Committee forwards bill to stabilize ambulance payments, eliminate most balance billing
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Summary
HB269 would align ambulance reimbursement with how emergency care is delivered, create a single base rate plus mileage, tie adjustments to a medical CPI, and prohibit most balance billing. Fire chiefs and EMS associations supported the bill as necessary to keep services available across the state.
Representative Malloy told the committee HB269 updates how Utah reimburses ambulance providers to reflect the actual costs of emergency care and help keep emergency services available statewide.
The sponsor said the bill increases the base rate to include service fees, supplies and medications and adds a predictable, limited annual adjustment tied to a medical consumer price index administered by the Bureau of EMS. It also establishes a single base rate plus a mileage component and removes a sunset. The bill removes most forms of balance billing, with limited exceptions tied to insurance plan design or uninsured patients.
Ben Armstrong, president of the Rural EMS Directors Association of Utah, and Clint Smith, chief of Draper City Fire Department speaking for the Utah State Fire Chiefs Association, both urged support and praised Representative Malloy for convening stakeholders. Supporters said the change reduces billing disputes, provides predictability for payers and helps rural providers collect needed revenue.
The committee moved the second substitute forward and voted to pass HB269 out favorably.