St John Ambulance part charges?

[Grubber]

Yes, I have been billed in the past for emergency callouts. If you think you might be using their services more often you can become a St. J member and pay a yearly membership fee and your callouts are free.

Im the same. Was billed and then they offered a membership at $40 I think it was. Money well spent with a couple of asthmatics in the family. No more callout fees. I got no problem paying for good help like that and I have a problem with people who argue about it to be fair. Were would we be without them

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[Grubber]

just as a matter of interest, what would you pay not to die? and/or, did you not realise it's a user pays service, and/or, if you did know that, would you have declined the service?

Wow....thats actually quite sencible for you. Giod onya Akzle.:thumbup:

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[nzspokes]

Can anyone tell me if the St. John Ambulkance part charges are legally enforceable?

We've just received a bill from them that was a total surprise. Don't get me wrong, I'd be only too happy to give St. john some money if the letter had been a plea for help but a bill after an emergency call out is just plain extortion.

Its normally about $50. Just pay the bloody bill and be happy they are so good at what they do.

[swbarnett]

user pays - why should we pay for you?

You ignoramus!

An ambulance service is a public good. We all benifit from it's existance. I'm all for user pays - just define the user correctly. In this case the user is society as a whole. In the same way that a person that never leaves the house is still a user ofthe roads because they use goods and services that cannot be provided without them.

My objection to this charge is not because I can't afford it - I can. My objection is that, as a public good, the WHOLE of the public should foot the cost (preferably pro-rata on income). Also, imagine the marginalisation of those that genuinely have difficulty coming up with the money.

To move sideways for a moment and illustrate my point by way of a related example: Under your argumant ACC would be removed completely and the full cost of any treatment and rehabilitation would be born by the injured party. The inevitable result of this is a serious increase in the banrupcy rate. This is something I am definitely willing to contribute to preventing - whether I ever claim from ACC or not.

[swbarnett]

It would depend on the reason for the call out if I was billed. If the accident was called by another party no way and they can chase the other party to pay my bill. Even if it is something where no other party is involved the high cost of registration which is mostly ACC does not give much motivation to pay.

You need to read the OP again. I mentioned the word "ailment". No accident involved.

[cs363]

$50 thank you, sir...for a ride of about 5km.

So, not that much more than a taxi then.....

[swbarnett]

just as a matter of interest, what would you pay not to die?

Irrelevant. I don't have a problem with the amount. Just the extortion by what is a public service.

and/or, did you not realise it's a user pays service,

I had no idea. This is the first time I have ever called for an ambulance.

and/or, if you did know that, would you have declined the service?

Of course not. However, what concerns me most is there may be some people that will delay calling an ambulance because of it (this alreay happens with GPs). And we are all the worse off for it.

[cynna]

You ignoramus!

An ambulance service is a public good. We all benifit from it's existance. I'm all for user pays - just define the user correctly. In this case the user is society as a whole. In the same way that a person that never leaves the house is still a user ofthe roads because they use goods and services that cannot be provided without them.

My objection to this charge is not because I can't afford it - I can. My objection is that, as a public good, the WHOLE of the public should foot the cost (preferably pro-rata on income). Also, imagine the marginalisation of those that genuinely have difficulty coming up with the money.

To move sideways for a moment and illustrate my point by way of a related example: Under your argumant ACC would be removed completely and the full cost of any treatment and rehabilitation would be born by the injured party. The inevitable result of this is a serious increase in the banrupcy rate. This is something I am definitely willing to contribute to preventing - whether I ever claim from ACC or not.

ooooooh im an ignoramus then your a dumb cunt. you arent even paying the full cost of the service so next time just crawl to the hospital

and yes since i have to pay acc for work, 3 bikes and a car i would rather acc be removed and pay for private health insurance

[Drew]

Of course not. However, what concerns me most is there may be some people that will delay calling an ambulance because of it (this alreay happens with GPs). And we are all the worse off for it.

You can owe them millions, they will always come pick you up. Drivers and individual stations have no idea about the status of bills.

[Akzle]

Irrelevant. I don't have a problem with the amount. Just the extortion by what is a public service.


I had no idea. This is the first time I have ever called for an ambulance.


Of course not. However, what concerns me most is there may be some people that will delay calling an ambulance because of it (this alreay happens with GPs). And we are all the worse off for it.

theres nothing public about it. St John are a private charity organisation.

The crown POLICy Enforcement is the only 111 'service' fully paid for by 'the people'
safer communities together. And shit.

[swbarnett]

FFS: Will you lot please get down of your collective high horse.

All I'm saying is that I expect to pay for an ambulance service, just not on a visit by visit basis (or a subscription). This sort of thing should be completely tax payer funded as it's something that strongly benifits the whole of society - not just those being rescued.

This and other shit like it are major contributors to the widening of the poverty gap.


I will say it again for those that don't seem to be listening - MY PROBLEM IS NOT THE MONEY. My problem is that an ambulance service is seen as a service only to those that are attended. In truth it is a service to EVERYBODY, whether you're attended or not.

[swbarnett]

As St John is publicly funded, meaning they get absolutely nothing from the government,

This from the St. John part-charge brocure:

Contractswith the Ministry of Health, ACC and District Health Boards (DHBs) fund just under 80% of our Ambulance Service direct operating costs.

[Madness]

Start a petition.

[swbarnett]

ooooooh im an ignoramus then your a dumb cunt.

My apologies if I was a bit blunt. I only called you an ignoramus beacause you, like many, seem to have completely missed the concept of a public good and how that pertains to the concept of "uesr" pays (I like user pays if the user is correctly defined).

[swbarnett]

You can owe them millions, they will always come pick you up. Drivers and individual stations have no idea about the status of bills.

Agreed.

But that's not the point. I don't owe them anything (well, not money anyway) even though they think I do. I would quite happily have given them a donation (even though the paramedic was wearing his prejudices on his sleeve), just object to being extorted.