(a) Insurance information shall be provided to EMS personnel at the time of service.
(b) The Director of Finance shall be responsible for collection and billing procedures.
(1) The City shall waive all co-payments and/or deductibles otherwise owed by residents, City employees or income tax payers employed within the City who have medical insurance, Medicare or Medicare HMO coverage as a source of health insurance. The Director of Finance may waive the fee or any part thereof for residents who are otherwise unable to pay and have no other source for the payment thereof. In these cases, the taxes paid to the City in the form of income tax/real property tax will be considered as full payment of the co-pay, deductible or non-insured transport.
(2) The Director of Finance may waive the fee or any part thereof if it is determined the non-resident person receiving the emergency medical service is indigent. Persons seeking a waiver based on indigency shall have the responsibility to show proof of income. Indigent persons being billed shall have a household income below the poverty level as defined by the U.S. Department of Labor. Household income as used herein means all income received by all persons in his/her household for the past twelve months. Income shall include but not be limited to: all wages, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits, interest, State unemployment benefits, alimony, Workers’ Compensation benefits, strike benefits, public assistance benefits and relief payments.
(c) The City may engage private contractors to collect all EMS fees on behalf of the Director of Finance.
(d) The fees herein shall be in addition to any other charges payable for such service, including but not limited to, any tax levied, all or part of which pays any portion of the cost of EMS services, and/or any charges for services rendered by others.
(e) When Emergency Medical Services are provided by the City of Westlake personnel to persons outside the City limits pursuant to a mutual aid agreement or understanding with another municipality, the City shall bill such person in accordance with the practices of the requesting municipality. When Emergency Medical Services are provided within the City of Westlake by personnel of another municipality pursuant to a mutual aid understanding or agreement, such person shall be billed in accordance with this section.
(Ord. 2006-177. Passed 5-3-07.)