LETTERS: HEALTH COVERAGE SETS CHARGE LIMIT FOR AMBULANCE

To the editor:

Regarding the Dec. 21 Health section article concerning ambulance service:

When Cape County Private Ambulance Service and the Cape Girardeau Fire Department responded to my residence after a 911 call, I was impressed with the rapid response time. Patient assessment and the resulting transport to Southeast Missouri Hospital were uneventful. I am thankful and appreciative of the care provided.

Having retired from military service, my dependents and I are eligible for medical coverage under Civilian Health and Medical Program Uniformed Service, a program that provides payment in accordance with guidelines set forth in the federal Medicare program.

I felt I was overcharged by CCPA and notified them, but CCPA is apparently unaware it must abide by federal regulations whether it is a participating provider or not. I have questioned the Cape Girardeau County Commission regarding the contract it has with CCPA. The commission has yet to answer. I also contacted the appropriate federal office for this situation.

By direction from the assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, Palmetto Government Benefits Administrators has informed CCPA that, as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act of 1993, Public Law 102-396, Section 9011, Congress has limited the amount a nonparticipating provider may charge a CHAMPUS beneficiary to 115 percent of the allowable amount, the same as Medicare.

All contracts and agreements the county commission enters into should provide for concurrence with all local, state and federal laws. In this particular case, the ambulance service should have been required to be a participating provider.

ROBERT D. MARTIN

Cape Girardeau