Ohio Attorney General Yost has sued a Midwest regional ambulance company with stations in central Ohio, accusing it of failing to disclose to patients that it was an out-of-network provider for all private health insurance, leaving consumers to foot unexpected and expensive medical transportation bills.
Yost filed a lawsuit June 5 against Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Ohio in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, accusing the company of violating several provisions of Ohio’s Consumer Sales Practices Act:
The lawsuit alleges that consumers were often treated at medical facilities or hospitals within their insurance networks and that physicians ordered ambulance rides to another in-network facility. The hospital then arranged transportation with Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service of Ohio, but patients were not told that the service was out of network.
The lawsuit also accuses the company of failing to provide consumers with estimated transportation costs before service, which is required in Ohio. The company allegedly presented authorization forms after the transports.
“Patients being transferred between hospitals have enough to worry about without getting hit with unexpected bills weeks later,” Yost said in a news release. “Consumers deserve to know when a company is out of network and what costs they may face before services are provided.”
Yost said his office received complaints from more than 20 consumers whom Superior transported between June 2024 and June 2026. The consumers were billed for hundreds or thousands of dollars for the service, and some of them reported that their unpaid balances have been transferred to third-party collection agencies, Yost said.
Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Services operates throughout the Midwest and has four stations in Ohio, including operations in Columbus and Grove City, according to its website.
The Dispatch contacted Superior on June 5 with questions about the lawsuit, but a spokesperson was not available. A receptionist said that someone from the company would reach out to The Dispatch over the weekend.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, ShahidMeighan on X and shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio sues Superior Air-Ground Ambulance, alleging deceptive practices
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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By Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch | USA TODAY Network
