Ambulance costs and coverage for medical transport

Many people don't know if their health insurance covers an ambulance ride. If the ambulance is outside your plan’s network, you may get a large bill. This can happen when your plan and the ambulance company have not agreed on the price.

You may not be able to buy ambulance coverage by itself, but there are other ways to help pay for these costs.

The No Surprises Act, passed in 2022. It protects people from balance bills for emergency care from doctors and hospitals. For example, you might get care from a provider outside your network. Before this law, you could be billed for the part your health plan did not pay. This is called balance billing. Now, in many cases, that is not allowed unless you agree to it.

Today, out-of-network providers must give you a written form, a cost estimate and a list of in-network options before they provide care.

The No Surprises Act includes air ambulance rides, but not ground ambulance rides.¹

Ten states have laws that limit how much ambulance companies can bill patients beyond what insurance pays. These states are Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York, Ohio, Vermont, and West Virginia. These rules only apply to plans that are controlled by the state, such as ACA Marketplace plans. Most employer-sponsored health plans are not included.²

Ground ambulance rides are more likely than other medical services to be outside your plan’s network.³ In fact, 85% are out-of-network, which can lead to a balance bill.⁴

Even if you have insurance, an ambulance ride can still cost a lot if your plan does not cover that provider. In an emergency, you cannot choose which ambulance comes when you call 911.

Emergency ambulance rides are often provided by fire departments, local government services, private ambulance companies or hospitals.⁵

If you have insurance, you might pay about $450 for an ambulance ride. In some states, it may cost more than $1,000.⁶

Depending on where you live, an ambulance ride usually costs about $940. If you need more advanced care, it can cost close to $1,300.⁶

Medicare Part B helps pay for ground ambulance rides when you cannot safely travel to a hospital or nursing home another way.⁷

Medicare will pay for ambulance rides to the closest place that can give you care. After the Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount.⁷

Medicare may pay for an air ambulance if you cannot safely use a ground ambulance.⁷

Some companies help negotiate out-of-network medical bills. For example, Naviguard®, a UnitedHealthcare company, works with out-of-network providers to help with balance bills.

Their advisors review your case and guide you through the steps to resolve the bill. They may also speak with providers to help settle billing disputes.

If you have an employer-sponsored health plan, you may have access to Naviguard.

An ambulance subscription service is a membership you pay for each month or year. It may help with costs such as copays and deductibles.⁸

Some programs are run by local emergency medical services (EMS) groups. But, if an ambulance comes from a different company, or you need help away from home, your membership won’t pay for it. If you travel often, the price may not be worth it.⁸

Air ambulances can help when a ground ambulance can't get to you fast enough. They transport people with medical emergencies, such as heart attacks, strokes, breathing problems or pregnancy emergencies. More than 550,000 people in the U.S. use air ambulances each year. These trips can cost a lot, and insurance may not pay the full amount. ⁹

An air ambulance trip averages about 52 miles and may cost between $12,000 and $25,000. If the person needs extra medical care during the trip, the cost can be higher.⁹

Air ambulance insurance may cover the ride and the care you get during the trip. Coverage depends on how far you are from an airport and what kind of emergency you have.⁹

You usually cannot buy ambulance insurance by itself. But there are other ways to help manage the cost of emergency medical transport.

Health insurance may help pay some ambulance costs. But you could still get a high bill if the ambulance company is not in your plan’s network.

If you have supplemental accident insurance, you may receive cash benefits to help pay for expenses related to a qualifying accident. That can include ambulance care. A supplemental fixed-benefit health insurance plan, a type of fixed indemnity insurance, may also pay a set amount toward ground, water or air ambulance costs.

Companies like Naviguard help work with out-of-network providers on balance bills. Naviguard is available to some UnitedHealthcare members with qualifying employer-sponsored plans. To see if you have access, call the phone number on your health plan ID card.