Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook

Uproar After NC State Agent 'Fixes' Girl's Lunch Preschooler has to eat chicken nuggets instead of mom's meal »

Firefighters Play ER Docs to Uninsured

Medical calls have more than doubled since 1980

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Sep 4, 2009 9:32 AM CDT

(Newser) – Operating in a poor area where many lack health insurance, a DC firehouse battles far more than just flames: Some 80% of its calls are for medical emergencies. Because it is believed to respond fastest, Washington’s fire department zooms to almost all the city’s emergency calls alongside EMS, the New York Times reports. “Guys complain about all the medical calls, but to me it’s work,” says one firefighter.

He has a point: Improved fire safety halved fire calls between 1980 and 2008, meaning medical emergencies can play a role in keeping fire departments afloat. Firefighters’ medical calls increased 213% percent in the same time period, thanks to cities’ appreciation of their speedy responses. “It just seems like so many people use us as their primary care providers,” says another firefighter.

Washington firefighters battle a blaze at the Georgetown branch of the D.C. Public Library in Washington, April 30, 2007. (AP Photo/Stephen J Boitano)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Health Reform Insured 2.5M Young People

Coverage up among 19- to 25-year-olds, now eligible for parents' insurance

(NEWSER) - Roughly 2.5 million people between the ages of 19 and 25 have gained health insurance since President Obama signed his health care reform bill, more than double the 1 million the White House had been expecting, according to a new administration analysis. The bump is almost entirely due to a provision in a law that allows young people to remain on their parents' coverage until age 26. More»

Walmart Slashes Health Care Benefits

Cites concerns over rising costs

(NEWSER) - America’s largest employer is scaling back its health benefits, jacking up premiums for full-time workers by as much as 40% and eliminating coverage altogether for many part-timers, Walmart told employees this week. The company blamed rising costs for the move, telling the New York Times that it has nothing to do with the new health care reform law. “The decisions made were not easy,” a spokesman said, “but they strike a balance between managing costs and providing quality care.” From now on, employees who work less than 24 hours a week on average won’t be eligible for coverage. New hires who work between 24 and 33 hours will qualify, but won’t be allowed to add a spouse to the plan (kids, however, can be added). More»

GOP to Obama: What Took So Long to Kill Insurance Plan?

It plans hearing into scrapping of 'CLASS'

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration's decision to scrap a key part of its health care reform is not going to slip quietly away. House Republicans will make sure of it. The Energy and Commerce panel has scheduled a hearing for later this month on the now-shelved CLASS Act, reports the Hill . The GOP's take: This long-term insurance program never made financial sense, a fact that the administration knew all along but ignored to take advantage of its projected $86 billion in deficit savings over 10 years. More»

US Health Care Tab to Hit $4.6T in 2020

Innovation, aging society main causes of soaring costs

(AP) - Doom, meet gloom: The nation's health care tab is on track to hit $4.6 trillion in 2020, accounting for about $1 of every $5 in the economy, government number crunchers estimate in a report out today. How much does that work out to per person? Including government and private money, health care spending in 2020 will average $13,710 for every man, woman, and child, says Medicare's Office of the Actuary. By comparison, 2011 health care spending is projected to top $2.7 trillion, or about $8,650 per capita, roughly $1 of $6 in the economy. More»

Book Scuttles Obama's Health Care Story

His mother had health insurance when she died, and it paid up

(NEWSER) - A recent book on President Obama’s mother undermines his oft-told story that his mother spent the final years of her life battling insurance companies over her medical bills. The book, by New York Times reporter Janny Scott, reveals that Ann Dunham actually had health insurance that readily paid her claims. She did have a dispute, but it was with her disability insurance, the Times reports. And Obama must have known that, because in one letter she turns the case over to “my son and attorney, Barack Obama.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Firefighters Play ER Docs to Uninsured

Medical calls have more than doubled since 1980

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

health care • health insurance • firefighters • primary care • emergency responders • Washington, DC • ambulance

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Health Reform Insured 2.5M Young People

Coverage up among 19- to 25-year-olds, now eligible for parents' insurance

Walmart Slashes Health Care Benefits

Cites concerns over rising costs

GOP to Obama: What Took So Long to Kill Insurance Plan?

It plans hearing into scrapping of 'CLASS'

US Health Care Tab to Hit $4.6T in 2020

Innovation, aging society main causes of soaring costs

Book Scuttles Obama's Health Care Story

His mother had health insurance when she died, and it paid up

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Firefighters Play ER Docs to Uninsured

Medical calls have more than doubled since 1980

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

health care • health insurance • firefighters • primary care • emergency responders • Washington, DC • ambulance

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Health Reform Insured 2.5M Young People

Coverage up among 19- to 25-year-olds, now eligible for parents' insurance

Walmart Slashes Health Care Benefits

Cites concerns over rising costs

GOP to Obama: What Took So Long to Kill Insurance Plan?

It plans hearing into scrapping of 'CLASS'

US Health Care Tab to Hit $4.6T in 2020

Innovation, aging society main causes of soaring costs

Book Scuttles Obama's Health Care Story

His mother had health insurance when she died, and it paid up

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?