Product pitch

So as I showed above in my notes I am interested in either creating an eBook for children or a more affordable ambulance system for Americans.

While the urge to create awesome illustrations for a kids book is so strong I do think that exploring the ambulance alternative would be a very good and interesting challenge. Many families in the USA have struggled to financially recover after calling for an ambulance as their insurance provider will not cover the whole cost. My main focus for this is to create a more affordable substitute for financially disadvantaged people and also to reduce the strain in the emergency services.

I was reading an article in The New York Times as part of my research and discovered that in America an ambulance ride can cost thousands even if not medical equipment is used and the costs are not always covered by the insurance. This is simply not an option for some people and so they have begun ordering an UBER to take them to the hospital if the injury or emergency allows. As stated in the article ‘For some, the financial setback of an ambulance trip can be immense. An alternative choice for non-emergencies could save people thousands of dollars and help reduce waste in a system rife with it’.

This tells me  that this idea is a possible marketable product that will help people. I do think that this does bring the danger of people abusing or misusing the service and calling a lift instead of an ambulance when their emergency could be life threatening and requires the attention of medical professionals.

I also found this online chatting platform where real Americans were recounting their experiences in using a lift or asking a family member to take them to hospital instead of calling for an ambulance.

My fear is that the healthcare system in America is built around profit over people, cost over care which is something that truly saddens me as in cases like these usually minorities, less financially stable people/families or the vulnerable suffer. I want to create a solution surrounding a current existing service that will remedy this and better peoples life.

The global pandemic further exposed how broken the health care system in America is. After reading an article in the Guardian I discovered that there were 27.9 million people without health insurance in 2018 with patients biggest worry even when nearing their death beds being “who will pay for this?” that is a truly heartbreaking reality. As Derrick Smith, nurse anesthetist at a New York City hospital wrote on Facebook: “Next-level heartbreak – having to hear a dying patient use his last words to worry about healthcare finances.”

According to a recent study, 71% of ambulance providers don’t take the patient’s insurance. That same study found that 79% of patients who took a ground ambulance could be on the hook for an average fee of $450 after their insurance paid out. By comparison, air ambulances can cost the average patient $21,700 after the insurance pays out.

These surprise bills can be a huge problem, especially when nearly four in 10 Americans would have to borrow money to cover an unexpected $1,000 emergency.

More info:


App name ideas:

  • WELP
  • 505 – I could make the brand look like a mix between SOS and 505 so for a mid emergency the user can call 505

Trying to articulate my thoughts

What is the problem?

The negative financial impact calling a life saving service like an ambulance can have on Americans and how cost influences patients decision on weather or not to seek much needed medical care.

Figures to drive point home:

  1.  71% of ambulance providers don’t take the patient’s insurance
  2. 79% of patients who take an ambulance could be on the hook for an average fee of $450 after their insurance pays out.

The solution

505 is an ambulance alternative that utilizes the same principles as UBER to request a high priority emergency lift that will cost a fraction of what an ambulance would.

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