Ambulance services charge Rockford patients thousands in surprise bills

WIFR
Home from college, Kellie Cannon’s daughter hemorrhaged. The family rushed to the UW Health SwedishAmerican emergency room.
“They could not get the bleeding to stop,” says Kellie – a Rockford-area mom and healthcare worker. She remembers staff stating her daughter “would need to be transported.”
“Then to have them say she needs to see a specialist at UW Madison. Of course, you don’t ask. You’re like, ‘We got to get her there,’” says Kellie.
That transportation arrived as UW Health offered Superior Ambulance Service for the nearly 70-mile journey. Kellie’s daughter soon recovered once across state lines.
However, the family soon received a “surprise” bill from Superior – charging over $6,000 for the services.
The cost comes as the No Surprise Act – in place federally and in Illinois since 2022 – protects patients from out-of-network insurance provider medical bills. Likewise, the law covers emergency treatment, care at in-network healthcare facilities and “air ambulances,” i.e., airplanes and helicopters.
Patricia Kelmar, the Public Interest Research Group’s senior director for healthcare campaigns, pushed for the national legislation.
These days, nevertheless, Patricia focuses on closing a “gap” with ambulance bills stating, “When you call 911, you have a 1 out of 2 chance of getting an ambulance that’s responding that is not in your network.”
In Illinois, patients with state-provided or regulated health insurance are protected from ambulance surprise billing. And while those like Kellie are covered by their employer, state and national law doesn’t prevent their out-of-network ambulance charges.
“No warning this could potentially happen,” says Kellie. “There were no choices given. It was just, ‘This is what the services she needs. We have an ambulance waiting.’”
Although the Rockford mom’s insurance paid nearly half of the charge, Kellie awaits solutions to navigate Superior’s $3,700 outstanding charge.
Still, she’ll think twice before calling another ambulance: “I feel at this point I could have hired a private doctor in a private car for less than $6000 for an hour and 15-minute drive.”
Meanwhile, Patricia calls for impacted patients to reach out to lawmakers – from local to national – to expand the No Surprise Act.
“Now we actually need a federal law,” says the senior director. “So everyone in the state has the right protection.”
As of Wednesday, June 19, Superior Ambulance had yet to respond to WIFR’s request for comment.