So, if I can ask for clarification, you're saying that you feel it's appropriate to bilk senior citizens for money owed to the for-profit ambulance provider for EMS service? What about the uninsured? They get to pay the whole balance themselves or get taken to collections or small claims if they cannot afford to pay? With such a dense population of senior citizens - who are largely more involved in the political process than younger people - I'm surprised that this is even being considered. Again, money and profiteering being the root of the evil here - right alongside the political process. This is a public safety issue, period.
So, if I can ask for clarification, you're saying that the taxpayers should pay for people's co-pays? You are clearly a bleeding heart liberal with that statement. Clearly not of a conservative ideology you stated in an earlier post! I find it humorous that there is this political ploy and posturing by victimizing the seniors. The same group of people that will probably not be able to vote on this taxing district because the brilliance from the town board will not allow absentee ballots.
We, the taxpayers, already pay for the gazillion people who line up at the dss building every day. We, the taxpayers, already paid out TRILLIONS on obama's bailout!!! We, the taxpayers, are already paying for extensions for the unemployed. And now you actually support a bail out for REMS??? When and where will it all end??? PRIVATIZE!!!
Unlike your assumption.....these seniors will survive! You should be ashamed of yourself for victimizing the seniors! The seniors of today are smarter and more informed. They are not the helpless victims you try to make them believe they are!! This is just sooooo rotterdam! IMO
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
So, if I can ask for clarification, you're saying that you feel it's appropriate to bilk senior citizens for money owed to the for-profit ambulance provider for EMS service? What about the uninsured? They get to pay the whole balance themselves or get taken to collections or small claims if they cannot afford to pay? With such a dense population of senior citizens - who are largely more involved in the political process than younger people - I'm surprised that this is even being considered. Again, money and profiteering being the root of the evil here - right alongside the political process. This is a public safety issue, period.
Bilk senior citizens? If they're using a service - how is that "bilking" or unfairly charging? Additonally, Seniors have Medicare, which covers ambulance services (IF it's actually billed for)
The point is, REMS admittedly has a VERY poor billing system - that's why they're in the position they're in now. There's no evidence that it's gotten any better.
So, if I can ask for clarification, you're saying that you feel it's appropriate to bilk senior citizens for money owed to the for-profit ambulance provider for EMS service? What about the uninsured? They get to pay the whole balance themselves or get taken to collections or small claims if they cannot afford to pay? With such a dense population of senior citizens - who are largely more involved in the political process than younger people - I'm surprised that this is even being considered. Again, money and profiteering being the root of the evil here - right alongside the political process. This is a public safety issue, period.
Concerning a public safety issue, we are not proposing NO ambulance service, there definitely will be a provider. Not sure where you're going with the public safety issue when ther will be a provider. We do not take a 46 year business history with a current A+ BBB rating compared to an unsolvent provider to the tune of 100's of thousands of dollars, with old equipment, that hadn't a good history of responses, as a good comparison. Medical transport is a medical service. If someone cannot pay, I don't feel I have any more responsibility to cover that than I would there dental, eye care, or drug prescriptions. Ability to pay is between the provider and the recipient, not the municipality and its residents. We are already paying for our great paramedics who are ALS certified and are trained to stabilize patients. Using this analogy that medical transport is just a specialized medical service, Why would the town establish a tax district for residents to pay for a service that has been offered with no need for a tax district?
MT...I just posted the very first article I read when I googled BBB and some other keywords.
I didn't write anything else, other than a link...just providing information that is available on the internet. I didn't even read it. Sorry if I struck a nerve...do you host their website too?
Rural/Metro currently provides private fire protection services to more than 25 communities, primarily in unincorporated communities in Arizona and Tennessee, and responds to more than 60,000 calls annually. Studies have shown that Rural/Metro's fire protection provides residents with a high degree of safety, while featuring comparatively lower costs. Rural/Metro's emphasis on fire prevention has resulted in an incidence of structure fires that is lower than the national average.
How about we privatize right across the board? The above is taken from http://www.ruralmetro.com/products_fireservices.asp who provides private sector firefighting operations. I'll be willing to bet there are other options for the privatization of fire departments as well. I'll bet that will really save us money. Rural/Metro also is also one of the largest ambulance services in the country, and not to mention a publicly traded company (RURL). They operate in New York State, but nowhere near the Albany area. They certainly do not have health department approval to operate in Schenectady County. This is the kind of competition that I refer to in avoiding the inherent monoply.
You paint me as a liberal, but all I ask for is answers to some simple questions. Here's one more: Why not disband all the fire departments in town, disband EMS, and bid the whole thing out to a company like this. All we would then be left with is law enforcement, which you cannot privatize.
MT...I just posted the very first article I read when I googled BBB and some other keywords.
I didn't write anything else, other than a link...just providing information that is available on the internet. I didn't even read it. Sorry if I struck a nerve...do you host their website too?
Boy, I thought I knew you better, guess I was wrong. Do you always take what's written on the internet as gospel or fact?
host their website? huh? I've been to it once or twice, that's about it.
How about we privatize right across the board? The above is taken from http://www.ruralmetro.com/products_fireservices.asp who provides private sector firefighting operations. I'll be willing to bet there are other options for the privatization of fire departments as well. I'll bet that will really save us money. Rural/Metro also is also one of the largest ambulance services in the country, and not to mention a publicly traded company (RURL). They operate in New York State, but nowhere near the Albany area. They certainly do not have health department approval to operate in Schenectady County. This is the kind of competition that I refer to in avoiding the inherent monoply.
You paint me as a liberal, but all I ask for is answers to some simple questions. Here's one more: Why not disband all the fire departments in town, disband EMS, and bid the whole thing out to a company like this. All we would then be left with is law enforcement, which you cannot privatize.
This thread is about "Rotterdam Ambulance vs. Mohawk Ambulance". You are going off on a tangent. Again, we are comparing a dedicated, but unfortunately, dysfunctional service with another service that on paper is far superior. Because we have the Mohawk option with no tax district, that is more appealing than REMS. The public is not happy about the Town's bailout, and a tax district cements this dysfunctionality. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on this issue, and I am sure you can understand the lack of support REMS may have due to their history. It is questionable how well they are currently doing, and what kind of position they might find themselves in if they do not receive their grant. Thanks fo the back and forth, but you really haven't provided a plausible argument, merely strong personal opinion which doesn't resolve the issue.
MT, I don't always take what's written on the internet as gospel or fact. That includes your posts, or my own! As opposed to many people on here, I don't think I'm nearly as important as some.
Again...I posted a link, offered no personal support, no "GOTCHA!" remark, etc. Just provided another point of view, from a guy in Florida as you pointed out. Are you that scared of more information? I don't quite understand what your beef is.
And the web design comment was a joke...because you seem pretty knowledge about the subject. Lighten up!
I agree with you, and I apologize for the tangent. However, I was trying to make a point. I suppose you're right, and I do have an opinion on the issue that is not easily swayed. But, I disagree with the notion that I havn't provided a plausible argument. I brought up the following:
1. Mohawk services Glenville and a portion of Niskayuna without a base of operations there. I do not believe that it is economically feasible that they will establish a base of operations here to service solely the emergency needs of this community. 2. Two local commuities that were long serviced by Mohawk and another private ambulance provider recently opting out of that service in favor one run by their own fire services 3. The fact that the ambulance service competition in the free market economy is limited by a regulatory agency, and the elimination of the only other permitted serivce promotes a monopoly. 4. The fact that several administrations have struggled with this political hot potato and not come up with a solution. There was even a consultant's study performed on the topic several years ago, to no avail. 5. The fact that there are no other suburban communities in the capital region of similar size and composition (with the exception of Niskayuna and Glenville) that utilize a for-profit ambulance service as their sole ambulance provider.
I want to know that my elected leaders are taking this issue seriously, and doing their diligent best to research what is best for our community. Why not ask Guilderland, Colonie, Bethlehem, East/North Greenbush - all who have local not-for-profit EMS ambulance services or govenment run agencies - why they prefer the models they have? Why not seek a proposal from another for-profit ambulance service provider what it would take to get them to utilize their resources and obtain the regulatory permissions to operate here? If Rural/Metro and American Medical Response - the two largest ambulance service providers in the nation - were offered an opportunity to bid, and returned a similar proposal, I would be far more comfortable with the "free lunch" provisions in the Mohawk Ambulance proposal.
I never said that I supported a tax district. I said that I supported a tax district if that was what the Town chose to put forth. I do say, and will continue to say, that I support the funding of a set level of dedicated ambulance service solely for the needs of EMS response. We support other areas of public safety in the same manner. That is my opinion, and one in which I'm entitled.
So, those are my questions, driven by the points/facts I outlined above. All heart/gut wrenching commentary excluded.
5. The fact that there are no other suburban communities in the capital region of similar size and composition (with the exception of Niskayuna and Glenville) that utilize a for-profit ambulance service as their sole ambulance provider.
Other suburban municipalities, Delmar for example, utilize volunteer only services, supplemented when necessary by Mohawk. Rotterdam has been unable to reliably recruit sufficient numbers of volunteers for BLS service for quite some time, even before White Eagle.
Other suburban municipalities, Delmar for example, utilize volunteer only services, supplemented when necessary by Mohawk. Rotterdam has been unable to reliably recruit sufficient numbers of volunteers for BLS service for quite some time, even before White Eagle.
That is incorrect. Delmar utilizes paid staff to man two ambulances most days, and supplements the volunteer staffing in the night time hours with paid staff as needed. In fact, volunteerism has declined in such a manner that there are very few ambulance agencies that utilize a primarily volunteer component any longer, and that is unfortunate. Mohawk does not provide service to the suburban Albany County communities with any regularity.
I agree that volunteerism is one of the best ways to contain personnell costs, and that should be an option worth exploring.
That is incorrect. Delmar utilizes paid staff to man two ambulances most days, and supplements the volunteer staffing in the night time hours with paid staff as needed. In fact, volunteerism has declined in such a manner that there are very few ambulance agencies that utilize a primarily volunteer component any longer, and that is unfortunate. Mohawk does not provide service to the suburban Albany County communities with any regularity.
I agree that volunteerism is one of the best ways to contain personnell costs, and that should be an option worth exploring.
Hook line and sinker John. I laid the bait, you graciously walked right into it.
Quoted Text
Hello, and let me introduce myself to the group, as this is my first post. I'm essentially nobody. I'm not involved in politics, I'm not part of anyone's agenda, and I have no love for this particular town administration, nor its predecessors. I personally think politicians are filthy, self-serving leeches, and I essentially loathe the process. However, I'm a fairly intelligent person, I own a home in Rotterdam, provide well for my family, and have a keen interest in keeping this town the best place possible for raising my family.
With that having been said, one of the things I am most interested in is public safety, and I have looked into this whole REMS/Mohawk debacle with some interest. I wish to point out some observations, based upon some information I obtained, some research I performed, and piecing together some of the more valid points made in this forum.
You've just proven yourself as someone who has an intimate knowledge of EMS/Ambulance services. Delmar, a town I didn't just pick out of the hat, has a website (http://www.delmarfire.com/ems.html) that ONLY mentions volunteers, it says nothing about paid staff running their ambulances. No one without an intimate interest in EMS/Ambulance service would know or presume that given public information gleaned from their website (probably the only public information late on a Sunday night). You ARE correct however, they do provide paid staff, when available, during the day - but nobody (or very few others) else would know that. You did miss on the "two ambulance" quote - they actually have three.
Don't worry - I believe in catch and release John ...
Logged
