this post was submitted on 15 Mar 2026
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EMS can not force you to go to the hospital anywhere in the USA unless you've been arrested, are experiencing a mental health crisis where you're an imminent danger to yourself/others, or aren't oriented to "person, place, time, and event". There might be a few other situation (e.g. DUI investigation) I missed but they're very narrow and specific.
If you're none of the above you can tell whoever is saying "you have to go" to fuck off.
My wife has epilepsy. She has a medical alert bracelet for it. If she has a seizure in public, she doesn’t need an ambulance ride unless she hurts herself or is actively seizing for more than 5 minutes. But that won’t stop some well-intentioned bystander from saddling her with a $5000 ambulance bill while she’s unconscious. Because a seizure leaves you confused and disoriented for ~45-60 minutes afterwards.
So even if her seizure only lasts 2-3 minutes, she’ll be out of it for a while afterwards. And EMTs can 100% use her disorientation to justify throwing her in the back of the truck, even though she doesn’t need it and the hospital won’t do anything for her. But that won’t stop them from billing for the ambulance ride anyways.
It's unfortunately legally required to transport someone that's not A&Ox4.
We hate it too when we know someone really doesn't need to go, but if we don't we're facing losing our job/license, a lawsuit, or even being criminally charged.
The system is fucked because it was made by rich sociopaths and blood sucking lawyers.
How is an ambulance ride $5k though? Do EMTs make like $2500 p/h?
Lmao, EMTs make like $20 an hour, it's straight fucked.
Hahahahahaha no.
There's greed (particularly with overpriced private ambulances) but ambulance are legitimately expensive to operate in the USA. And as fucked up as it is: a good part of the bill is subsidizing the people that can't or won't pay.
There are areas that will subsidize most (or even all) of the cost, making it cheap or free -- we're one of them. But that money comes from taxes and in large parts in this country that's a four letter word.
We used to have that in Britain. It was called a pressgang and you’d wake up in the Royal Navy.
And there was a war about it, Americans never change
Oh, was that the one where we burned down the White House? It’s ok now though, right?