Trying to make sense of West Side Ambulance billing

Again, another article in the Index about the ambulance service may be going out of town. Mr. Condit worked very hard to get urgent care opened longer hours for the people of the West Side. Even I forget about it. In time, if people would use it, there would be longer hours and as we were told would see that the West Side needed a hospital. Why can’t we help that happen?

I have been so unhappy with the West Side Ambulance service that I decided to write about it. Year before last, I used the service. I know I had a co-payment, waited three months – nothing.

I was talking to my granddaughter and said “the ambulance service hasn’t sent me a bill.” “They will,” she replied.

Guess what? The next day I got it in the mail with red letters, “Late. Unpaid.”

I was so mad. I put my co-pay in my pocket and the next day went to the office in town. I showed them the bill and said “I pay my bills and I do not appreciate a letter like this. I got this yesterday and your bookkeeping needs a look into it.”

I gave them the co-pay and they said they couldn’t accept cash. I said “It’s the amount. You don’t have to make change.” “No, we can’t accept cash,” I was told.

If you can’t take cash, you better get someone that is trustworthy. That is really a nice business venture, isn’t it?

So, I put my money in my pocket and made them wait longer.

This last November I used an ambulance again. It wasn’t West Side Ambulance service, it was another. Thank God they saved my life. Again, I was billed by WSAS  and two days after I got my bill, they called me on the pone and wanted the money. I told them I only get a check once a month, so they had to wait. I’m not a bookkeeper but keeping books like this is not normal.

When Measure A was in the works Mr. Dennis Brazil was always wanting more money and cost of living raise at the end of the year, not a vote from the people. Tell me Mr. Brazil, would you or anyone go buy a car with the understanding at the end of the year there would be 3 percent added to that? It would be stupid of anyone to sign something like that. I know for a fact in time I would have lost my house if that had passed. People have to pay attention to things like this because you are young now, but you are going to be a senior and you will see it won’t be that easy. Especially if you worked in the valley, where the pay is low.

The new people to town haven’t been paying for as long as some of us that have lived here all our lives. Just since I bought my house, look at the money I have paid and used the service maybe three times. I was billed in the amount for just the gas to go to Turlock $1,928.00, plus extras. When you’re on a fixed income, they don’t give you any extras for unforeseen occurrences. You make do.

It's groceries, heating, garbage, water, schools, etc. Everything is going up but where do seniors that haven’t had children in school for years (or grands or even great-grands) get a break? We have done our part, but we are still paying. All of us seniors are trying to keep a roof over our heads for what short time we have left. Seems like they don’t consider us.

Mary Vaz Moore

Westside resident