JACKSON, Mich — Jackson Community Ambulance (JCA) is waiting for more than $630,000 in unpaid bills for emergency services provided to Michigan prison systems. These claims started in 2023.
- Jackson Community Ambulance is owed $630,000 for emergency services provided to Michigan prisons.
- The third-party vendor responsible for payments has gone bankrupt, leaving bills unpaid.
- State Representative Carrie Rheingans is pushing for immediate action through a supplemental bill.
WATCH: Jackson ambulance service awaits $630,000 in unpaid state prison emergency bills
"We never got paid for the services we provided. The State of Michigan required us to bill their vendor, and under state law we're required to respond to emergency calls," said Ron Slagell, President and CEO of Jackson Community Ambulance.
Slagell explained that the third-party vendor has since gone bankrupt, leaving the ambulance service with unpaid bills. "It has been a financial impact on our service, as well as others. I've had to cancel an order for medical equipment that we use, not only to respond to the prisons, but to the rest of the population in Jackson County. It's impacted the community already," Slagell said.
Slagell has been alerting state officials over the past year about the issue. One legislator hoping to help is Carrie Rheingans, State Representative for Michigan's 47th District. "When I heard that there was a big budget gap of $630,000 here in Jackson alone, I was really concerned about this," Rheingans said.
While the funding could be included in the upcoming state budget, Rheingans is pushing for faster action. "They already delivered these services. I am really worried and I think that there's a lot of urgency here that we need to get this done, right now, in the next couple weeks, because we are still negotiating our state budget," Rheingans said.
With potential federal cuts to healthcare on the horizon, Rheingans believes time is of the essence. "If we're going to be doing a supplemental bill, during this fiscal year to help fill in the gaps that Jackson Ambulance and others across the state are experiencing, we need to do that now, before we get these massive cuts from the federal government," Rheingans said.
As budget negotiations and bills are put on the table, Slagell remains hopeful for a resolution. "Certainly, we understand the need of the state to figure out how this happened and how this can never happen again, but in the meantime, we're stuck in the middle not having our bills paid," Slagell said.
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