ESCONDIDO — For the first time in nearly a decade, Escondido is raising its ambulance fees, following the example of nearby cities that have recently implemented similar increases.
Earlier this year, the City Council directed staff to review the city’s fee structure for various services, including emergency medical transportation.
To assist in this review, the Escondido Fire Department hired consulting firm AP Triton to study how much revenue the city was missing out on under its current fee structure and to compare Escondido’s ambulance fees with those of neighboring cities.
Escondido’s current ambulance fee base rate, set by the City Council in 2016, stands at $1,668, allowing the city to recover only 77% of its costs in providing ambulance services. AP Triton recommended a fee increase to $4,267 to achieve full cost recovery, a suggestion that City Council approved by a 4-1 vote on Oct. 23.
The council considered three options for raising the ambulance fee: one to achieve full cost recovery, which was ultimately approved; a second option to raise the fee to $3,200, covering 91% of costs; and a hybrid option, which would have incrementally raised the fee to full cost recovery by 2026.
“We’ve created a situation where we are continuously in the red because of our reduced charges,” Councilmember Mike Morasco said, stressing the city’s structural deficit. “We have to pull off the Band-Aid – just get this taken care of and get it rectified.”
Councilmember Consuelo Martinez cast the sole vote against the increase, expressing support for the hybrid option to give residents more time to adjust.
Currently, patients pay an average of $752 per transport; under the new fee, effective in January, the average will rise to $977 per transport.
Several other cities, including Oceanside, Carlsbad, San Marcos, Poway, and San Diego, have also raised ambulance fees this year. Vista is set to decide on a fee increase in December.