In Fresno, two homeless men got 1,363 free ambulance rides in 2011 [View all]

[Newsjock]

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/11/2719079/ambulance-is-pricey-taxi-service.html

Two homeless men in Fresno have called for an ambulance an average of nearly twice a day for more than a year, racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in costs and even more when they get to a hospital.

They are Fresno County's highest-volume ambulance users -- "frequent fliers" as they are called in the business -- and their 1,363 combined trips made up 1.34% of all American Ambulance calls in the county last year.

... Because the men don't pay for the rides, the bulk of the costs is passed on to others in the form of higher insurance rates. Taxpayers pick up part of the tab through Medi-Cal and other government programs.

Some in the industry say the two are abusing the system, using it as a free taxi service. But the men, who are friends, say they're just trying to get to a hospital for treatment of their chronic illnesses.

Read more: http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/02/11/2719079/ambulance-is-pricey-taxi-service.html

Newsjock comment: Many of the reader comments at the link point out that this is a symptom of the broken safety net, despite what I see as an attempt by The Bee to further demonize the homeless. No matter what the cause -- broken insurance, broken mental care, whatever -- it certainly shows how broken things are.