Does Medicare pay for ambulance rides?

You can call medicare and ask them. I am pretty sure they would know.

Yes, they always paid for my late mother's ambulance trips, but it's best to check your primary Medicare and your supplemental Medicare Plan Letter - if you in fact have Medicare Supp. Hitting one's head is deemed a medical emergency = ergo, the EMS.

I have a Medicare Advantage plan (Aetna) and the ambulance co-pay is $400. When paramedics came to the house with no transport, it was $300.

I think you're safest bet is to call Medicare and ask. I have found in most cases with my clients the determining factor is if the service was "medically necessary". If it is medically necessary Medicare usually pays if not, they don't. From what others have posted it sounds like it can vary from state to state.

No my husband was transported twice and we paid the ambulance

Make sure the ambulance carrier is coding the ride as emergency, otherwise you'll be paying the bill.  My mother was transported from the rehab center to the ER when the rehab doctor told us blood work done at the rehab center was showing she had a blood clot.  For whatever reason, the rehab center did not indicate to the ambulance carrier that this was an emergency, so it was coded "non-emergency"  (unbeknownst to us) and we had to pay the cost even after several appeals.

Nope

Be sure to find out before you need an ambulance. Homeless here take an ambulance to ER to get cleaned up and a night's sleep....who pays for that?
Where do they bill the homeless people. ??
Medicare and my insurance if it's medically necessary....meaning you can't ride in a car.. ...if you are admitted to hospital...you don't pay....if you are sent home you pay $300.

Only if it’s a matter of life and death.

Nope !! They charged my Aunt$ 600.00 to be driven4 miles No joke!!

My mom had many falls over a period of three years. She also had seizures, mini strokes, and UTIs. Each and every time we went to the hospital, Medicare approved the ambulance ride. Only one time were we denied and the bill was about $1,000. I tried to appeal it but I lost. Apparently, I had waited too long.

About 18 months later my mom had lab work, ordered by her doctor. WE got charged over $1,000. This time I had a long conversation with Medicare. This individual was very helpful and told me that usually when patients are denied coverage by Medicare it's because someone coded the bill/invoice incorrectly. He told me that it was my mom's doctor's office who coded the lab invoice incorrectly. He told me to take it back to them and to ask them to redo it, that I had talked to Medicare who had advised that it was miscoded, and to resubmit it Medicare.

So, I then told the Medicare representative what had happened 18 months earlier with the ambulance bill. Again, he said that someone at the ambulance/paramedics office got lazy (his word) and coded it wrong. He said next time call them tell them we were denied and ask them to correct and resubmit the bill to Medicare. I hope this helps.

Medicare pays a portion of the bill. Also, every time my mother has fell, I call 911 and tell them it’s not an emergency, but that my mother has fallen and I can’t get her up. The EMT’s always come and checks her out and we are never charged.

Check with your municipality. Where I live Columbus Ohio does not charge a fee for an emergency trip to the hospital.

I have been billed for three separate ambulance rides, life or death, when I had issues, so it depends on your Medicare provider.