SURVIVAL OF KEN TENN AMBULANCE SERVICE DEPENDENT ON PARTICIPATION, RATE INCREASE

During this evening's regular session of the Fulton City Commission, City Manager Mike Gunn, who serves on the Ken-Tenn EMS board, presented Mayor David Prater, Commissioners Elaine Forrester, Martha Vowell, Jeff Vaughn and Darcy Linn with a memorandum outlining proposed rate increases for the ambulance service, to take effect July 1. Those increases were ultimately approved by the Fulton officials, to be added to the city's water customers' bill.

"Without these increased subsidies, the Ambulance Service will not make it through the end of this calendar year," Gunn's memo said.

According to Gunn, representation from the Ken-Tenn EMS board has made plans to address the Hickman City Commission and South Fulton City Commission in regard to the proposed increases, as well as structured fees for commercial establishments, industrial establishments, schools, churches and the county jail.

For households, the monthly fee, attached to water customers' bills, will go from $10 per month to $17 a month.

Regarding commercial establishments with less than 50 workers, the fee will be $25 per month, and more than 50 workers, $50 per month.

For industrial establishments, the monthly fees will be $60 for less than 50 workers and $120 for more than 50 workers.

Regarding schools, the monthly fee, separate for elementary and high school, will be $100 per month.

Churches with fewer than 50 members will pay $25 monthly and with more than 50 members, $50 per month.

The Fulton County Jail will pay $1,000 per month.

Gunn told the officials if monthly "membership" fees are paid by all parties, the Ken-Tenn EMS will not charge users of the service above what the user's insurance company plan pays. Should users of the service choose to not pay the monthly fee, users will be responsible for any amount over what an insurance company pays, as well as be subject to collection actions pursued to the full extent by the Ken Tenn EMS.

"It really comes down to poor insurance reimbursement and the cost of running an ambulance service for approximately 12,000 people over a large rural area, which has been proven to be difficult. These factors have made it impossible for the ambulance service to continue operations without a larger subsidy or a reduction in service. The rates have been $10 per month across the board for approximately 11 years. We also have a large part of our population choosing not to pay the subsidy," Gunn said.

The cities of Fulton, South Fulton and Hickman, as well as Fulton County all contribute subsidies for the EMS service operations.

Gunn said Fulton County Judge Executive Jim Martin is in the process of developing a data base to be able to bill those not on the water systems within the two cities.

In August of 2017 the city of Fulton, city of South Fulton, City of Hickman and Fulton County Fiscal Court teamed together to restart the ambulance service under local management beginning in December, 2017. That action followed CHS opting out of operating the ambulance service locally. However, 16 months later, the service appears to be as much at a crucial point as it has been several times before, Gunn said.