Does this mean that when you dial 911 for someone else you will be asked for a weight? I have called for EMT's before for someone I did not know and they were not able to communicate. I can not even begin to be able to guess someones weight! I understand the need for special equipment but shouldn't it just be part of the equipment already on hand? Do EMT's not already have access for other special needs patients according to age and level of current disabilities? I do not know any overweight person that chooses to be that way and has not tried everything under the sun to lose weight, it is a devastating disability in itself. Also, since it is stated in many reports that there is an increase in obesity, shouldn't that just create the need to include the special equipment in every situation? How many patients would have to be charged to pay for a gurney? After 5 or 6 uses, it would have generated around $3000 or more. Would it be right to charge a premee 2 or 3 times the amount because they are so small that it's almost impossible to start an IV? That would be an outrage and so is this!!

Well I'm sorry but what is EMS going to do if they show up and it is an infant of elderly? Then what are they going to charge more to those people who have special needs? We already pay enough for health care and I feel this is wrong. I am paying a high er bill because they gave me a liter of flood and sent me home and I am still going to the dr's every month now trying to figure out what is going on because the ER dr did not listen to what I am telling them.

And about 90% of the patients that walk in through those emergency room doors have medicaid or medicare.

If a hospital has decided to use EMTALA then paperwork would not have been done first. You would have been assessed first by a nurse and then seen by a dr. Then paperwork would have been done. That is the rule. Admissions is not allowed to enter the room and ask for insurance information until you have been seen. And the article clearly states at the bottom that only if the equipment is used will you be charged, and anyone who has medicaid or medicare, and I quote, "allowable charges will basically cancel out the increase."

sorry misspell by accident I meant hippocratic oath

Ok but like one of the comments on here stated what do they do for elderly or infants and I know what the act is however I know that it is not always enforced because the first thing they ask is if you have insurance. I recently had to go to the er and instead of getting me help immediately they had us go through our entire insurance and all the paper work before they would do anything so dont talk to me about the hipacratic oathe. More like the Hypocritical Oathe.

I work at a hospital in admissions I can tell you that we do not refuse service for people who do not have insurance. Ever heard of EMTALA? Emergency Medical Treatment & Labor Act. Also..if the procedure being done is medically needed then it will be. This is not discrimination. Imagine if you were the patient and when EMS came to pick you up, they didn't have the equipment available to care for you properly. You would probably be complaing then too.

I can not believe this. I am an overweight person who unfortunately has a condition that causes the excess weight and makes it very difficult to lose weight. I figure that if they are going to start charging me to use an ambulance then I feel that insurance companies should pay for weight loss procedures whether that be surgery diet classes or so forth. IF THEY ARE GOING TO DEMAND MORE FROM US THEN WE IN RETURN SHOULD DEMAND MORE FROM THEM. This is like a hospital refusing to help a patient who doesnt have insurance. Why are we all of a sudden the enemy when because of the recession buying healthy is virtually impossible. Give me a break this is just another way for Uncle Sam to have his hand in our pocket. IF the government allows this then I will have lost all respect for our administration.

I'm not so sure I follow here...we are in a massive ressesion right now, and all anyone can do is start charging more? It doesn't make much sense to me????

This is definitely discrimination. So, are you only going to carry equipment for those who are not obese, then show up and realize you do not have the right equipment for an obese patient??? Or, are you just going to get new equipment that will work for obese and use for all patients, instead. Come on!