Hawthorne Considers Fees for Paramedics

In an effort to meet costs for a second paramedic unit amid budget shortfalls, the Hawthorne City Council is considering a plan to impose fees for all paramedic services.

The plan, which the council is expected to vote on in the next month, was proposed at this week’s council meeting by Roger L. Milstead, chief of fire services. The fees would raise $511,000, which would pay most of the costs of staffing and operating the present paramedic vehicle and a proposed second vehicle, Milstead said. Nine paramedics are needed to staff one vehicle around-the-clock.

Residential apartment inspections and false alarm fees are expected to raise $200,000, Milstead said. The cost to operate two fully staffed units would be about $771,000 annually.

Options Offered

The fee system would offer residents the option of subscribing to the ambulance service or paying by use.

Under the pay-for-use system, the fee for basic life support services, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation or the splinting of a broken leg, would be $75. Advanced life-support services, such as starting an intravenous line or defibrillation for a heart attack patient, would cost $175. The fee for transportation to a hospital would be $150.

Milstead said that under the voluntary subscription fee, residents would pay $35 a year for complete paramedic coverage. Another option would be for landlords with five units or more to pay $25 a year per unit to have free paramedic services provided for all tenants, he said.

In the South Bay, fire departments in El Segundo, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Los Angeles and Manhattan Beach charge only if they have to transport a person to a hospital. The Los Angeles County Fire Department does not charge paramedic or transportation fees.

Capt. Eugene McCarthy, a paramedic coordinator for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said various cities around Los Angeles--including, Monterey Park, Compton, Montebello and Pasadena--charge fees either for transport or for a paramedic call.

“Its not just here. It all around the country,” McCarthy said. “Everyone has to deal with a growing number of calls on the same budget.”

Milstead said several medical insurance companies would reimburse customers for the fees. Hawthorne would consider subsidizing fees charged to senior citizens who are on fixed incomes, Milstead said.

After studying other cities with similar programs, Milstead estimated that as many as 30% of those using paramedic services would not pay the fees. Milstead said the anticipated percentage of uncollected fees was taken into account and was a consideration in setting the rates.

Cut ‘Frivolous Calls’

During the meeting, Councilman David M. York said that imposing the fees “may be our way to curtail frivolous calls to the paramedics.”

Milstead agreed. “We’ve had calls that range from shampoo in the eyes to broken fingernails,” he said.

Interest in a second paramedic unit is spurred by an 18% increase in emergency calls over last year, Milstead said. “The need is there,” he said. “The paramedics have had to deal with a horrendous number of calls.”

City Manager R. Kenneth Jue said sales tax revenue has decreased in the past two years, and the budget has been affected by the taxing restrictions of Proposition 13.

Tom Quintana, the city’s public information officer, said although the city is not in debt, it needs to raise about $600,000 to meet the projected budget for the next fiscal year.

In the past two years, city officials have tried several alternatives to balance the budget.

In November, voters rejected a plan to increase property taxes to pay for the second paramedic unit. Three months later, in an effort to increase the city’s general fund, the council approved a plan to charge fees for fire prevention services provided by the Fire Department. But in March, the City Council rejected two measures proposing a hiring freeze in all city departments to reduce spending and help pay for the second paramedic unit.

Jue said plans to charge for paramedic services have been considered in the past but only recently have been studied seriously because of the growing need for a second paramedic unit.