EMS can not force you to go to the hospital anywhere in the USA unless you’ve been arrested, are suicidal, a danger to others, or aren’t oriented to “person, place, time, and event”.
If you’re none of the above you can tell whoever is saying “you have to go” to fuck off.
My wife has epilepsy. She has a medical alert bracelet for it. If she has a seizure in public, she doesn’t need an ambulance ride unless she hurts herself or is actively seizing for more than 5 minutes. But that won’t stop some well-intentioned bystander from saddling her with a $5000 ambulance bill while she’s unconscious. Because a seizure leaves you confused and disoriented for ~45-60 minutes afterwards.
So even if her seizure only lasts 2-3 minutes, she’ll be out of it for a while afterwards. And EMTs can 100% use her disorientation to justify throwing her in the back of the truck, even though she doesn’t need it and the hospital won’t do anything for her. But that won’t stop them from billing for the ambulance ride anyways.
It’s unfortunately legally required to transport someone that’s not A&Ox4.
It’s annoying when we know someone really doesn’t need to go, but if we don’t the responders are looking at losing their job, license, a lawsuit, or even being criminally charged.
diffaldo
oatscoop