Our county commissioners and Lapeer County EMS Authority Board have once again placed a millage on the ballot for emergency medical services. This millage was narrowly approved in November of 2016. This time they have placed it on the August 4th primary ballot which historically has a low voter turnout. Per statements made by the Lapeer County EMS Director at a Michigan Township Association Lapeer County Meeting, this countywide millage only benefits approximately 70% of the county residents due to the fact that other ambulance providers also service Lapeer County. This millage was supposed to waive the deductibles and copays of any ambulance runs. But this is only true if you are transported by Lapeer County EMS. We have other ambulance agencies that operate within the boundaries of Lapeer County but this millage does not cover them, only Lapeer County EMS.
In Almont Township, per data supplied by LCEMS, in the first five months of 2020, over 70% of the ambulance runs were serviced by Medstar. This millage will not allow our residents to have their deductibles and copays waived because they were transported by Medstar. The only way Almont Township residents can have their copays and deductibles waived is if they are transported by Lapeer County EMS and they are not usually the closest ambulance. Almont Township residents have paid over $960,000 in four years for the millage that only goes to Lapeer County EMS. This is not fair. All the residents in Lapeer County deserve the same benefits.
I voted no on the EMS millage in 2016 and will continue to vote no on the millage until our county commissioners correct this and include all ambulance agencies operating in Lapeer County so all residents in Lapeer County can benefit from this millage.
—Paul Bowman,
Almont
