I am curious about "Good Intent" under "Misc. -call types"

Could "valuation of property exposed" be part of a property insurance rating calculation for the city of Chico? I remember last year, the fire union saying that we couldn't lose any firefighters because that would raise everyone's fire insurance rates and downgrade our city to higher risk. If that is the case there is probably a series of calculations behind it that would not have the value of the house used for a fence that caught on fire. If it is an inflated number, it may be good for my insurance bill,, or not?.

The best archive maps of Chico that I have seen were done by a fire insurance company named Sanborn in the 1880's. They are very cool and go in to detail about what buildings were used for and what they were made out of so they could determine property insurance rates to charge by your dwelling and your neighbors also.

It is fun to get archive building photos and match them up with the Sanborn maps and get a really good perspective on what Chico looked and felt like in the 1880's.

There were a lot more bars in town then and even a few women's boarding houses in the same bldg. (mixed use zoning even back then). The university was very cool to scan them and put them on line in high quality. Here is a link if you are interested. I think you need a viewer downloaded to view but it is free and worth it. (hint: sal = saloon, O.H. = outhouse, Dwg. = dwelling)

http://cricket.csuchico.edu/scripts/PortWeb.dll?query&field1=Place&op1=starts+with&value1=Chico+%28Calif.%29&join1=and&field2=Subjects&op2=starts+with&join2=and&field3=Source&op3=starts+with&Submit=Search&catalog=catmaps&template=thumbnails&sorton=Filename&offset=24

I been mad about this before, but you know, everybody says I complain too much.

Here's some interesting information off a First Responder bill I happen to have right in front of me:

ALS BASE RATE - $1999.00 (no, I did not screw up the decimal point, nor the number of 9's, there's three, dammit!)
AMBULANCE MILEAGE - $29.00/ unit ('unit' means mile) (I mean, a mile, $29.00, get out!)
NIGHT CALL 7PM TO 7AM - $75.48 (well, excuuuuse me! I don't even charge my tenants that much when they lock themselves out at 3 in the morning)

and of course, anything they do to you in the back of that thing is extra. Anything.

Two of our elderly neighbors had strokes in the years since we've lived in this house. We live off a narrow easement. In both instances, the Chico Fire hook and ladder that "escorted" the ambulance came in first and blocked the driveway, and the ambulance crew had to cross-country the other neighbors' front yards, carrying the gurney. Across the gopher ridden front yards. One time, in the dark. In both instances, fire department members just stood around watching, they never helped carry the patient or anything.

So, what's the use of the escort? And, given what the ambulance company charges, why don't they re-imburse the fire department?

This is my time of year. All the good flowers are blooming. My phoebe bird is eye-balling a pipevine swallowtail. It is amazing what she can get in her sharp little beak. My husband set up the old Intex pool - life is good. Work, sweat, swim, eat, play. Time to eat.

Juanita,

The must run the ambulances on caviar. Does some of the billing you're referring to go to the city? Or does that all go to the amulance company?

I'm pretty sure the ambulance workers are making something like $20/hour vs. a couple hundred thousand per year.

I went to a dentist last year and had dental insurance. They gave me a quote and my insurance covered about 75% of the cost. Then I went to a guy over in Oroville. He quoted me basically the same price without insurance (1/4 of the first company's quote).

It seems like the cost to me would be the same with or without insurance. But if I was insured the cost to for the dental work was going to be pricey. I wonder if the ambulace service charges based on the fact that soem HMO or government program will only pay a protion of the bill.

Regardless the system is broke. Like most of our systems.

Lon

"Does some of the billing you're referring to go to the city?"

Not that I know of. I don't know who I would ask about that. The folks at First Responder aren't very talkative. They are run by a firm out of town, so you can't even talk to somebody here in town, it's all long distance.

I think the EMT's get paid a little better than $20/hr, but certainly not so much as to justify the First Responder charges.

All totaled, they wanted $2518 for a less-than-2-mile ride to Enloe. They didn't perform any services, but tried to charge us for a blood draw that never happened. As soon as they walk in, they whip out an oxygen mask and place it on the patient - that's $156.

I mean, you call an ambulance, you might as well call some gang to strip you blind and leave you along the curb. It's a mugging. Under the watchful eye of your friendly fire department, who got their truck stuck in our driveway.

That's what I really wanted to say, this "escort" business needs to stop. I don't even think the ambulance company requests it - because then they'd have to pay, wouldn't they? I think the fire department is just looking for some way to justify their very expensive existence.

There hasn't been a house fire in my neighborhood for almost 10 years. We had three houses burn in one winter season, all burned to the ground, total losses. Not that they weren't easily accessible, for some reason, they were allowed to burn to the ground. Including my next door neighbor, right in the middle of the day, and they let it get so hot, I thought it was going to run across her trees to my garage. My other neighbor thought so too, and he helped me get my car and bikes out of the garage while I manned the hose. He's 86 years old, what a stud!

Hey, I don't need a bunch of goons in expensive suits to stand around watching my house burn to the ground. For that, they expect to get paid?

How about they just present a bill when they actually put out a house? And how about a charge for getting a cat out of a tree, or rescuing a dog from a car? Let the idiots pay who get the service. I'll never call them again, for anything.

Insurance and greedy doctors/hospitals are what's wrecking the healthcare system. I'm glad dentists are reasonable. When my kid had his wisdom teeth out, they gave us a $300 discount for paying the day of service. Our dentist will not even deal with your insurance company, he says he would have to hire another person just to process the forms. My pediatrician had a lady in his office who spent the entire morning on the phone, mostly on hold, dealing with insurance companies.

I'll tell you what else is funny. Not funny ha-ha either. Hospitals will give you outrageous discounts for paying at the time of discharge - as much as 50 percent! I want to know, how can they afford to do that if their charges are not overinflated in the first place? Of course, with bills as high as $100,000 plus for a week of care, they probably know most people won't be able to come up with even 50 percent. So they will finance your bill for you, at just a little under the bank's interest - sounds fishy to me, but the grateful patient always goes for it. I wonder how much money hospital make, financing patients' bills.

gosh, I'm sorry we opened this can of worms, they are getting all over the place. Yep, the system is broken, and if you read the new health care "reform" act, you will see there is no relief in sight.

Man, it's getting time for a dip already.