Scott Kingsboro, the Executive Director of Northwest EMS, has seen a shift in the funding for ambulances in his career.

He explained that healthcare changes and the way insurance pays for an ambulance ride are having a big impact on EMS services and their ability to stay open.

“It’s multiple issues that have been compounding for a while,” Kingsboro told ABC 27 News. 

Most ambulance services across the state are non-profit and they rely on on private insurers to keep the lights on.

The issue is that the gap between the money EMS providers are getting and the money they need keeps growing.

“With the costs going, benefits, employees salaries and equipment costs going up the reimbursement is not keeping up with that,” Kingsboro said.

An idea that was recently floated at a Lancaster County Commission meeting to combat the funding was having more municipalities contribute more for ambulance services.

“There is a municipal tax they can enact,” Kingsboro said.

Kingsboro said tax or not something has to change.

“It’s like we’re in a train and we’re at the tunnel and we see the light ahead,” he explained.”We want to be able to preplan for that.”

County commissioners have said they are open to multiple solutions when it comes to EMS funding.