[HiTech RedNeck]

Count on Democrats to give us regulations that achieve the opposite of their stated goal.

[smokingfrog]

The move to tie Medicare reimbursements to safety standards is a new approach by the NTSB. Oh what a tangled web we weave. The idea of having an autopilot on a medivac chopper doesn't make much sense to me, but some of the other stuff does. That being said, it probably won't make much difference safety-wise. The better equipped they are, the more chances they will take going out to rescue someone when they might not have done so other wise. Bottom line - you make things more expensive.

[KarlInOhio]

Some more people will live because of fewer crashes. Some more people will die because of hospitals no longer affording helocopters and shorter flight range and slower speed because of the weight of the new equipment. I have no idea which will happen more, but I'd be willing to bet on the second.

How many medical helocopters crash now and what are the causes for the crashes? Will the new rules actually stop any crashes, or will the new black boxes just make post crash investigations easier?

[squidly]

There are two kinds of helicopter pilots: Those that have crashed, and those that will crash.

[montag813]

Natasha Richardson died because the Quebec government is too cheap to provide anyone, even the rich and famous, with a medical helicopter ride from a remote ski resort. She rode for 3.5 hours in the ambulance—a death sentence. Gotta love that socialized medicine!

[sten]

Typical... A record number of fatalities... What was the number that requires all the over reach? My guess would be less then 200 accidents nationwide. (complete guess)

[papasmurf]

“I’m all for heroes—for the firefighters who climbed up the stairs while the World Trade Center was falling down or anyone else who risks their life to help people,” Salomone said. “But it’s a real tragedy to think someone could die trying to help a patient who didn’t have a life-threatening injury to begin with.”

Sums it up nicely. I'm surprised that LifeFlights aren't dispatched to haul cats out of trees.