Overview
- Essen’s council approved a change to its fee schedule, making patients liable for the unpaid portion of ambulance bills beginning around January 2026.
- Patients will owe about €267 per emergency ambulance deployment and roughly €62 for non‑emergency patient transports, based on the city’s new calculation.
- The city will invoice insurers first for the €1,020 per ambulance deployment and then issue a fee notice to patients for any remainder not covered.
- The dispute centers on insurers refusing to fund costs such as “Fehlfahrten,” which municipalities say account for up to a quarter of runs, arguing that law limits payment to care for identifiable insured persons.
- Other NRW districts, including Rhein‑Sieg‑Kreis, are preparing similar steps as insurers plan to cover only part of costs, while the state ministry says it cannot compel full payment and the Städtetag warns of a €250 million annual shortfall and potential deterrence of emergency calls.