Star Flight, a small helicopter medical transport provider in Austin, Texas, will increase its base rate from $4,500 to $15,000 for Travis County residents as part of its reimbursement strategy, KXAN reports.
The Travis County Commissioner's Court approved the changes Tuesday, which are set to take effect Aug. 1. In addition to the base rate hike, the county will also charge $200 per mile. The increases will be charged to commercial insurers, Medicaid and Medicare, and patients will maintain responsibility for their copayments and deductibles.
In addition, uninsured and underinsured patients will not be required to reimburse Star Flight if proof of insurance status is presented, according to the report. Patients who receive a settlement resulting from an injury or illness necessitating a transport may be subject to use that money to reimburse Star Flight.
Star Flight said about 20 percent of its services go uncompensated, and usually only part of the reimbursement is collected from insurers. Chuck Spangler, Star Flight's director of operations, said, "We realize that the cost of air ambulance services is expensive, the patient is usually not able to make a decision to be transported in a helicopter when they are ill or injured — we understand that and need to provide relief to those who are not able to pay."