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33% of crisis responses were billed to individuals
Ramsey County billed people 745 times in the last 18 months, for calling the county’s crisis line. FOX 9 Investigator Nathan O'Neal has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Ramsey County billed people 745 times in the last 18 months, after individuals called the county’s crisis line for life-saving mobile crisis services, according to new data obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators.
Calling for change
The FOX 9 Investigators exposed Ramsey County’s controversial policy of billing people in crisis, which sparked calls from mental health advocates for swift change.
"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. "We never, ever intended for the individual to be billed for that care."
Why it matters
Adam Haidet received a bill after a mental health incident in January. A family friend called Ramsey County’s crisis line seeking help from the mobile crisis team, which provides on-site mental health services and support.
Haidet was billed $342 for crisis intervention services plus travel time. He worries the cost could become a barrier for people to call for help.
"Honesty, I believe at least one life will be lost if it’s not changed," said Haidet.
Who’s getting billed?
Ramsey County appears to be an outlier in billing individuals who call the crisis line for mobile crisis response services.
"We shouldn’t be billing the individual directly," Abderholden said.
Other counties, including Hennepin, Dakota and Washington, do not bill individuals directly beyond insurance.
The data also shows 1 in 3 encounters with the Ramsey County mobile crisis team in 2023 resulted in billing people directly, according to new data obtained by the FOX 9 Investigators.
What Ramsey County is saying
Ramsey County previously said in an email that billing individuals is "the only way to make sure this service is sustainable."
Since our initial report, Ramsey County has laid out various steps to increase transparency so that people who call the crisis line are aware of the cost.
However, the county did not address the main concern among mental health advocates – which is that Ramsey County continues to bill for the life-saving service, unlike other counties across the state.
Ramsey County announced late Thursday that the mental health crisis fees are now under review.
"Our objective is to gather comprehensive data, establish best practices and understand how other counties that offer similar services address this matter. The review will be provided to the board to determine next steps as any changes to the current fee structure require a board action," the statement said.