“Well you can’t drive them there yourself once they are in the hospital. The paramedics have to take them from place-to-place. And for going 55 miles, we got charged $2,200,” Chepin said.
So is it against the law to hire your own transportation or for that matter drive yourself?
You could sign your kid out AMA (against medical advice) and drive her, if they didn’t call Child Protective Services. You could certainly sign yourself out, no question. But considering that the severe allergic reaction could start up again - that’s why the child was being transferred to a specialty hospital - you want a paramedic and a nurse and a mobile ICU for the trip.
So the question is the cost: 2K is certainly in line with tying up an expensive room (like an OR) for two or three hours. The insurance company pays a discounted rate; the individual with no coverage gets hosed.
When my son was transferred in the specialty pediatric ambulance that cost as much as a house - he was apparently its first patient - the insurance company covered it.
OTOH our local rehab facility sends out patients who show up intoxicated in an ambulance, to go to the hospital for medical clearance, even though a perfectly competent family member drove them across state in said intoxicated condition, and is perfectly competent to drive them half an hour to the hospital for labs and back. Maybe the ambulance is a guarantee they won’t imbibe/ingest from a hidden stash en route.