How Much Is an Ambulance Ride? How the Bill Gets Paid (2024)

An ambulance ride can save your life, but you have just a 50% chance of being spared a surprise medical bill if you receive ground ambulance transportation. Surprise bills arise from out-of-network ambulance services, which are nearly unavoidable.

The problem partly lies in the high cost of operating emergency medical services and how the emergency system works. When you dial 9-1-1, or someone dials it in response to your medical emergency, the dispatcher sends the closest available ambulance or the one most appropriate for your emergency. You don’t get a chance to find an ambulance provider in your insurance network.

More than 8 million Americans rode to an emergency medical facility by air or ground in 2020. A trip in an ambulance plays an important role in getting you to the health care you need in an emergency. But you may feel the pain of the ambulance bill long after you’ve recovered.

That may leave you asking: How much is an ambulance ride?

How Much Does an Ambulance Cost?

Basic life support ground transportation to a medical facility costs $940, and advanced life support ground transportation costs $1,277 in 2020, according to the latest figures. Not surprisingly, average ambulance costs are much higher for plane and helicopter ambulances: $24,507 and $30,446, respectively.

You may pay less or more depending on your state or even where you live in a state.

Why Are Ambulances So Expensive?

Several factors affect how much you can be charged for a trip in an ambulance to the emergency room or urgent care facility. Consider these costs:

Operating Costs

Maintaining an emergency medical system has many moving parts and is expensive. Purchasing a new ground vehicle as an ambulance can run between $125,000 and $300,000. Add to that the maintenance costs, the price of fuel and supplies and rent for a facility.

Types of Service

The biggest cost rolled into an ambulance charge is the type of service you receive: basic life support or advanced life support. Ambulances are staffed by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) or paramedics. EMTs provide basic life support, and paramedics provide advanced life support. It costs more if a paramedic rolls on your emergency.

Your Treatment

The treatment you receive when EMTs or paramedics arrive and transport you impacts your costs, too. You must pay for oxygen, expensive medications and other procedures and treatments.

Your State

You might get hit with an out-of-network charge because of state regulations. Here are seven states where that might happen if you need an ambulance: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.

Where You Live

Some cities and counties have regulations for ambulance services based on their structure. The service might be volunteer, run by governments or owned by a private business.

Mileage

Not all services charge you for mileage, but many do. An ambulance typically takes you to the closest emergency facility or the one for the care you need. In cases where you are charged for mileage, you can pay more if an ambulance has to travel a long distance.

Insurance

You seldom, if ever, can choose the ambulance that arrives or the medical facility it takes you to. You may have copays, coinsurance and average deductibles to be concerned about. Surprise bills from ambulances total $129 billion every year, more than any other healthcare provider.

It adds up to a high cost of service that you have little control over. In an emergency, you simply want to get care as soon as possible.

Does Insurance Cover Ambulance Service?

If your question is, does medical cover an ambulance, the answer is generally yes. It’s an important question with the number of people with health insurance in the U.S. growing. If the trip is deemed an emergency or medically necessary, most health insurance can cover a portion of your ride to the emergency room in an ambulance.

Or maybe you want to know about car insurance. Your personal injury protection insurance can cover your ambulance ride if you’re in a car accident.

Medicare

You also may want to know: Does Medicare cover ambulance rides? Medicare can cover your emergency transportation to a hospital or nursing facility if it is medically necessary and it is not safe to move you otherwise. It also can pay for an air ambulance if a ground ambulance can’t move you fast enough. Non-emergency transportation can be covered if ordered by your doctor.

Ambulance transportation can be covered up to 80% under Medicare Part B. You pay 20% after your annual deductible, which is $240 in 2024.

Medicare Advantage

Issued by several of the largest health insurance companies, Medicare Advantage plans also can cover ambulance rides. The coverage from these plans varies. Medicare Advantage also can cover non-emergency transport with prior approval, ambulance rides for doctor visits and non-medical ambulance transportation for some chronic conditions.

In all cases, you can check your health and auto policies to see your coverage and ambulance cost with insurance and see the Medicare website for more information.

How Much Is an Ambulance Ride With Insurance?

Your median cost for out-of-network ground services can be $450 but averages more than $1,000 in some states. The average estimated allowed amounts for in-network air ambulance services were $15,624 for an airplane and $18,668 for a helicopter in 2020.

The No Surprises Act of 2022 protects you from certain emergency medical out-of-pocket costs, including for air ambulances but not ground.

How Much Is an Ambulance Ride Without Insurance?

If you need a ground ambulance, the average cost for an ambulance without insurance can run about $1,200. The cost for an air ambulance can run between $12,000 and $55,000, depending on the aircraft, personnel and equipment, distance, and operating expenses.

Get More Information About Ambulance Service and Insurance

You likely have a good idea about using an ambulance and your insurance. However, many variables exist from state to state, city to city and between insurance plans. At ConsumerShield, we take pride in sharing information to empower you. If you want to know more about ambulance services and insurance, give us a call today.