How much does an ambulance ride cost in the US?

an ambulance ride typically costs $803 in the United States before insurance. This is an insurer-negotiated allowed amount, not the inflated list price. Source: Health Care Cost Institute — commercial ground ambulance prices (2022).

How much more than Medicare do insurers pay for an ambulance ride?

Medicare pays $557 for an ambulance ride. Private insurers pay about 1.4× that amount.

What would I pay for an ambulance ride with insurance?

It depends on your plan. With a Silver marketplace plan ($5,304 deductible, 20% coinsurance, $10,600 out-of-pocket maximum) you pay the deductible then a share of the rest, capped at the out-of-pocket maximum. If you are uninsured you are typically quoted the hospital's cash price, which runs about 10% HIGHER than the insurer-negotiated rate.

← All scenarios

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I need an ambulance

A ground ambulance ride, roughly 5 miles.

Typical US price before insurance

$803

This is an allowed amount — the price actually negotiated with insurers, not the inflated list price. Source: Health Care Cost Institute — commercial ground ambulance prices (2022).

Median base rate is $718 plus about $17/mile. Important: ground ambulances are EXCLUDED from the No Surprises Act — out-of-network balance billing is still legal, so your real bill can be much higher.

What Medicare pays for the same care $557

Private insurers pay 1.4× what Medicare pays for this.

All-in: $557 to the hospital 0 (Ambulance Fee Schedule, 2024). Divide the two figures above and you get our ratio — check our arithmetic. Source: CMS.

What you'd actually pay

Your coverage

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Where you live

Your state

$803

The national average price.

State prices from RAND's hospital price study — how much your state's hospitals charge private insurers relative to Medicare. This is a statewide price level, not a per-procedure state price. Maryland isn't shown: it sets hospital rates for all payers, so the comparison doesn't apply there.

an ambulance ride cost by state

Prices swing more than 2× across the country for identical care. Pick your state:

This is an estimate, not a bill. It applies published average deductibles and a 20% coinsurance (KFF's measured average for a hospital admission) to a national average price. Your actual plan, hospital and diagnosis will move this number. Not medical or financial advice.