Howell to bill insurance for police ambulance use
BY LARRY HLAVENKA JR.
Staff Writer

Howell

HOWELL - The Township Council has adopted an ordinance that will allow the municipality to be reimbursed by insurance companies when police department ambulances are dispatched to residents.

Reimbursement is contingent upon the resident maintaining health insurance.

Township officials said the Howell Police Department maintains two ambulances. If a local volunteer first aid squad is unable to respond to an emergency, one of the police ambulances is dispatched to the scene. It is that municipal expense that the council is seeking to recover.

Under the terms of the ordinance, when a resident uses a police department ambulance, if he has insurance - and insurance that covers ambulance trips - his insurance company will be billed by a third-party company designated by the municipality.

After the claim is submitted, and minus an administrative fee, the township will be reimbursed by the resident's insurance company.

Mayor Joseph DiBella made it clear than a resident cannot be billed for an ambulance trip in any scenario. He assured residents the procedure remains only for the township to bill a resident's insurance provider when one of the police ambulances is used.

Residents without insurance are unaffected by the ordinance and they will not incur any new costs for ambulance service.

The township will bill ambulance service at a flat rate of $500, plus $9 per mile traveled.

No new billing procedures were included in the ordinance for the volunteer first aid squads that respond to calls in the township. The ordinance only covers the use of the police department ambulances.

DiBella said he believes the ordinance will save Howell money since current police ambulance service is not reimbursed by any entity and the municipality foots the entire bill when one of the two police ambulances is dispatched.

Resident Barbara Dixel said she found the ordinance to be discriminatory despite its cost-cutting intentions.

"I don't think the township should have the authorization to charge" for ambulance service, Dixel said. "I don't think it's fair."

The governing body adopted the ordinance with a 5-0 vote on Dec. 19.