Ambulance rides in Clackamas County are about to double

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — After months of negotiations, the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners voted to approve this new contract with AMR late last month.

The new agreement jumps the base prices for an ambulance ride from $1,676 to $2,245, and that cost will rise again in November to $3,480. The AMR contract also changes the cost per mile the ambulance takes from $35.10 to $72.90 in November, according to the contract. 

“While it does appear to feel like sticker shock, I think that in our negotiations and really some transparent conversations, our rate has not kept up with costs. And in fact, our rate is significantly lower than other county rates,” said Mary Rumb with the health, housing and human services department in Clackamas County.

KOIN 6 reached out to Washington and Multnomah counties. AMR rides in their areas are hundreds of dollars cheaper. The AMR contract with Multnomah County has the pickup cost at $1,744 and $35.91 per mile. In Washington County,  the contract has the pickup cost at $1,949 plus $31.18 per mile.

Clackamas County’s Housing and Human Services says insurance should cover much of that cost, though every plan is different, and that the uninsured will be the most impacted, but they have a plan to ease that burden.

“We’ve had a compassion care program in place at the county where we required AMR to set aside a few hundred annually so that folks who have a financial hardship in order to pay their ambulance bill,” said Philip Mason-Joyner, director of the public health division in Clackamas County.

AMR sent a statement saying in part, “Like hospitals and other healthcare providers, ambulance services are facing rising costs for skilled personnel, fuel, vehicles, and medical equipment.”

According to AMR, the Washington County contract is a five-year initial contract with a pair of three-year extension opportunities. The initial five-year expiration date is July 31, 2029, and Multnomah’s underlying contract with the county expires on July 31, 2028.