With the announcement that Hunt Regional Healthcare will close its freestanding emergency departments in Commerce and Quinlan on September 30, attention is turning to what happens when residents in those towns need urgent care.
Without a local ER, Hunt County EMS will continue to transport trauma patients to Greenville or to other hospitals depending on severity. For residents in Quinlan, that means a roughly 12-mile ride to Greenville. But those ambulance trips aren’t free, and the bills can be steep.
National data show that basic life support ambulance transports can run from around $900 to more than $1,500 before insurance, while advanced life support trips — requiring more interventions — can easily top $2,000. Local fee schedules often include a base rate plus mileage charges, along with additional fees for supplies or oxygen. For an uninsured patient, even a short trip from Quinlan to Greenville could produce a bill approaching or exceeding four figures…