FORT SMITH -- Some emergency trips to a Sebastian County hospital will continue to no longer be financial emergencies thanks to a new county resolution passed Tuesday.
A longstanding policy of not charging Sebastian County residents for the first ambulance ride for their household in a year was unanimously approved as a resolution by the Quorum Court on Tuesday. The resolution discounts the first ambulance trip for each household each year by 100%.
While the discount policy has been around since 2012, the Justices of the Peace approved the resolution Tuesday because the county ambulance service needs to increase ambulance rates.
"Sebastian County has deliberately worked hard to maintain lower costs to our citizens while focusing on efficiencies and delivered quality service," said Travis Cooper, director of the county's Department of Emergency Management and EMS-Rescue. "Our rates are not the highest in our region, and in 2025, they will be competitive. And our services are superior."
Cooper said the first ride discount is applied after insurance and discounts for third-party providers have been processed. This both helps residents have a free ride while also paying the county for its service.
"Since almost 80% to 85% of charges are paid by insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, this discount helped to limit any out-of-pocket costs that might have been finally passed on to the citizen," Cooper said.
The discounted rides, Cooper said, started over a decade ago when the county needed to increase the charges for ambulance rides due to rising costs of running the service and a need to maintain the same coverage area.
In a desire to give back to the community, and not just implement large rate hikes, officials in 2012 said the free ride offer was a means to offset these costs for residents who had proof of fully paid county taxes.
People have since started to refer to the discount, according to Cooper, as "one free ride."
However, costs have been on the rise since 2020, Cooper said, and nearby communities in Arkansas and Oklahoma have increased their rates to keep up with inflation and professional costs.
The resolution passed by the Quorum Court included the county's current rate structure, which shows that the county charges $19.50 per mile driven as part of an ambulance call.
The county also charges a base $850 for a basic lifesaving skills transport, $950 for an advanced lifesaving skills transport and $1,250 for advanced level 2 transport. The type of transportation is determined by what level of intervention was needed during the call.
Despite these costs, Cooper said the average cost of an ambulance ride in the county for the past month has been $975, with 80%-85% of all calls utilizing Medicare or Medicaid.
The resolution passed by the Quorum Court also noted there would be a 20% discount for prompt payment within 10 days to anyone who took an ambulance ride, and a 10% discount for payment within 30 days.
During Tuesday's meeting Justice of the Peace Lorrie Runion questioned what the cost of the policy was to the county in lost revenue by not collecting fees from the first trip.
While county staff did not have that number, fellow Justice of the Peace Johnny Hobbs pointed out the policy was sold to residents after the increase in ambulance costs.
"It has been a policy for several years that we will allow that," Hobbs said.