DERRY — The price of a Derry ambulance ride is going up for the first time since August 2006, but everybody isn't on board with the higher rates.
Chuck Hemeon, emergency management services coordinator, recommended increasing the fees by 10 percent for basic ambulance service and higher for some life support services to keep pace with the rising cost of fuel, medical supplies and personnel.
A divided Town Council agreed by a 4-1 vote Tuesday to go along with his recommendation. The price hikes take effect Oct. 1.
But Councilor Kevin Coyle, who voted against the recommendation, said he thinks the ambulance fees are high enough already. If the fees are being raised mainly to keep Derry abreast with other communities, as Hemeon argued, Coyle said he doesn't think that's sufficient cause.
Many people in Derry are uninsured and have to pay the fee out of pocket. Coyle said an ambulance ride typically costs between $1,000 and $1,500.
"It's pretty steep," he said. "I just can't see us tacking on more fees, especially in this economy."
Coyle said people already are paying taxes, which should cover some of the town's cost to operate the ambulances. He also said he thinks Derry is already charging higher fees for some ambulance services than surrounding communities.
Derry ambulances went on 2,931 calls in the fiscal year that ended June 30, Hemeon said. He could not say how much it costs to take an ambulance out of the bay because Derry does not have staff assigned specifically to the ambulance.
On any given call, the crew may be a firefighter or a paramedic or both. Typically, Medicare patients pay 20 percent of the ambulance costs. Coyle estimated 36 percent of Derry residents have private insurance, which would cover the amount Medicare does not pay.
Hemeon based the higher rates on a national fee schedule, published every January.
Looking at other fire departments similar in size to Derry, he said, Derry's fees were the lowest.
"We'll still be the lowest," he said, after the increases take effect.
He also examined fees for medical procedures and suggested increasing fees for use of a defibrillator, administering intravenous fluids and airway management by up to 30 percent.
Derry rescue workers also answer emergency calls in Chester and Auburn. The Derry ambulance is frequently pressed into service to help out other communities like Londonderry, Hudson and Windham. The price increases will be passed on to those communities, Hemeon said.
Auburn Town Administrator William Herman said he was expecting an increase in the Derry ambulance rates due to the higher cost of doing business.
Chester town officials could not be reached for comment.
