Selectmen discuss Action Ambulance contract errors and new state law limiting surprise ambulance billing

Selectmen reviewed documentation and regional negotiations involving Action Ambulance after a contract error surfaced during recent multi-town meetings.

Selectman Matt said the contract page circulated to selectmen contained a typographical error that Action Ambulance’s representative later corrected at a regional meeting; the board said it agreed to uphold the corrected amounts but that the formal amendment paperwork had not yet been provided to all towns. "That page that you're referring to was the typo on Action Ambulance's part that they caught after the fact and was corrected at that recent regional meeting," Matt said.

The board also discussed pending state legislation, described by presenters as taking effect in January, that will regulate ambulance pricing and require ambulance services to accept contracts with a broader range of insurers. Officials said the change is intended to prevent balanced-billing and surprise charges to patients by tying rates to insurer or Medicare/Medicaid benchmarks; presenters cautioned the change may reduce ambulance revenue and profitability.

Selectmen asked staff to monitor contract amendments and to flag any occurrences where the contractor fails to meet coverage obligations. Board members also discussed the logistical and financial challenges of providing a municipal ambulance service and noted prior studies concluding a town-run 24/7 ambulance would be substantially more expensive than the current shared regional model.