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Heart attack victims delay calling costly ambulance | News.com.au
Heart attack victims delay calling costly ambulance
One in five people would delay calling an ambulance if they suffered a heart attack, a study has shown / Supplied Source: AAP
This delay could kill - a person dies from cardiovascular disease every 10 minutes and half the 11,341 deaths from heart attack each year occur before the person reaches hospital.
An independent report into ambulance costs commissioned by the National Heart Foundation of Australia called for universal ambulance insurance scheme to remove the fear of ambulance costs.
The move could be funded by $3.30 a week rise in the Medicare levy, a levy on electricity bills or by general federal revenue, the report said.
"This paper indicates that up to 650,000 people would delay calling an ambulance when experiencing heart attack warning signs because of cost considerations," National Heart Foundation chief Lyn Roberts said..
"We think that this means it's time to consider universal coverage for ambulance for all Australians and we'd like start a discussion with governments and health services across the country."
Ambulance charges for an emergency call-out in NSW range from $301 to $4938 but pensioners and welfare recipients have some ambulance services provided free of charge and people with health insurance compulsorily buy ambulance cover as part of their premium.
In the ACT and South Australia the average fee is $700 for an emergency, in Queensland ambulance cover is free and covered by a levy imposed through electricity bills and in Victoria the cost is $924.20.
A survey of 3176 people in August 2008 found 6.7 per cent "very or somewhat likely to delay calling an ambulance due to the cost involved".
That equated to 650,000 who would put off calling an ambulance if they had heart attack symptoms.
But a more recent Heart Foundation survey found 17.15 per cent, or one in six, would agree it was too costly to call an ambulance if they had heart attack symptoms, while in NSW the figure was 20 per cent.
Heart attack victims delay calling costly ambulance
- <LI class="byline first ">By Sue Dunlevy <LI class="source ">From: The Daily Telegraph <LI class="date-and-time ">May 06, 2010 12:58AM
- 5 comments
One in five people would delay calling an ambulance if they suffered a heart attack, a study has shown / Supplied Source: AAP
- Call for universal ambulance scheme
- Funded by increase in Medicare levy
- 650,000 people could delay call
This delay could kill - a person dies from cardiovascular disease every 10 minutes and half the 11,341 deaths from heart attack each year occur before the person reaches hospital.
An independent report into ambulance costs commissioned by the National Heart Foundation of Australia called for universal ambulance insurance scheme to remove the fear of ambulance costs.
The move could be funded by $3.30 a week rise in the Medicare levy, a levy on electricity bills or by general federal revenue, the report said.
"This paper indicates that up to 650,000 people would delay calling an ambulance when experiencing heart attack warning signs because of cost considerations," National Heart Foundation chief Lyn Roberts said..
"We think that this means it's time to consider universal coverage for ambulance for all Australians and we'd like start a discussion with governments and health services across the country."
Ambulance charges for an emergency call-out in NSW range from $301 to $4938 but pensioners and welfare recipients have some ambulance services provided free of charge and people with health insurance compulsorily buy ambulance cover as part of their premium.
In the ACT and South Australia the average fee is $700 for an emergency, in Queensland ambulance cover is free and covered by a levy imposed through electricity bills and in Victoria the cost is $924.20.
A survey of 3176 people in August 2008 found 6.7 per cent "very or somewhat likely to delay calling an ambulance due to the cost involved".
That equated to 650,000 who would put off calling an ambulance if they had heart attack symptoms.
But a more recent Heart Foundation survey found 17.15 per cent, or one in six, would agree it was too costly to call an ambulance if they had heart attack symptoms, while in NSW the figure was 20 per cent.
