Charged 13 Million Won, Paid 8.2 Million Won After Discount
"They Didn't Use the Siren or Drive Fast"
A story has emerged from the United States about parents who received a bill exceeding 10 million won after using an ambulance to transport their 15-month-old child to the hospital. Despite the transfer being a simple one, the bill included a variety of charges, ranging from a base fee for "specialized medical transport" to costs for oxygen saturation monitoring. The parents expressed their disbelief, stating, "They didn't even turn on the siren or drive fast. It was just a normal 40-minute ride."
"It was just a routine transfer"... 64 km ride costs 13 million won
According to The Washington Post on the 25th (local time), Elizabeth Yoder, who lives in Ohio, discovered symptoms on her son's hands, feet, and mouth in August that suggested a possible viral infection, so she took him to a nearby hospital emergency room. The medical staff determined that the child was showing signs of "staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome" and recommended transferring him to a children's hospital equipped for specialized treatment. Yoder asked if she could drive her son herself, but was told, "Absolutely not." In the end, Yoder used an ambulance to transfer her son to the children's hospital.
Yoder was shocked when she later received the ambulance bill. Although they had only traveled from the emergency room to a children's hospital about 40 miles (approximately 64 km) away, the cost was $9,250 (about 13.55 million won). The ambulance bill included a $6,600 base fee for "specialized medical transport," a $2,340 charge for the total distance traveled, a $250 fee for using an intravenous pump, and a $60 charge for oxygen saturation monitoring, among other items.
Yoder said, "They didn't turn on the siren during the transfer, and they didn't drive fast either. It took about 40 minutes to get to the children's hospital, and it was just a routine trip from point A to point B." She emphasized, "All the ambulance staff did was monitor the IV containing fluids and antibiotics that had already been administered to my child in the emergency room, and keep track of his vital signs."
Greater burden for those without insurance coverage..."The system itself is abnormal"
The Yoder family did not qualify for Medicaid, the government health insurance program for low-income households, or for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for middle-class families. If they had been eligible for Medicaid, the ambulance fee could have been reduced to $609.95 (about 890,000 won).
Ultimately, Yoder negotiated with the ambulance company and received a one-time payment discount of about 40%, paying $5,600 (about 8.2 million won). The hospital bill was also reduced through charity care, leaving the family to pay about $6,800 (about 9.96 million won).
Yoder criticized the system, saying, "It's abnormal that patients have to call and negotiate themselves to get a reduction in costs," and added, "It's a problem that emergency services, which everyone needs, come with such high costs."
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