A.
The Mayor and Council believe that the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Borough are best protected if it assures that all ambulances and ambulance units providing life support services are able to provide a sufficient level of emergency care.
B.
The Palisades Park Emergency Medical Services along with the Police Department have provided such care that meets or exceeds minimum standards of providing advanced life support service.
C.
The New Jersey State Department of Health has issued licensure for the Municipal Emergency Medical Services Program (the "Program").
D.
The Program has been in operation providing experience and statistics regarding the service and the patients served.
E.
The Borough of Palisades Park has applied for a provider number from the federal and state Medicare/Medicaid programs, enabling the Borough of Palisades Park to institute a third-party payment plan (the "payment plan").
F.
Most residents and visitors have a health insurance plan or Medicare/Medicaid, which provides payments to relieve their payment obligations; and as for Medicare, the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services has issued an opinion by the Office of Investigator General that municipalities that operate ambulance service can waive copays and deductibles for Medicare patients.
G.
The governing body believes the residents and taxpayers of the Borough, through their payment of taxes, have contributed sufficiently to the maintenance of the Palisades Park Emergency Medical Services to be alleviated from the responsibility of copayment for services rendered by the Palisades Park Emergency Medical Services.
H.
It is in the best interest of the taxpayers of the municipality to establish a third-party payment plan in accordance with Health Care Finance Administration guidelines so that taxpayers will not be responsible for any out-of-pocket expenses.