Escambia County commissioners voted to send $17,968,811.56 in unpaid EMS bills to collections. The unpaid debt, which accumulated over several years, represents charges for ambulance transports provided by Escambia County Emergency Medical Services.
Roughly 71 percent of the total amount—about $12.75 million—is classified as “self-pay” debt, meaning it involves patients without insurance coverage. The remaining balance comes from partially paid or uncollectible accounts. Officials said the outstanding debts vary significantly in size. One patient owes more than $40,000, while three others together owe nearly $13,000. Another nine patients owe a combined $218,000, and 39 more owe more than $509,000. The county estimates the average cost of each ambulance transport to be around $1,000.
Escambia County EMS officials noted that a significant portion of the debt comes from frequent 911 users, often referred to as “frequent flyers.” One individual reportedly called 911 a total of 122 times in a single month…