It’s been a while since I’ve blogged on this site.  If there’s a specific decision about which you would like my thinking on since my last post, feel free to ask about it in the comments.

One of the decisions council made recently was to move forward with a new program aimed at paying for ambulance rides.  The program centers around billing the insurance companies of people who receive an ambulance ride whose health insurance policies cover this expense.  This “compassionate billing” strategy is meant to recuperate funds from insurance companies who offer ambulance as a benefit paying customers, while not asking those who can’t afford it to pay.

At first glance, this is a no brainer: bill insurance companies for what we’re paying them for, and supply an additional and dependable stream of funding to support this aspect of public safety.  Looking a bit deeper, it’s gets a little more complicated.  In essence, by not charging those who can’t or who choose not to buy insurance, those with insurance (and the businesses supplying the insurance) bear the brunt of the costs for themselves and others.  We’re pushing the costs to those who we assume can pay, adding to the type of pressure that has contributed to skyrocketing insurance costs nationally.

This issue came down to a few points for me:

• Harrisonburg’s choice one way or another isn’t going to make a considerable difference in the national trends.  The national trends need to be addressed in Washington.
• I, as a councilmember, have an obligation to be fiscally prudent with taxpayer funds and look after public safety, and providing a stable funding stream (estimated $700K in the first year) for our emergency services in, in my mind, a contribution to fulfilling on both those responsibilities

The discussion will be documented in the minutes of last week’s meeting.  The vote was 5-0 in favor of moving forward with this plan.