Cheshire County commissioners agree to sign petition opposing House Bill 316 on ambulance billing

The Cheshire County Commission agreed on March 19 to sign a petition opposing House Bill 316, which county leaders said would change the way private insurance reimburses ambulance services.

Chair said the petition is being presented by the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs Association, the New Hampshire Municipal Association and the New Hampshire Ambulance Association and urged a joint county submission. “house bill 3 16 is opposed by the New Hampshire Fire Chiefs Association, the New Hampshire Municipal Association, and the New Hampshire Ambulance Association,” the chair said during the meeting.

Commissioners discussed the technicalities of signing the online petition and the weight of a unified county submission. Staff described the online form requirements as a short entry with name, title, email and phone number; one commissioner noted it “carries more weight if the 3 of us sign.” The commission agreed the clerk or a designee may assist in submitting entries so each commissioner’s signature appears individually.

Why it matters: commissioners said the county is seeing cases where private-insurer payments for ambulance responses lag what Medicaid pays, leaving providers to pursue balance billing. The petition and the county’s planned signatures aim to register local government opposition along with statewide firefighting and ambulance organizations as the bill moves through the Legislature.

Next steps: the commission recorded the decision in the meeting minutes and instructed staff to circulate the online petition link and guidance so each commissioner can submit a signature as a county commissioner.