Subcommittee backs Medicaid supplemental payments to shore up volunteer EMS in rural areas
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Summary
SB 101 would create a Medicaid supplemental payment to cover the gap between reimbursement and actual costs for volunteer EMS agencies, capped to prevent overpayment and contingent on federal matching funds; rural rescue organizations urged support to avoid closures.
The subcommittee approved SB 101, which would require the Virginia Medicaid state plan to include a supplemental payment program for qualified volunteer EMS agencies to cover the gap between Medicaid ground-transport reimbursements and the actual cost of providing service.
The sponsor emphasized the program’s importance for rural and economically disadvantaged regions that rely heavily on volunteer fire and rescue. "We rely too much on fish fries, bingo night, and those kinds of things to try to make up the difference," the sponsor said, describing long transport times and high operating costs for rural squads.
Ed Rhodes, representing the Virginia Association of Rescue Squads, testified that the measure would help keep volunteer squads operational, noting long transports that sometimes take volunteers hours away from their communities. "These folks go out, like the senator said, they go out for 90 minutes to 2 or 3 hours transporting," Rhodes said.
The bill sets a cap so agencies cannot be reimbursed for more than actual costs and requires participation as a Medicaid provider; the sponsor said federal matching funds (via DMAS) would be necessary for full implementation. The subcommittee voted unanimously to advance SB 101 to the full committee.