The State House has passed an amended bill that would require reimbursement for emergency medical services such as Citizens Ambulance when care is rendered, but patients are not transported to a hospital.
The bill is a reaction to the opioid crisis. Frequently, overdose victims refuse transport, leaving the EMS agency to foot the bill.
Senator Don White says that it’s an issue of fairness to services such as Citizens. “Occasionally, EMS crews will respond to a scene to provide treatment, but transportation is unnecessary or refused. In those cases insurance companies and Medicaid can currently deny payment for service. That’s just not fair. There are costs incurred and man hours spent by these organizations. House Bill 1013 will ensure those organizations are properly reimbursed for their services.”
White’s Senate bill was unanimously approved by the Senate in June, but did not get a House vote. The bill now on its way to the governor’s desk is a concurrence of amendments to White’s bill. The House version is the one sent to the governor, and that’s fine with Senator White, who said yesterday that “it’s too important of an issue to fret over whose name is at the top of the bill.”
