Re:What I learned from reading a thousand emergency room bills
by dleslie on Thursday December 20, 2018 @12:25AM
(#18722706)
British Columbia, Canada, does this as well. Ambulatory services are provided by contractors. So are most paramedical services.
Re:What I learned from reading a thousand emergency room bills
by ptaipale on Thursday December 20, 2018 @08:31AM
(#18724703)
And public contract it is in many other places, like where I live (Finland). Local government pays ambulances, I pay a sum to the local government out of my pocket after I have used ambulance.
Essentially, the state (or region) contracts a company to deliver ambulance services. The contracts usually last a few years and are limited to a region.
Furthermore, the company that wins the contract (usually lowest bidder) is held accountable is too many responses are too slow, etc.. usually with hefty fines.
I guess you can call it privatization, but it's more of a regulated monopoly. Ultimately, these things outsources uncertainty from the state to the private sector. I'm not convinced it's always a good idea, since companies can just factor the cost of fines into the contract... Granted if there is competition, it can drive the prices down a LOT.