Improve transparency in emergency medical costs and obtain patient consent to reduce the likelihood of unexpected bills.

 

 

The purpose of this bill is to decrease difficult financial situations caused by surprise medical bills, such as

ambulances, to achieve better patient protection and trust in the healthcare system.

 

 

Ambulance costs are one of the biggest causes of unexpected medical debt. In fact, ground ambulance bills can reach

thousands of dollars, which many are unable to afford. In fact, Brynn Healy from U.S. News said, “23% of Americans say

that during a medical emergency in which they needed immediate transportation, they purposely did not call an ambulance

due to the cost.” This could be caused due to the increasing medical debt in the country, which about 41% of Americans

struggle with. Not only will this bill take a vital step in reducing that, but it may also place less financial stress

on lower-income families in crises. In addition, this also causes fewer billing disputes. Often, people fight or dispute

ambulance bills as they do not understand them. If bills were made to be simpler with clear prices, patients would be

less likely to turn down ambulance help since they would have a clear price in mind. A similar law to this was passed in

2020, called the No Surprises Act. While it greatly helped to reduce these problems, it strategically left out ambulance

costs.

In this bill, all EMS providers shall publicly disclose the average cost of ambulance transport, price ranges for

typical transportation services, mileage charges, and additional treatment fees. This should be displayed on the

provider’s website, printed in hospitals and ERs, and formatted to be accessible to 911 dispatch centers. In addition,

providers should provide patients with cost estimates before transport. This includes the typical price for ambulance

service in that area, and the patient has the right to decline transport if medically stable. If they are medically

stable, EMS personnel must receive written or verbal consent to transport the patient or their refusal or service.

 

 

No Surprises Act - a U.S. federal law, effective January 1, 2022, that protects consumers from unexpected medical bills,

particularly those from out-of-network providers at in-network facilities.

Surprise medical bills - an unexpected medical bill for "out-of-network" care that patients receive after they've been

treated.

Billing disputes - when a customer or client challenges a charge or invoice, claiming there is an error, the

service/product was unsatisfactory, or the transaction was unauthorized.

EMS providers - Emergency Medical Service Providers

 

 

This bill has a minimal cost as no major taxes or excessive spending are required. In order to implement this bill, it

requires small costs such as training for providers, website updates, and printing fees. This can be funded through the

existing State Department of Health’s budget. In addition, the state can apply for federal health transparency grants if

needed, and could also be supported by fines from noncooperative healthcare providers.

 

 

Employers that refuse to comply with these requirements will be fined up to $5,000. A repeat in violations may result in

a suspension of that provider’s state license.

 

 

This bill will go into effect six months after it is passed.