Barre Select Board Votes to Raise Ambulance Fees for First Time Since 2006

BARRE — February 5, 2018 — Barre Select Board unanimously raises ambulance fees and moves toward LED street light grant. The board voted February 5 to overhaul ambulance billing for the first time since approximately 2006, adopting a bundled-rate model recommended by Fire Chief Ferdowsi that replaces the town's ancillary billing system, under which insurance companies routinely denied portions of claims. The chief noted that 72 percent of transports involve Medicare, Medicaid, or MassHealth patients who pay state-set rates regardless of what the town charges, meaning the increase will primarily hit private insurers. The board separately reached consensus to pursue a Green Communities grant to replace roughly 195 to 200 street lights with LED fixtures, rejecting a National Grid rental program that one member said was designed so "they're making less money on the electrical usage yet the whole point of all of this is to reduce electrical usage." The grant pathway is projected to save the town an estimated $21,000 per year and support future green-grant eligibility.