Committee Considers GPS/Camera Requirement for Medicaid NEMT; Privacy and Volunteer Driver Concerns Raised

Representative Robbins introduced House File 46-84 to increase accountability for nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) providers billing Medicaid by requiring GPS/tracking and rear-facing cameras to verify routes and passenger counts. The sponsor said the change grew out of fraud-committee work and has bipartisan backing.

Morgan Roth, state government affairs lead for Samsara, testified that telematics, dash cameras and digital trip forms can produce auditable records of location, mileage and occupant counts and that modern systems can blur faces to preserve rider privacy. Roth described telematics as devices that plug into a vehicle's OBD port and pull diagnostic information to reduce tampering and better authenticate trips.

Members asked whether volunteer drivers who transport Medicaid clients would be subject to equipment requirements and whether the bill adequately protects HIPAA, ADA and civil‑rights data considerations. Representative Hicks warned volunteer drivers would have to install devices on personal vehicles if providers bill Medicaid and that counties might bear those costs. Representative Chernor asked about data privacy, HIPAA and ADA protections and whether those safeguards should be spelled out in statute rather than handled solely through contracts; the sponsor said privacy protections can be incorporated into contracts and offered to add statutory protections if needed. Representative Robinson said a telematics amendment is in development to address rural provider concerns. The committee laid the bill over for amendment and further work.