meeting an already-established price listing in the state of New Jersey,” added Lahey, who also said that the township stores its ambulances and provides a facility for its personnel in its own building. “We provide them office space, we provide them facilities,” he said. “Unless they’re going to build their own building, we’re just going to make sure that we can meet our requirements, too.”
Lahey also said that the administration slipped the measure through without discussing it with the volunteers. “There was no communication to us that they were posting this ordinance,” he said. “They brought it up in a public safety meeting, but they never gave us any indication it was going up for an ordinance.”
Added Lahey: “When they need something from the volunteers, they’re very quick, but they’re very good at not talking to the volunteer organization.”
Lahey said the other downfall to approving the measure is that township residents may be inclined to forgo calling for emergency response if they do not have insurance and do not want to be billed.
Further, the revenue the township is estimating to bring in from billing “has not been substantiated,” said Lahey. “If you bill, where does the money go? We never got a clear answer on that.”
In response to Lahey’s concerns, Hary said that “the last thing that the township wants to do is to hurt the first aid squad’s ability to fund raise.”
In order to help the first aid squad, Hary said that when he and Township Council President George Borek announced the pending introduction of the billing measure at a public safety meeting, “we agreed to help with literature so we can educate the public about what service is offered by the volunteers and what is provided by the paid staff.”
“We’re going to make it as clear as we can that the billing service is only for when our career staff is providing the service,” he added.
The administration has been “adamant” in the development of the ordinance that the “plan is not to balance-bill residents for this service,” Hary explained. “The idea is that when a service is provided, the third party insurer will be billed. Any balance will be accounted for by tax dollars. It’s been done similarly in neighboring towns and has been successful.”
Further, the only other municipality in Mercer County that does not have third-party billing is Hopewell, Hary said. “Clearly a large majority of them are already doing this and have found that the revenue stream significantly offsets the costs associated with the service.”
