During times of a recession, it’s a wonder how any ambulance service can survive. With more and more people becoming unemployed, reimbursement for emergency services is at an all time low. This also means that less people are paying taxes to provide services like fire, police and EMS. Medicaid and Medicare programs have always had a history of cutting reimbursement during tough times. It’s now to the point where ambulance providers are only getting pennies on the dollar for what they bill.

All over the country, private ambulance services are going out of business or selling to larger providers. EMS jobs are not as abundant as they used to be. I happen to be fortunate as I work for a private ambulance service that remains financially stable right now. This of course has given me an opportunity to see what some people are willing to do get a job. We have paramedics not only moving from out of town, but out of state to work for us. It is unlike anything we have ever seen.

Now you would think that people working a secure EMS job would appreciate it, being that they can see whats going on around them. That isn’t exactly the case with everyone. I still hear attitude with crews when they are dispatched on a call for a skilled nursing facility or an inter-facility transfer. Sure, nobody enjoys those calls, but they are keeping services like us alive. While the 911 call for a stabbing is certainly exciting, it doesn’t pay the bills. As a matter of fact, 911 calls for the most part are a money loser.

If you are fortunate enough to be employed right now, remember that the calls you are running is the very thing keeping you in a job. When your employer cuts overtime, remember that it’s better than getting laid off. It’s far better to take a small hit now to ensure that you still have job in a year.

For those who are interested, I have another article I wrote a little while back about how a recession affects EMS.