Paramedics told her it was a free ride, but a $1100 bill arrived

Amanda Greaves says she was told her emergency ambulance ride would be free because of industrial action. Now she wants the government to pay. 

Amanda Greaves was hit with $1100 bill for ambulance transport after being told she would not be billed due to industrial action, and wants government to waive the bill. Picture: Roy VanDerVegtt

A woman who was told by two paramedics her ambulance ride would be free due to industrial action wants the state government to waive the $1100 bill she later received.

Amanda Greaves, 54, is one of thousands of people the SA Ambulance Service (SAAS) is now invoicing for transport between February 4 and March 3 last year when paramedics refused to take billing details.

Ms Greaves is in financial hardship and is on a $20 per fortnightly payment plan meaning it will take more than two years to clear the debt.

SA Ambulance Service Ambulance Account Tax Invoice.

Patients such as Ms Greaves were under the impression they would not receive a bill but SAAS has used other data matching sources to identify patients and has sent more than $2m in invoices of the $4m was which not billed during the dispute — and under SA law it has up to six years to track and bill the remaining patients. So far $1.3m has been recouped.

“I was told by both the ambulance driver and the paramedic treating me in the back I would not receive a bill due to their industrial action,” Ms Greaves said.

“I have since received an invoice for almost $1100. I disputed it but was told I would just have to pay it. I’ve got a limited income so am on a payment plan.”

Ms Greaves was working at the Repat when she suffered a medical episode in early March last year and was checked by clinicians who decided she needed an emergency ambulance transport to Flinders Medical Centre.

“The government should waive this bill for all people like me who were told they would not receive a bill,” Ms Greaves said.

“After the hospital episode I broke my leg and was off work for 15 weeks so am struggling financially. This is just wrong to hit people like me with unexpected bills.”

People who have not paid while trying to work out if they are liable are being sent “final notice” invoices with the warning “failure to pay may necessitate further action.”

Deputy opposition leader John Gardner. Picture: Matt Loxton

Health Minister Chris Picton. Picture: Tom Huntley

Opposition deputy leader John Gardner called on Premier Peter Malinauskas to “pull rank and make the ambulance union pay for this ridiculous mess.”

“Peter Malinauskas must immediately rectify the situation and force the ambulance union to cover the cost of its shonky and faux ‘free ride’ offer,” he said.

“Now, more than 3500 unassuming patients are being whacked with huge bills worth more than $1000 and Peter Malinauskas is refusing to the wipe the fees.

“It is outrageous that sick South Australians were lied to and now must pay for cost of the ambulance union’s so-called mistake.”

Health Minister Chris Picton said it was disgraceful the Opposition is “calling for frontline ambos to pay out of their own pockets for a dispute the Liberals caused.”

“Under its long-standing policy to operate a partial user-pay service, SAAS was always going to attempt to bill patients transported during the Liberals’ war with ambos,” he said.

“The then-Government should have made this clear to the public at the time. I feel for people caught up in this mess created by the Liberal Party.”