Affordable health care coverage for farmers.
Sep 20, 2023
Risk is everywhere on a farm, and despite the best planning and safety considerations emergency situations can still happen. In the event of a medical emergency, it’s important to focus on getting the help you need as quickly as possible.
But after help has arrived and the emergency has been resolved, farmers are often hit with substantial medical bills — especially extremely expensive ambulance rides from the farm to the closest hospital.
Ambulance companies must be prepared at all times by staffing their ambulances 24/7, 365 days a year to ensure they’re always ready to respond to a medical emergency.
This constant trained medical professional staffing requirement, in addition to expensive medical supplies, rising fuel costs and limited insurance reimbursements, often leads ambulance companies to pass these costs directly on to their patients.
While some ambulance services are public and run at the city or state level, many are privately run by independent companies at the regional or even national level.
With more than 10,000 ambulance companies across the country, variation between billing approaches can differ drastically. Even if you ask the ambulance to take you to an in-network hospital, the ambulance you’re riding in could be out of network — and most insurance plans only cover rides from in-network ambulance companies.
According to a report from FAIR Health, a data nonprofit organization, the average cost of ambulance services has increased substantially over the past few years. Before insurance coverage or other potential discounts, the price of an ambulance ride rose 22% to $1,277 between 2017-2020.
Some states see higher figures when calculating the average cost of an ambulance ride. For example, Minnesota was one of the most expensive states for ambulance rides at $1,796.09 per call in 2022.
RELATED: Health Coverage for Farmers: What Are Your Options?
How much you pay for an ambulance to transport you to a hospital depends on a range of factors, including your:
Insurance coverage (at the time of the emergency)
Ambulance company - whether they are government funded or private, and whether they are in network for your insurance provider
Medical situation - if the transport was classified as an emergency or non-emergency situation upon medical assessment
Treatment - what medical procedures the medical professionals in the ambulance performed and medical supplies they used during your ride
Distance Traveled - how far the ambulance traveled to reach a hospital (based on miles)
About three million patients are taken to hospitals via ambulance every year; more than half of those patients were surprised with a balance bill once they returned home, according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
While many states have laws limiting surprise medical bills, these legal restrictions apply to ambulance fees in only a few states.
This means that farmers essentially have a 50/50 chance of being billed hundreds or thousands of dollars for their ambulance ride following a medical emergency — and that doesn’t even take into account any other bills that may have arose from additional treatment upon arriving at the hospital, medications required after leaving the hospital, or follow-up treatment requirements during recovery.
In an emergency, you’re focused on getting the help you need by calling 911. Emergency scenarios don’t allow you time to pause and research whether your town has partnered with a private or public ambulance company, if your local hospital is in network, or how your insurance will bill you for an ambulance ride.
But the unfortunate truth is that emergency medical care and ambulance rides can be expensive, with charges that remain even after you or your family members have recovered from the emergency situation.
With FBN Health, you can rest assured knowing you have coverage you can rely on in case of a medical emergency on your farm.
Plus, when you opt into enhanced ambulance coverage, you’ll be covered in the event of ambulance rides or helicopter rescues, even in remote locations. Coverage is provided for ALL ambulance companies operating in the United States and other coverage areas, including Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean (excluding Cuba).
Have peace of mind knowing you’re covered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with FBN Health. Click here or call 877-892-3303 to learn how you can protect yourself and your family from exorbitant, unexpected medical costs in the event of a medical emergency.
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FBN does not offer traditional health insurance. But while we do not offer traditional health insurance, we do offer FBN Health. FBN Health is marketed by FBN Insurance LLC. FBN Insurance LLC is not a licensed insurance company or agency and its employees and representatives are not licensed life and health insurance agents. Policies marketed by FBN Health are level-funded group health benefit plans offered and administered by Benefit Plan Administrators, Inc. (“BPA”) and Employers Business Alliance ("EBA") and available only where BPA and EBA are licensed." If you submit the Get A Quote Form, a licensed insurance agent/producer may contact you on behalf of BPA or EBA. You cannot obtain coverage under a health plan until you complete and submit an application for the plan and your application is approved and accepted by BPA or EBA. Eligibility and benefit exclusions and limitations apply.
FBN Health is currently available in all 50 states.
Sep 20, 2023