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Senate extends 'no surprises' approach to ground ambulances, caps out-of-network billing and allows direct payments
Summary
House Bill 1322, amended by the Senate, bars balance billing for ground ambulances, caps out-of-network charges, provides for direct payment to ambulance providers and funds a study; the bill passed the Senate 46-1.
The Senate on April 3 passed House Bill 1322, an expansion of the state’s "no surprises" protections to ground ambulance services, by a recorded vote of 46-1.
Senator Rohrs explained the amendments retain reliable pager-based emergency communications (removing third-party vendor/cell-phone reliance in certain code language), move licensing and related language to the Department of Human Services where ambulance licensing is administered, and extend no-surprises protections (previously applied to air ambulance) to ground providers by prohibiting balance billing and capping out-of-network charges. The bill also authorizes direct payments to ambulance services (instead of checks routed through patients) to reduce nonpayment and requires a legislative management study and an appropriation for implementation oversight.
Supporters said the measure will streamline reimbursements and protect patients from surprise bills after emergency transports; the bill includes an appropriation in the engrossed version and the committee recommended concurrence. The Senate adopted the amendment package on the floor and passed the engrossed bill 46 ayes, 1 nay.
Senate debate emphasized communications reliability in rural areas (pagers), consumer protections against balance billing, and administrative alignment by moving certain functions to the licensing agency for ambulance providers.
