A woman was injured in a subway incident in Boston last week, but she begged fellow commuters not to call an ambulance.
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Her leg was caught in the gap between the train and platform and she sustained a “serious laceration,” a police report explained.
But she said she couldn’t afford the cost of emergency services.
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Maria Cramer, a reporter from the Boston Globe, was at the scene and posted about the “awful” incident on Twitter.
“She’s in agony and weeping. Just as upsetting she begged no one call an ambulance,” the tweet read. “‘It’s $3,000,’ she wailed. ‘I can’t afford that.’”
Video of several people rushing to help rescue the 45-year-old woman, who has not been identified, has gone viral over the past few days.
Many people praised those trying to free her by pushing the train, but not all caught hold of her story until an editorial by The New York Times was published Monday, titled, “This Tweet Captures the State of Health Care in America Today.”
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The Times piece highlighted that the story was something most would expect from an “impoverished country.”
“In the face of a grave injury, a series of calculations follow: The clear and urgent need for medical attention is weighed against the uncertain and potentially monumental expense of even basic services, like a bandage or a ride to the hospital, and that cost, in turn, weighed against all the known expenses of living that run through any given head on any given day,” the article read.
“This discord, between agony and arithmetic, has become America’s story, too.”
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The woman was eventually taken to hospital by Boston EMS, Cramer wrote in a story for the Boston Globe, where doctors said she would need surgery.
In a series of tweets, Cramer later explained the breakdown of ambulance costs.
The reporter recalled the woman feared a $3,000 ambulance bill, but EMS said it would be between $1,200 and $1,900 for her particular situation.
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The Globe’s article explained that costs for people with more complex injuries, for example, those who require resuscitation, are much higher.
Cramer said she has received numerous emails and messages about people who want to cover the fees. The reporter is currently trying to locate the woman.
Ambulance costs in Canada
Ambulance services are not free in Canada, either. The price varies across provinces and for the type of assistance provided.
In Ontario, for example, it costs $45 in most situations or $240 if an ambulance is called without a valid reason.
In Alberta, those who are treated at scene pay $250 and those who are transported to hospital pay $385.