Not a free ambulance! CAAP can help you file a complaint

Nobody wants you to have to go by ambulance. And, contrary to popular belief, it’s not free. With a few exceptions.

In Quebec, ambulance transportation is not covered by the Régie de l’assurance maladie (RAMQ). So you can’t pay with your sun card.

As a result, you’re looking at a bill of at least $125, plus $1.75 for each kilometer the ambulance travels.

And if your spouse or a friend accompanies you, you’ll have to pay an additional $35 (unless this person is a medical attendant or social worker). There are no exceptions, even if you’re 65 or over.

Do you have to pay immediately?

Fortunately, no. Your local ambulance service will send you a bill later. You have up to 28 days to pay, from the date shown on the invoice. Late payments will incur interest charges.

You can normally pay by debit, electronic transfer, cheque, credit card or even cash, if you come to our head office (ask before you come).

Some exceptions

Some ambulances are free of charge in certain situations:

You are the victim of a road accident.
You have suffered a criminal act.
You’ve performed an act of good citizenship.
You travel between two care facilities.
You receive social assistance (under certain conditions).
You are a member of the Canadian Forces, an eligible veteran, a First Nations member living on a reserve, an inmate .
You are over 65 years of age and the doctor at your care center justifies that your medical condition requires emergency transportation, even if you are leaving from home.

Sometimes people receive a bill when they don’t have to pay. You can then contact the complaints commissioner of the care center where you were treated: he or she has 45 days to respond. Otherwise, you can contact the Québec Ombudsman (1-800-463-5070

– https://protecteurducitoyen.qc.ca/fr/porter-plainte/comment-porter-plainte). The organization confirms that it receives a number of complaints on this subject every year, although it cannot say how many.

Over 685,000 ambulances are transported every year in Quebec. A few years ago, the average bill in urban areas was between $140 and $200.

TIPS

Some individual or group medical insurance policies cover all or part of ambulance costs. Call your insurer or employer before paying the bill. Normally, you pay and your insurer reimburses you.
If you are a non-Quebec resident, the fee increases to $400.
You must pay for the ambulance even if someone else called 911.
When abroad or in another province, the cost of ambulance transportation is included in the basic coverage of travel insurance. Elsewhere in Canada, the SAAQ reimburses ambulance costs if you don’t have insurance.
To read: https://www.quebec.ca/sante/systeme-et-services-de-sante/soins-prehospitaliers-d-urgence/cout-du-transport-ambulancier/- https://www.urgences-sante.qc.ca/information-au-public/programmes-de-gratuite/-Table of liability for payment of ambulance transport: https://www.urgences-sante.qc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Tableau-de-resp-paiement-juin-2017.pdf.
For road accident victims: saaq.gouv.qc.ca/accident-route.