SHOREWOOD, Wis. — Big changes are coming next year for what residents pay for ambulance rides in the North Shore Fire Department's service area, causing concern for some local residents.
Hunter Bohm prioritizes his health so he can enjoy his passion for disc golf. While he hasn't injured himself badly out on the course, Bohm now hopes he never does after learning about emergency services fee increases for 2026.
From an average base cost of nearly $925 just for the ride with no other services to a bundled billing of services of $1,800, which could stretch up to $2,300 depending on the service. That's just for residents.
"You're just more reluctant, I guess, to call an ambulance in a time of emergency, if financial cost is something somebody thinks about. I mean, that's a big concern," Bohm said.
Bohm lives in Shorewood, one of the seven communities covered by the North Shore Fire Department service area.
Watch: 'That's a big concern': North Shore ambulance fees to rise in 2026
Other residents TMJ4 spoke to off camera were frustrated to see the increase.
TMJ4 spoke with North Shore Fire Chief Rob Whitaker over the phone, who broke down the reason why changes need to be made, including:
- A nearly 50% increase in demand for these services over the past 10 years
- A change to an all-inclusive charge to help reduce denied payments from insurance and government payors
- To reflect the true cost to provide an ambulance ride, which sits just shy of $2,000 according to a study, on par with other communities in the area
"An analysis recently performed by the Department for the Wisconsin Medicaid Supplemental Payment Program determined the Department’s average cost to perform an ambulance transport was $1,978.07 in 2023 and $1,962.41 in 2024 (average for all levels of service)," read the memo distributed by the North Shore Fire Department.
Medicare and Medicaid transports account for over 50% of service, according to Whitaker.
He said only five of the seven North Shore communities have to pass the resolution in order for the fees to go into effect. That happened Tuesday at the Fox Point village meeting.
"People are going to be less likely to go and that's going to turn into a lot of different outcomes," Bohm said.
The new fee schedule will begin January 1, 2026.
This story was reported on-air by Mike Beiermeister and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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