DURHAM — Town emergency service rates will soon double, selectmen decided Tuesday evening.

The current reimbursement rates are a fraction of what it costs for services, said Fire and Rescue Chief Robert Tripp. There are a variety of factors making it difficult to justify the town’s rates which are far below average for local emergency services in Maine, he said.

“New York FDNY is proposing to raise the cost of an ambulance ride by over 50%. Other communities are raising their prices,” said Tripp. “We have not raised our rates in years.”

By doubling all rates, Tripp said, the cost of services will be comparable to other towns and full amount reimbursements from insurance companies will better offset what doesn’t get paid. All revenue goes back to the general fund and not back to a line item the fire department can spend, he added.

Tripp said the big costs are charges from departments covering the Durham area and public insurance programs that negotiate and set their own rates. If Durham charges $1,000 for emergency services and MaineCare, Medicare or Medicaid only covers $350, the department will bill the patient for the remainder, though the patient is not obligated to pay.

“If they don’t pay, it doesn’t go to collections; it doesn’t come out of pocket. … But that’s knowing your insurance,” Tripp said.

Selectmen also authorized Town Manager Jerry Douglass to hire Maine certified public accountant firm Berry Talbot Royer to handle town finances. The firm’s services will cost $70,000 which, compared to the proposed in-house position for $74,500, is a bargain for the town, said Douglass.

Douglass said the cost of bringing someone with finance experience into the town office full time would be $50,000 plus potential family insurance benefits costing $24,500. After much turnover in the town office over the past couple years and, by consequence, seeing town finances suffer, hiring out to a firm for guaranteed services at around the same cost is going to better suit the town, Douglass said.

“Things just haven’t been kept up real well, and I think this is a good time to get some professional CPAs on board,” said Douglass, “just to kind of get things back to the baseline and start from there.”

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