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"Everyone is asking for money, and we just had a major tax refund that took a lot of the money away," Haracznak said. "We've had a receptive ear from members of Congress. But what it comes down to is how much money is available." MAST officials also are looking to local and state governments for help. Sharp said they hope to persuade Missouri and Kansas lawmakers to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates. But even that will not be enough, he said. To maintain current service levels, MAST would need Kansas City to double its indigent-care subsidy, which is $1.76 million for the 2001-02 fiscal year. It may be tough to seli to the Kansas City Council, said Councilman Ed Ford, who also is on the MAST board. "While MAST serves a lot of indigent people in the metro area, only Kansas City provides a subsidy," Ford said. Consequently, he said he thinks many of his colleagues will look to other municipalities to kick in their fair share. Observers said cities such as Kansas City, Kan., and Riverside are unlikely to agree to such a plan and might simply seek ambulance service from another company. In the meantime, MAST officials said they are hopeful that they will secure the assistance they need. "Without some additional help from state and local governments, we simply won't be able to ofFer the same quality service that we do now," Jantsch said. "We're hopeful that we'll be able to get the funding we need because that's not where we want to be in Kansas City." Reach Anna JafFe at 816-421-5900 or by e-mail at ajaffe@bizjournals.com. Copyright 2001 American City Business Journals Inc. Click for permission to reprint (PRC# 1.1652.471293) 4