<prompt> Human: I was in a minor fall while at a conference out of town and was taken to the hospital about 4mi away in an ambulance completely conscious, with no treatment. The bill just arrived - 1800. Ill submit it to my insurance provider but my deductible is 2500 and I havent paid anything yet for the year. Is there any way I can avoid such a ridiculously high charge??  <response>: EMS Chief here. 1,800 seems pretty steep for a basic transport with little or no treatment. My department would only charge about 650 for that same transport. My advice is to call around to the other communities and get a copy of their fee schedules it is required by law for all municipalities to provide a fee schedule and see what the other communities in the region are charging. You then have a average to use as a starting point to negotiate the bill. I do not know of any municipal 911 systems that will pursue you for every penny. They just want to make up for the overhead cost and thats it. Privately owned EMS is different though. They are truly evil incarnate. 