An ambulance crew in Topeka, Kansas recently responded to a call for a critically ill patient. Once there, the crew was shocked to see the guy weighed more than 1,000 pounds. The stretcher wasn't sturdy enough and the man couldn't fit inside the vehicle. So, they did the only thing they could. They fork lifted the man and his bed onto a flatbed truck and hauled him to the hospital.
Though this is an extreme example, 1/3 of the people in this country are obese and 10% are morbidly obese(100+lbs. overweight). Ambulance companies say it costs 2 1/2 times more to transport people who are 350+ lbs. and they say it's time those patients start paying more. Ambulance rates for obese patients have gone up in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. Look for more states to follow.
No comments:
Post a Comment