Affordable emergency: Plan offers cheaper ambulance rides for Wareham residents

Ambulance rides generally cost thousands of dollars with insurance companies typically covering only part of the expense, according to Mass.gov. For Wareham residents, there's an affordable solution.

For nearly 40 years, Wareham residents have had the option to subscribe to the Burgess Plan, which will cover all out-of-pocket ambulance ride expenses for a $50 annual fee.

Wareham EMS Director Brad Allen said that a ride to Tobey Hospital typically costs between $1,500 and $3,000, with insurance often covering only part of the expense. As a result, insured individuals may still face out-of-pocket costs totaling hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Subscribers to the Burgess Plan pay zero out-of-pocket costs and will not receive a bill for riding in an ambulance.

While the program can make medical emergencies more affordable for everyone, Allen particularly recommends that older adults and individuals with extensive medical histories subscribe to the plan.

“Nobody truly anticipates using the ambulance, but anybody who has concerns with their health and may need to use [an ambulance] several times in a year, it's good for them,” Allen said.

Allen said there are currently a little more than 100 active subscriptions to the plan.

The plan does not cover non-emergency services and subscriptions are by individual not by household. This means a four person family would need four subscriptions for the entire family to be covered.

Irene Burgess, the name sake of the plan, proposed it as a solution to rising medical costs for seniors in the late 1980s. The cost of the plan has not changed since its inception.

Those interested in subscribing can find the plan on the Town of Wareham website: https://www.wareham.ma.us/, or linked to this article.