The Queensland Ambulance Levy will be scrapped following the June 2011 Queensland budget.
This levy was charged with everyone’s electricity bill at a rate of about $113 per year.
It was introduced in 2004 to cover the cost of providing FREE ambulance service to Queensland residents.
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The government has confirmed that ambulance services will remain free for all Queenslanders even without the levy, and without Ambulance Insurance being needed as in other States.
To reduce cost of living pressures on Queensland households and businesses, the Government will abolish the Community Ambulance Cover levy from 1 July 2011. This represents around $113 in savings in 2011-12 to each of the 1.4 million electricity account holders that would otherwise be liable for the levy.
http://www.budget.qld.gov.au/at-a-glance/2011-12/queensland-state-budget-at-a-glance-2011-12.pdf
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Ok. There was income to the Ambulance Service of $113 x 1.4 million residents.
That is a Shipload of money! Ambos don’t earn a high wage. How much went on transport of patients? How will it now be funded?
The 2011 budget announcement stated that the Ambulance Levy raised $154 million in the last financial year.
The Queensland Ambulance Service actually spent $533 million in that year. So the levy funded about 29% of total expenditure.
Either the ambulance service will drop in quality, or money will be found from other areas of the budget, and they will have to suffer instead.
So what happens if we are interstate on holidays or business are we still covered
From what I understand, we are still covered, in exactly the same way as before.
Information on the http://www.ambulance.qld.gov.au/subscribe/faq.asp webpage:
As a Queensland resident, if you receive an invoice for interstate ambulance treatment/transport all you need to do is to send the invoice, along with evidence that you were a Queensland resident at the time of the interstate treatment/transport, to the Queensland Ambulance Service at:
Queensland Ambulance Service
Governance and Management Services Unit
GPO Box 1425
BRISBANE QLD 4001
The Queensland Ambulance Service will then make the necessary arrangement for the invoice to be paid in full.