08x19 - Emergency medical services

[bunniefuu]

Hi, there

Welcome to the show, still only

Taking place here for four more

Shows.

Can't come soon enough.

I think I liked it

Better when you were silent.

You know what wasn't silent?

When you f*cking blew me up.

You remember that?
I do.

Barcoding kirk scared everyone,

And the house began the

Investigation of the in spirit

Insurrection.

But when jim jordan struggled to

Answer a basic question.

Yes or no, did you speak to

President Tr*mp on january

Sixth?

Yeah, I mean, I speak... I

Spoke with the president last

Week.

I speak with the president all

The time, I spoke with the

President on january 6th.

I mean, I talk with president

Tr*mp all the time.

On january 6, did you speak

With him before, during, or

After the capitol was att*cked?

Uh, I'd have to go... I

I spoke with him that

Day after?

I think after?

I don't know if I spoke with him

In the morning or not.

I just don't know.

I'd have to go back and... I

Mean, I don't, I don't, I don't

Know when those conversations

Happened, but what I know is, I

Spoke with him all the time.

Oh, okay then!

That sounds reasonable!

You seem to be employing both

The nervous energy and deeply

Suspicious denials normally

Reserved for woody allen.

Why wouldn't I find that

Reassuring?

But instead of that, I'd like to

Briefly focus on afghanistan.

The u.s. Withdrawal from there

Is nearly complete, ahead of the

August 31 deadline set by the

Biden administration.

But many are concerned about

Who's being left behind.

As america ends its longest

w*r, the translators left behind

Are begging the biden

Administration to cut through

The red tape and grant them

Special visas to come to the

U.s.

Today, independent senator

Angus king told reporters the

President's hair should be on

Fire over this situation.

It's true.

This is a situation biden's hair

Should be on fire about... Both

Metaphorically and literally.

It'd frankly be a huge

Improvement on his current look,

Which I'd describe as

"Business ghost," also known as

The "sane doc brown" or

"The flat jamie lee curtis."

Because the fact is, there are

Thousands of afghans who helped

U.s. Troops during the w*r who

Badly need to be evacuated

Because the taliban very much

Wants to k*ll them.

Since 2014, more than 300

Translators or their family

Members have been k*lled.

And I will say, publicly, biden

Has been sending encouraging

Messages.

Our message to those women

And men is clear.

There is a home for you in the

United states if you so choose,

And we will stand with you just

As you stood with us.

Oh, well, that sounds

Great!

Although that "if they so choose

Part" is doing a lot of work.

Because it's not so much their

Choice as ours.

We're the ones in charge of the

Process, so putting the choice

On the applicants is basically a

Surgeon handing you a scalpel,

Saying, "there is a tumor-free

Pancreas in your body if you so

Choose, and I will stand with

You."

I think you might be

Fundamentally confused about who

Has power over the outcome here.

And the application process has

Been a mess for a long time.

As we discussed on the first

Season of this show...

Presumably 40 years ago... Just

Applying for a special immigrant

Visa can be a nightmare.

And while 18,000 afghans have

Applied on behalf of themselves

And their families...

Representing an estimated 53,000

People in total... Many have

Been stuck waiting, in some

Cases for years.

Moneer noori has been waiting

On a special immigrant visa for

Nearly a decade.

He first applied for a

Special immigrant visa in 2013

And said he's been rejected four

Times.

Moneer was told by the state

Department that his documents

Were fraudulent but was not

Given any specific example to

Appeal.

There is more than hundreds

And hundreds more special force

Interpreters left behind.

They have the same issues.

And I don't want to be left

Behind.

Yeah, of course not.

And we can't let that happen.

Because it's practically a

Death sentence.

Being left behind, in this

Context is even worse than

Seeing "left behind," the 2014

Nicolas cage faith-based

Thriller about the second coming

That boasts... And this is

True... A solid 1%

On rotten tomatoes.

Clearly, there aren't many

Things worse than seeing

"Left behind," but I'm going to

Say getting abandoned to be

m*rder*d by the taliban is

Definitely one of them.

And it's not just that

Interpreter who's frustrated...

The u.s. Soldiers he worked

Alongside are also appalled by

The situation.

We're filling out all the

Paperwork.

We're going through all the due

Diligence and the process to

Make this right.

And nobody is responding with

Any information that would be

Critical to getting him out of

Country.

Like, this is, like,

Both a huge leadership failure

For me, like, personally, and

The m*llitary.

The... The fact that I haven't

Been able to get my... My guy

Out.

That does sound

Maddening.

Particularly because "getting my

Guy out" is basically what we've

Been conditioned to think the

m*llitary does.

It's supposed to be "saving

Private ryan, " not " filing

Paperwork on private ryan's

Behalf, waiting a few months,

Filing requisition paperwork to

Track down the initial

Paperwork, and then learning

Private ryan was sh*t in the

Head by a n*zi last month."

And there is real urgency here,

As the taliban currently

Controls about half of

Afghanistan's 419 district

Centers, and while they've yet

To capture any of the provincial

Capitals, they are pressuring

About half of them.

This is basically the bill cosby

Comeback tour of political

We can all see where

It's going, and if we don't act

Quickly, something terrible is

Going to happen.

And incredibly, there are

Some... Like supercuts superfan

Rand paul... Who have questioned

Whether we should be evacuating

All these people at all.

I would encourage them rather

To stay and fight.

I think it would be good to have

Many english speakers in

Afghanistan.

The future of afghanistan could

Be a bright future, but they're

Going to have to fight for it

And, ultimately, it is their

Fight.

Okay, first... f*ck all

The way off.

And second... Fight with f*cking

What, exactly?

Their working knowledge of the

Difference between there, their

And they're?

Also, telling translators to

"Stay and fight the taliban" is

Pretty rich coming from a guy

Who couldn't even win a fight

Against his neighbor on his own

Front lawn.

And the administration may point

To the fact that, this month,



Stages to an army base in

Virginia.

And that they're negotiating

With third countries like qatar

And kuwait to house afghans at

m*llitary bases while they await

Visa approval.

But so far a tiny percentage of

The peoplein the pipeline have

Been evacuated.

And the fact that we're just

Scrambling for a plan now is

Inexcusable when we've had 20

Years to develop one, and for

Around half that time, biden was

In the white house.

If we really want to make sure

These applicants are safe, we

Could bring them to the u.s. For

Processing.

Guam has been suggested.

And we should do that right now

Because the clock is ticking,

And the translators in

Afghanistan are well aware of

That fact.

While evacuation plans to a

Third country may still be

Uncertain, the taliban death

Threats here are crystal clear.

Yeah, I receive a lot of

Phone calls from them.

Phone calls?

Yes.

And they told me, "soon we will

Come to kabul, and we will find

You and we will k*ll you."

The taliban have said

Interpreters will not be in

Danger, as long as they show

Remorse for their treason.

Would anyone believe that?

You're almost laughing, you

Wouldn't believe them.

No, I will never believe

Them.

Yeah, of course he

Doesn't believe the taliban.

A "taliban promise" sounds

Inherently like bullshit.

It also sounds like a pretty

r*cist soft-core romance

Paperback written by a white

Woman who's never met anyone

From there.

But mostly it sounds like

Bullshit.

There is no reason to believe

Things will end well for anyone

We leave behind.

These people helped us at great

Risk to themselves and their

Families.

And if you don't think we should

Give them a safe home here in

Return, then all I have to say

Actually, can I get a translator

For that?

He said, "f*ck you."

I did.

Thank you.

And now this.

And now, and

Now, jim cramer loves chipotle.

The worst restaurants are

Going up and not the best ones.

But chipotle is the best.

I love them.

I would eat chipotle all the

Way.

They are back and they seem to

Love chipotle as I do.

I still love chipotle it was

Awesome.

I had a burrito.

Oh, boy, when it comes to

Chipotle.

To be fair, no one looks good...

Everyone goes to chipotle.

Chipotle last week.

I had chipotle yesterday.

Why?

You were able to sit down and

Have your cilantro lime

Roasted... It is unbelievably

Good.

Have you ever had chipotle?

Yeah, I have.

I have had it.

Yeah.

He enjoys it a great deal.

It's got cheese.

A lot of cheese, right?

Is that what queso is?

Have you ever had a bowl?

I had a ball.

I've had a burrito?

You get the box?

I don't go there that often.

Moving on.

Our main story tonight concerns

Ambulances.

Y'know, big ouchie trucks that

Go woop-woop.

Ambulances can be an annoyance

To city dwellers with their

Shrieking sirens.

Although, not if you live in

Brussels, where that siren

Sounds very different.

Okay, that's just an objectively

Better siren.

It sounds like mickey mouse
getting f*cked on a

Washing machine... In a good
way.

And I know that's hard to
picture, so let me help:

Oh, boy.

I mean, that's

Fantastic.

I'd far rather be woken up by

The sounds of america's rat

Getting railed on the spin

Cycle, because I'd immediately

Laugh, then remember that

Someone was having a medical

Emergency and feel bad, then

Hear the siren and laugh myself

To sleep again.

What a siren!

Anyway, ambulance crews clearly

Play a critically important role

Across the country.

So it's no wonder that during

The height of the pandemic last

Year, they were among those who

Got an outpouring of gratitude

And nightly applause, with new

York's mayor even making this

I want to guarantee you one

That when that day comes

That we can restart the

Beautiful, vibrant life of this

City again, the first thing we

Will do is we will have a

Ticker-tape parade down the

Canyon of heroes for our health

Care workers and our first

Responders.

We will honor those who saved

Us.

I don't

Know if a parade is quite the

Dangling carrot de blasio seems

To think it is.

Because parades... And this is

True... Suck.

They're loud, crowded, and go on

Approximately four hours too

Long.

The only good thing about the

Thanksgiving day parade is

Seeing which country singer gets

To lip sync next to the jolly

Green giant's d*ck.

But second, there was a small

Irony in all the vocal

Appreciation that took place

Last year, as this emt we

Featured pointed out.

Right now, I'm doing all of

This with no health insurance.

The job doesn't offer it.

And our affordable marketplaces

Aren't very affordable.

If I get sick and, okay, I go

Get tested positive, I can't go

To the hospital.

And, you know, people come out,

And they show us their support.

And I love it.

I love... I have eaten so much

Pizza in the last two weeks.

It's been great.

I don't need pizza.

I need to be able to pay my

Bills.

Right.

People clapping and giving pizza

In appreciation was very nice

But wasn't a substitute for the

Things they actually needed,

Like a living wage and health

Benefits.

If you

Had a heart att*ck and

Paramedics showed up with a

Pepperoni pie and some garlic

Knots, you'd grateful, sure,

But you'd be also justified in

Pointing out that's not

Everything that the situation

Demanded.

And that man's story is by no

Means a one-off.

Ems workers around the country

Are shockingly underpaid, which

Is kind of amazing, especially

When you consider how

Prohibitively expensive taking

An ambulance can be... So much

So that you'll often see local

News stories like this:

It was rush hour at the mass

Avenue station when this

Passenger stepped off the

Crowded train.

Surveillance video shows the

Moment her leg dropped into the

Gap, trapping her between the

Train and the platform.

As other commuters rocked the

Train to dislodge the woman's

Leg, a boston globe reporter

Tweeted from the scene, "she

Begged 'no one call an

Ambulance.

It's $3,000.

I can't afford that.'"

Wow.

It's a pretty strong indictment

Of our current healthcare system

That that woman's main concern

Was getting crushed financially,

Even while she was getting

Crushed physically.

So given that we have injured

People begging bystanders not to

Call ambulances and the emts

Who work inside them forced to

Live off pizza donations,

Tonight, let's take a look at

Our emergency medical services:

Specifically, how they function,

Why they can be so expensive,

And what we can do to fix

Things.

And the first thing to know is,

There is absolutely no

Consistency when it comes to ems

In this country.

When you talk about "emergency

Medical services," you're

Actually talking about 19,000

Locally run ems providers with

Wildly different structures.

To give you an idea of just how

In

Houston, ems is provided by

Firefighters cross-trained as

Paramedics or emts.

In new york city, it's under the

Fire department umbrella, but

It's a separate division and

Supplemented by private

Companies.

In pittsburgh, it's a

Free-standing municipal

Department of its own.

And in rural wyoming, ems is

Mostly provided by

Volunteer-based organizations.

And frustratingly, in no parts

Of the country does ems have

Ambulances that sound like this:

The very fact our sirens could

Sound like a puccini aria

Performed by a flustered

Parakeet, and yet, we choose for

That not to be the case, makes

Us a bunch of f*cking idiots.

But all of this is to say:

If you've seen one ems setup,

You've seen exactly one ems

Setup.

And one reason for this is that

There is no single federal

Agency overseeing and supporting

Ems in the same the way that,

For instance, fire departments

Have the u.s. Fire

Administration.

And the frustrating thing is, it

Didn't have to be this way.

Back in 1973, congress enacted

The ems systems act, which

Created a new program to help

Develop regional ems systems,

Something that was badly needed.

Prior to that, ambulance

Services were frequently

Provided by hearses, simply

Because they were long enough to

Transport a human body.

Unfortunately, under the reagan

Administration, budget cuts

Eliminated direct federal

Funding and oversight, shifting

The responsibility onto the

States... Many of which opted to

Direct their money away from ems

And into other public health

Services instead.

Which brings us to an incredible

Unlike other first

Responders, such as police and

Fire departments, right now, in

All 39 of these states, ems is

Not considered an essential

Service, meaning local

Governments don't have to

Provide it to their citizens.

Which, as a practical matter,

Means ems generally has less

Access to government funding.

This is a huge deal.

And if this is surprising news

To you, you're not alone.

Just listen to this utah state

Representative.

I became aware of the fact

That this issue existed when I

Asked the question to chief brad

Hannig, what can I do for you?

He started explaining to me this

Issue and I was like, really?

'Cause I thought this was an

Essential service too.

I didn't know any better.

Yeah, of course he was

Surprised!

Finding out that ems is not

Deemed essential is like finding

Out that most states don't

Consider geese to be birds.

That's what they are.

They have beaks, wings,

Feathers, they rain sh*t from

The sky, sully sullenberger is

Their jeffrey dahmer...

They're f*cking birds!

I didn't realize anyone was even

Disputing that.

Ems providers can be so strapped

For cash... Especially in rural

Areas... That they have to

Fundraise for themselves.

Do a quick search on gofundme

Right now, and you'll find

Multiple outfits trying to raise

Money for equipment, gear, and

Updated ambulances.

And you know our healthcare

System is f*cked up when

Patients and providers are

Relying on the same crowdfunding

Platform.

Some people even do fundraising

Stunts for their local ems,

Whether it's this guy doing a

Polar bear plunge for a thousand

Bucks or this dj doing a

Three-hour livestream that

Raised money for ems workers in

New york.

And I have to say... My

Admiration for that man's

Generosity is almost enough to

Overcome my horror at the idea

Of a three-hour livestream dj

Set.

It's like someone donating a

Million dollars to cancer

Research by writing out a check

In turtle blood.

Love the end, hate the means.

And these massive funding

Deficiencies start to explain

Why it is that ems workers like

That guy you saw earlier are so

Terribly paid.

The median annual wage is just

Over $36,000... Well below what

Police officers and firefighters

Make... And for a dangerous and

Emts and

Paramedics have an injury rate

About three times the national

Average and they're roughly ten

Times more likely to have

Suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

So it's no wonder that ambulance

Services can have real trouble

Finding or retaining workers and

Volunteers, especially in rural

Communities.

Experts now warn close to one

Third of all rural medical

Services are in immediate danger

Of closing down.

In rural marmarth,

North dakota, no one remembers

The last time the town had a

Doctor.

The ambulance is the community

Safety net.

We're literally one person

Away from closing if we lose one

Of our emts, one of our care

Providers.

We will have to look at shutting

Down and closing our doors.

That's terrible.

No workplace should be in danger

Of shutting down because it

Loses one person.

Unless that workplace is the

"Sex and the city" reboot.

What are you thinking?

It's never going to work without

Kim cattrall.

It's not that any of you are

Bad, it's that you only work

Together.

I can't appreciate my puritan

Charlotte if I don't have my

Naughty samantha.

And I live for miranda hobbes,

But if she's not serving

Side eye while samantha uses

Penne pasta to describe her new

Italian lover's d*ck, what's the

Point?

And to be clear, this isn't just

A rural problem.

Some big-city services are

Stretched to breaking point,

Too.

Take chicago, where its ems is

Operated by the fire department.

Both workers and city officials

Have complained for years that

Not enough resources have been

Allocated to ems, leading to an

Ambulance shortage.

And while the fire department

Says its fleet meets the needs

Of residents, a local-news

Of residents, a local news

Investigation found some pretty

Harrowing stories

One analysis of 700,000

Medical 911 calls found in 19%

Of them it took an ambulance

More than seven minutes to get

To the scene.

Sometimes there just isn't

One.

We're out of ambulances.

We'll let you know.

Wow.

"We're out of ambulances."

That is not something you want

To hear.

I think we all know, when you

Call an ambulance, you

Want it to show up

Like that.

What's wrong with you?

Aw, no.

I'm sorry, george.

I did it again.

I'm sorry.

How hard is it not to snap

Your fingers?

Y'know, it turns out,

It is surprisingly hard.

You know, I got the power to

Clap my hands and summon kermit

The frog, do you think I do it?

No, I do not.

Because I respect kermit.

I get that.

But, hey, george?

Do it.

Do it now.

Please.

All right.

This better be good, george.

It's not.

Well, I thought that

Went very well.

Anyway, where were we?

Oh, that's right.

Emergency medical services in

America are underfunded, because

In most places, they're not

Supported by federal programs

And local dollars the way that

Police and fire departments are.

And the fact they are so

Underfunded starts to explain

Why they can cost so much.

Because for many, the way they

Recoup their costs is by billing

Patients.

Although interestingly, if they

Don't physically transport those

Patients to a hospital, they can

Be out of luck.

You're reimbursed based on

The number of patients that you

Transport to a hospital.

So you could get called 1,000

Times a year and only transport



Those other 250 calls, you made

No money on.

Yeah, it's true.

And policies like that can not

Only put ems providers even

Further into a financial hole,

It can also incentivize them to

Take patients to the hospital,

Even if it's not totally

Necessary.

Which makes no sense.

It's a practice known throughout

The ems industry as "you call,

We haul," which is a fun phrase,

Although to be honest, nowhere

Near as fun as the fire

"You hurt?

We squirt."

And ems's funding structure

Doesn't just serve providers

Poorly... It serves patients

Poorly too.

Because right now, patients and

Their insurance reimbursements,

Are most ems outfit's primary

Funding sources, which is not a

Good situation for either side.

Some patients have medicare and

Medicaid... And by law, ems

Providers are required to accept

Their reimbursement rates,

Despite many saying they're set

Too low.

But for patients with private

Insurance, the fact is, emses

Are not required to accept that

At all.

In fact, many choose to keep

Themselves out of network for

Most insurers, meaning they can

Generally set their rates

Wherever they want.

This situation can often leave

Patients facing so-called

"Surprise bills."

Some of which can be absolutely

Ridiculous.

Baby sawyer just couldn't

Wait to enter the world.

Katie moraida's water broke a

Week before he was due.

She and husband daniel raced

To sutter roseville.

With the emergency room in

Sight, katie screams for him to

Stop the car.

He said, "don't push."

And I said, "I have to push."

She went like this.

And I pushed.

And then pop!

And he came out!

Roseville pd called the

Paramedics, who cut the

Umbilical cord and drove katie

And sawyer a matter of a few

Hundred yards to the hospital

Door.

The entire time with a

Paramedic, 10 minutes.

It is such a blur.

But later it would come into

Focus when two equal amr

Ambulance bills showed up, one

For katie, one for baby sawyer,

Totaling more than 3,500 bucks.

Not even a full minute worth

Of an ambulance ride.

We had already done the hard

Part.

We delivered our child in the

Front seat of our car.

Well, hold on there.

Did "we" really do the hard

Part, dan?

Because from what I just heard,

You did some driving, and then

Sat back while your wife... In

Your words... "Popped" out a

Human, so I'm not sure you

Really "did the hard part," so

Much as you were just sort of

There.

C'mon, dan.

Be an ally.

Read a tweet.

And there can be absolutely

Crazy examples of surprise

Billing, even when ems is run by

The city.

In houston, literally all

City-run ambulance services are

Out-of-network for all insurers.

And a study of one large

National insurance plan found

That 71% of ambulance rides had

The potential to generate a

Surprise bill.

And when you know that, is it

Any wonder that woman begged

People not to call an ambulance?

Or that this incredibly grim

Trend has emerged:

Ambulance or uber?

That's now the choice as more

Americans are using uber and

Other car services to get to the

Emergency room.



Chandra steele did it.

What were your symptoms?

I had some internal bleeding

Which I already...

You had internal bleeding and

You took an uber to the

Hospital?

Emergency room doctor robert

Glatter of lenox hill hospital

In new york says uber e.r., As

It's been nicknamed, is not a

Smart idea in a crisis.

They don't have any kind of

Oxygen, they don't have

Intravenous fluids or ivs, they

Don't have paramedics.

That's the main difference.

They have a driver.

Right!

They also may

Not know which local hospital

Has a trauma, stroke, cardiac,

Or pediatric unit.

Because they're uber drivers.

The most they have are tiny

Water bottles you're afraid to

Drink from and a charger for a

Samsung phone you do not own.

Instead of all of

Us paying a little bit all the

Time for ambulances, we have a

System where some of us pay an

Awful lot all at once when we

Have a terrible emergency.

And if you're thinking, "how

Could this possibly get any

Worse?"

Well, wait, it can.

Because for-profit businesses

Are also involved here... In

Fact, currently, private

Companies represent about 25% of

All ambulance providers.

And many of them are owned by

Private equity firms who've been

Acquiring distressed local

Ambulance providers for decades.

Remember that baby who got a

Bill for being born?

That came from a private

For-profit company, american

Medical response.

They're currently the largest

Ambulance company in the u.s.

And are owned by one of the

Country's largest private equity

Firms.

And when a private equity firm

Swoops in to help wring profits

Out of ambulance services by

Keeping costs low and revenues

High, things generally don't

Change for the better.

Take transcare, an ems company

Acquired out of bankruptcy by a

Private equity firm run by this

Woman, lynn tilton.

And a few things to note about

Aside from serving looks that

Can only be described as

"My style icons are wayne newton

And a ferrero rocher candy,"

Lynn tilton is a self-described

Poet, already one of the biggest

Red flags imaginable.

We looked, and one of the only

Things close to poetry we could

Find from her was this instagram

"I am a woman of strength,

Nothing can break my spirit,

I am wild and free,

I am a warrior of light,

I am me."

Which feels less like real

Poetry and more like someone

With a concussion trying to

Remember kesha lyrics.

Lynn tilton was also the star of

The sadly canceled reality

Series "diva of distressed,"

Where she portrayed herself as a

Savior of troubled companies in

Inspirational moments like this:

One of the things we do is we

All commit.

So I'm going to ask you all to

Commit with me that we will not

Stop until we've achieved our

Goal.

I commit!

We commit.

Thank you.

Commit, commit!

No pussies in my mill!

She seems great.

And lynn tilton certainly knows

How to instill a sense of

Courage in those around her.

Reminds me of that famous fdr

"The only thing we have

To fear is pussies in my mill."

And tilton promised to bring

That uplifting leadership to

Transcare.

But many who worked there

Described rough conditions on

Her watch, with one former

Employee saying they were sent

Out in a vehicle where the

Brakes didn't work properly and

During the 2014 ebola scare had

Trouble getting enough sanitary

Wipes to disinfect their

Ambulances.

Former staff even said they were

Pressured by transcare

Supervisors to go "e.r.

Shopping," meaning they'd steal

Medical supplies from the e.r.s

To restock their ambulances.

And when transcare inevitably

Ended up filing for bankruptcy

In 2016, its employees found out

That they'd lost their jobs like

This.

Workers were told they had 30

Days left on the job.

They showed up today to find

This.

Transcare was shuttered.

I was in shock.

We were all in shock.

It was horrible.

It's absolutely horrible.

A work emergency for dozens

Of paramedics.

You know, I have to find

Another job.

I have another side job to

Support me right now, currently,

But that doesn't pay the bills.

Last night we were told, "see

You tomorrow.

Have a good night."

Well, that's f*cked up.

There are certain businesses you

Assume might disappear

Overnight, like a kid's lemonade

Stand or any circuit city in

The late 2000s.

Incidentally, they all became

Kingdoms of optical cables and

Loose batteries governed by

Rats, and that's absolutely

Fine.

But it is not great when what's

Disappearing is a community's

Life-saving medical service.

And it's not just that transcare

Folded... It's that, in a

Bankruptcy court ruling last

Year, a judge recommended

Finding tilton liable for nearly

$42 Million for stripping value

Out of the company.

Which isn't totally shocking

From a woman whose employees

Were encouraged to strip value

Out of f*cking emergency rooms.

Now, I have to say: tilton

Denies having done anything

Wrong and has challenged that

Recommendation in federal court.

And the thing is, I'm not just

Mad with lynn tilton here.

I'm mad that we're operating a

System where a vital service is

Left vulnerable to the

Lynn tiltons of the world.

So what can we do about this?

Well, as I've said before,

Ideally, we'd transition to a

Medicare for all approach, but

That doesn't seem to be in the

Cards right now.

And in the meantime, there are

Smaller things we could do.

For patients, we need to put an

End to surprise billing.

The good news is, congress

Passed a bill last year called

The "no surprises act," making

It illegal to send patients

Steep medical bills when an

Out-of-network provider is

Unexpectedly involved in their

Care.

The bad news is, while that

Applies to air ambulances, the

Bill, for some reason,

Explicitly carved out ground

Ambulances.

Most f*cking

Ambulances.

We should

Establish a lead federal agency

Dedicated to them.

And they should absolutely be

Labeled an essential service.

Especially because that's what

Everyone thinks they are.

But for that label to mean

Something, it has to come with

Funding at the local, state, and

Federal levels.

And there's no better time to

Make those big changes than

Right now, when we still

Remember the absolute hell of

What these workers went through

Last year.

Remember that parade that bill

De blasio promised?

It actually took place last

Month, but you know who notably

Didn't attend?

Emts, many of whom boycotted it

Because of stagnant wages and

The fact that they worked during

The pandemic without hazard pay.

Last year, everyone was

Anxious to show how much they

Supported emts.

Well, now's the time to prove it

And make big changes on their

Behalf.

And if we do that, maybe we'll

Collectively be worthy of a

Siren that sounds like this:

Get yours, mickey, you filthy

Mouse.

That's our show.

Thanks so much for watching.

We'll see you next week.

Good night!