Take it from one who knows, MEC Insurance

[szymiec]

So, after getting a bill for 1120$ in the mail for an ambulance ride of about 2km (ice flow to highway), i remembered that MEC offers free 2 day trip insurance thats really easy to activate and covers climbing.

http://mec.cooperatorstravelinsurance.c ... ?pinLang=1

I'd really recommend this to anyone going out for the weekend. STARS is free but not ambulance.

Peace out
Chris

[granite_grrl]

1120$, gah. Still don't know how you were charged but I was not for my helicopter ride. Could it be the park I was climbing in covered it?

[szymiec]

I dont recall where you were but if it was a national park they cover all of that. I was just outside the boundary by about 15km.

[Andrew]

If you have to pay for the use of the ambulance, what is the point of paying taxes? Medicare my a$$.

[Fred]

I think ambulance is not part of medicare if I'm not mistaking. If you have to take an ambulance ride in NB with SJ ambulance you have to pay something like $100. Most health plans (example Blue Cross, Great West Life) will re-imburse this expense.

[chossmonkey]

So, after getting a bill for 1120$ in the mail for an ambulance ride of about 2km (ice flow to highway), i remembered that MEC offers free 2 day trip insurance thats really easy to activate and covers climbing.

http://mec.cooperatorstravelinsurance.c ... ?pinLang=1

I'd really recommend this to anyone going out for the weekend. STARS is free but not ambulance.

Peace out
Chris

Thanks for sharing that Chris. I didn't know MEC had that and I bet most people don't.

The company that underwrites that plan is the same one that I have my emergency medical coverage through until my immigration all goes through and I can be covered by the province.

If you have to pay for the use of the ambulance, what is the point of paying taxes? Medicare my a$$.

If ambulances are free then people heavily abuse it. They call for them when they are unnessesary. Like in just to get a ride to the hospital so they don't need to pay for a taxi.

Normally here in Ontario you do need to pay for the ambulance. I'm not sure why we were never billed for Rebecca's ride. I'm assuming it is because the rescuers called for it and it was seen as a required medical service so OHIP covered it.

[martha]

I think ambulance is not part of medicare if I'm not mistaking. If you have to take an ambulance ride in NB with SJ ambulance you have to pay something like $100. Most health plans (example Blue Cross, Great West Life) will re-imburse this expense.

yup, we got a bill for Fred's ambulance ride a few years back.

[thicks]

I think ambulances are free now(could be wrong) at least in nb.

[Richard Eh!]

You're right tyler, it is now included in medi-care. It was changed just a short while back, used to always be free years ago, then around the middle eighties (not sure) they started charging. I had to pay for the ambulance from the airport to the hospital when I came back from Austria in a body cast back in 1990.

[Richard Eh!]

Check it out here....

http://www.gnb.ca/0219/info-e.asp#FAQs

Bottom of page...

[dcentral]

http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/bcas/fees/

BC's if anyone cares.

MosDef get insurance that will cover it if you are from out of province.

[szymiec]

You know? I actually just found out that i wasnt even in the bloody ambulance, gotta love morphene.

Anyways, apparently i was transported from the waterfall to the helicopter in the search and rescue command centre. Hmm, i wonder if i should try to get off on this one.

I feel like a dick for doing it but 1120 isnt chump change. There were 2 ambulances there but i never used them.

thoughts?

Chris

[martha]

on one hand, we pay the bills so the services are there for those who need them... for example..had you needed them... you would have been glad they were there for you...

on the other hand, as climbing bums... with a stolen rack... $1200 is a new set of cams....

[granite_grrl]

You know? I actually just found out that i wasnt even in the bloody ambulance, gotta love morphene.

Anyways, apparently i was transported from the waterfall to the helicopter in the search and rescue command centre. Hmm, i wonder if i should try to get off on this one.

I feel like a dick for doing it but 1120 isnt chump change. There were 2 ambulances there but i never used them.

thoughts?

Chris

I would fight it.

Did you ask for them to be there? I know that you wanted some sort of rescue, but you were ready to take the first ride out of there. Not your fault that another helicopter showed up before theirs.

$1120 is a big chunk of change to pay for a service that you didn't use. I thought the whole point of charging for ambulance rides was to make sure people didn't abuse the service. Seems like they're abusing their power if they can show up at the scene of an accident, not be used, and can still charge you for the ride.

[chossmonkey]

I want to say that there were two ambulances when Rebecca fell. Neither were used either. She was trasported from the top of the cliff to the parking lot in the back of a park service vehical where she was air lifted to the hospital.