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Township EMS asks Hampton Council to send letters backing state ambulance-payment bill
Summary
An EMS representative asked the Hampton Township Council to send physical letters to state lawmakers supporting House Bill 1152, which would require private insurers to pay 350% of Medicare rates directly to ambulance services; the council heard the request and staff will circulate letter instructions.
An EMS representative asked the Hampton Township Council on May 27 to support House Bill 1152, a state proposal the speaker said would require private insurers to pay emergency medical services directly at a rate equal to 350% of Medicare payments.
The EMS representative said the bill, introduced in the House by Rep. Joe Cooper, is currently held in the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee chaired by Rep. Solomon. A Senate companion was described in the meeting as having been introduced by Sen. Evelyn Robinson. The speaker said the insurance lobby has opposed the measure and that committee action and a Senate companion are key to moving the legislation forward.
"It mandates they pay 350% of Medicare charges for ambulance services," the EMS representative said, describing the payment model the bill would create. The speaker said that in 2025 the EMS service lost roughly $150,000 to insurer payment practices and estimated the schedule would increase the service's revenue by about $750,000 on a $3.4 million annual budget, lessening the township's revenue burden for EMS operations.
The EMS representative asked council members to participate in a letter-writing campaign: physical letters are required, the speaker said, and asked that the township send letters to Rep. Solomon (committee chair), the governor and Sen. Evelyn Robinson. Staff said they would forward the information to council for signatures and mailings.
No formal council action on the letters was recorded at the meeting; staff said they would circulate the letter-writing instructions and materials to council members for follow-up.
Background: According to the speaker, 14 states already use a similar ambulance-payment schedule; the meeting transcript records that insurers and major regional health systems were identified as stakeholders in the debate, and that the EMS organization is seeking patient-protection language to limit out-of-pocket charges (the speaker noted a patient-protection provision was not yet in the bill).
