decision right there. reporter: they declined to comment on this case but says it relies on the judgment of the partners in the field. yet the story is not unique. outside of austin, oscar vaz s 12-year-old daughter slipped in the shower at summer camp. firefighters called in a private medevac chopper. once natalie arrived she was released and returned to camp within 24 hours. the bill? $16,335. it s a lot of money to us. it won t bankrupt us but a lot of people it would. reporter: nationwide, the number of medevac choppers skyrocketed since 2002 when new medicare reimbursements made it a far more profitable business. $2.5 billion annually with 900 medevac choppers today compared to 377 in 2000. 85% are private providers. two years ago the ntsb held hearings in the high crash and