RAMSEY COUNTY, Minn. – Ramsey County is re-evaluating its controversial practice of billing individuals in crisis after a FOX 9 investigation revealed that the county had been charging vulnerable people seeking life-saving mental health services through its crisis hotline.
Ramsey County’s Response
In response to the investigation, a Ramsey County spokesperson announced that the county would review its current billing policy, stating, “Our objective is to gather comprehensive data, establish best practices, and understand how other counties that offer similar services address this matter.”
Reaction from Elected Leaders
Last year, the Ramsey County Board approved a fee schedule that included charges for crisis intervention services. However, Board Chair Victoria Reinhardt admitted she was unaware of the specific details concerning who was being billed at the time of the vote.
“We have a fee schedule that’s pages long, and this was one line item in it,” Reinhardt explained. “It does have a cost. It has to be paid, but the question here is who’s going to pay it? At this point, we have to look at all options… Do we want to add stress to people? Absolutely not.”
Who Is Being Billed?
Records obtained by FOX 9 show that Ramsey County has charged over $1.1 million for mobile crisis intervention services in the past three years. Unlike other counties that only bill insurance providers, Ramsey County also bills patients directly. Since last year, the county has billed individuals in crisis at least 745 times following calls to the crisis hotline that led to the dispatch of a mobile crisis response team.
Criticism from Mental Health Advocates
Mental health advocates argue that Ramsey County’s billing practice undermines the purpose of mobile crisis response teams, which are intended to be an alternative to police intervention.
“This is going to deter people from calling, and that’s just simply wrong,” said Sue Abderholden, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota (NAMI).
Legislative Action on the Horizon
At least one state lawmaker is prepared to take legislative action to prevent counties from billing people for mobile crisis response services.
“I think at this point, it’s most likely it will require the legislature to take action,” said Sen. Melissa Wiklund (DFL-Bloomington), chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “That’s something we need to do over the next few weeks so that we can have something ready to discuss and introduce in January.”
Next Steps
Ramsey County’s internal review of its mental health crisis billing policy is expected to be completed by this fall, but any changes will require approval from the board.
Commissioner Reinhardt emphasized the importance of continuing to seek help despite the ongoing review. “Please let us work through all this, but don’t hesitate to call because it may save your life,” she said.
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