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Committee advances ordinance to join Missouri GEMT MCO reimbursement program, authorizing $83,313.70 intergovernmental transfer
Summary
The committee voted to forward to full council an ordinance to transfer $83,313.70 as the city's intergovernmental contribution to participate in Missouri's GEMT MCO uncompensated cost reimbursement program; staff said the transfer is expected to enable roughly $324,000 in federal reimbursement over six months.
The finance and budget committee voted to advance an ordinance that would authorize the city to execute intergovernmental agreements and an intergovernmental transfer of $83,313.70 to participate in the Missouri Ground Emergency Medical Transport (GEMT) managed-care-organization uncompensated cost reimbursement program.
Assistant Fire Chief Dave York explained that the city has participated in the GEMT program since 2019 and that the expansion to include managed-care organizations allows additional federal Medicaid dollars to be recovered to offset ambulance-service shortfalls. York said the $83,313.70 intergovernmental transfer is the city's required contribution to draw down a larger federal balance and that staff estimated the city could receive roughly $324,000 back for the six-month period modeled.
York provided sample reimbursement figures, saying Medicaid typically reimburses around $335 for a basic life-support (BLS) transport while the resident BLS billing rate is $910, noting that reimbursements do not cover full billed amounts. Committee members asked clarifying questions about the net reimbursement percentages and York said the city's historic ambulance-reimbursement revenue has been in the mid-seventies percent range relative to billed amounts.
The committee moved and seconded the recommendation and voted unanimously to advance the ordinance to the full council for approval.
