While ambulance services are not a directly insured benefit, Saskatchewan Health offsets a portion of the service costs for both road and air ambulance.

No one will be refused ambulance service (ground or air) on the basis of ability to pay.

Road ambulance services are provided through the health regions. Saskatchewan Health provides direct grants to the health regions, with the balance of operating costs being covered through fees and charges established by individual health regions. These fees and charges may vary from region to region.

Some of the ambulance service operations are region-owned; however, some of the services are provided through agreements with emergency service operators. The region provides grants to these contracted operators to cover a portion of their service costs, with the remainder being subsidized through client charges. Client charges encompass a number of components such as:

• a call "pickup" rate, a rate/kilometre,
• a waiting time rate,
• and a special escort fee (if applicable), the rate for which is set according to the escort’s hourly wage (e.g. nurse, respiratory therapist)

In addition to direct funding for road ambulance, Saskatchewan Health Ministry also has programs in place to assist individuals with the cost of ambulance trips:

• Senior Citizens' Ambulance Assistance Program (SCAAP) - Seniors segment of our have the most need and comprise the highest percentage of those using ambulance services. The SCAAP provides cost protection to seniors (65 years of age and over) by limiting the cost of a road ambulance trip or call within the province to $250.
• Supplementary Health Program - Residents with very low incomes (those receiving Saskatchewan Assistance Plan benefits and nominated by Social Services for supplementary health benefits) have the entire cost of an ambulance trip covered by Saskatchewan Health's Supplementary Health Program. Through the Children’s Benefit Program, children (up to and including 17 years of age) of eligible, low income families will also have the cost of emergency ambulance services fully covered through the Supplementary Health Program.
• Workers' Compensation/SGI - If an individual is injured at work or involved in a motor vehicle accident, other government agencies such as WCB and SGI cover the complete cost for eligible individuals.

Saskatchewan Air Ambulance is a provincial program. The cost to an individual for air ambulance service is $350 per flight; the individual is also responsible for ground ambulance costs to and from the airport. As with the road ambulance program, any residents with very low incomes (those receiving Saskatchewan Assistance Plan benefits and nominated by Community Resources and Employment for supplementary health benefits) have the entire cost of an air ambulance trip covered by Saskatchewan Health’s Supplementary Health Program.

For more information contact:
1-306-933-5255

The Northern Medical Transportation Program was established in the 1980s to provide funding for emergent and non-emergent medical transportation in northern Saskatchewan. It is an insured service administered by Saskatchewan Health. The program has two components:

• emergency transportation provided by private air carriers, medical taxi, or road ambulance for all northern residents
• non-emergency transportation to assist social assistance clients with access to medical treatment and appointments outside their community.