Lack of EMS Personnel at the Tipping Point

I'm shocked that a high-stress, low-pay job is having trouble attracting people. Hearing examines EMS crisis in region

Okay, I'm not shocked. And this isn't a new problem.

“We are seeing emergency ambulance organizations close their doors because they can no longer afford the cost to provide emergency 911 ambulance service,” said Don Lynch, chief director of operations at Harleysville Area EMS. “One of the reasons for this is the low and fixed reimbursement models for services from insurance companies and Medicare and Medicaid.”

Government and insurance, whose rates set by the government, dictate what they will pay for ambulance service. There is a problem with that thinking. They aren't paying EMS personnel enough. Couple that with high stress, and you have a problem.

There is more, about hospital closures that doubled the time people spend in an ambulance, and the time that ambulance is not available, AND the worker shortage, and... Click thru.

Calling 911 is a fine thing to do, but given all the government's control of that system, it seems to be breaking down. (Like everything else is breaking down.) You might want to consider a plan B.