SAN ANTONIO — The City of San Antonio is considering upping the price of ambulance rides by hundreds of dollars.
There hasn’t been an increase in this medical cost since 2019, but one City Council member is speaking out against the proposal. In a Thursday meeting, City Manager Erik Walsh recommended raising the current EMS transport fee from $1,000 to $1,500 in the next two years, as part of a budget proposal presentation.
Walsh said their plan is to raise the cost by $250 in Fiscal Year 2025 and another $250 the year after. The expectation is to generate $2.6 million in FY 2025, which begins Oct. 1 and runs through Sept. 30 of next year.
They expect 69% of the costs to be covered by insurance and 25% by Medicaid. But not everyone thinks this is a good way to bring in revenue for the city.
"We need to keep it at a thousand dollars… we call it a charity fund, but it really is an equity fund," District 3 Councilwoman Phyllis Viagran said.
Uninsured residents have the chance to waive their bill through a charity fund created by council members three years ago, but Viagran wants to do more.
She said the constituents in her district are already running low on hospital beds.
"So if there are no more beds… they’re transferred a second time.”
That can be costly. And if the cost of transport goes up, Viagran said, that just adds to the burden.
The Center for Health Equity in South Texas will try to advance community members' health and create better outcomes.
“That’s why I'm supportive of the center of health equity taking a look at that [rate increase]."
Viagran said she is hopeful to look at different ways to find the $2.6 million.