Senate advances bill to reimburse EMS at 100% of Medicaid cost, refers it to Labor committee

CHEYENNE — The Wyoming Senate voted to introduce Senate File 4 on Feb. 9, a Labor Committee bill that would raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for emergency medical services to 100% of the costs of those services.

Senator Brennan, speaking for the bill, told colleagues the measure responds to rural areas where ambulance services struggle because Medicaid reimbursement does not cover provider costs. "In many of our rural areas, our emergency medical services are at risk of being lost due to the lack of funding and reimbursement that they get," Brennan said during the three-minute presentation.

The bill would take effect July 1, 2026, require the Department of Health to report to the Labor and Appropriations committees on the costs of reimbursements and include a reversion provision: "anything that is not spent shall revert on June 30th of 2028," Brennan said. The Senate took an introductory roll-call vote and the bill received the votes required for introduction (recorded in the transcript as 25 I, 6 No) and was referred to committee number 10, Labor.

What this means: introduction and referral allow the Labor Committee to hold hearings, consider amendments, and request cost reports from the Department of Health before any floor action. The bill, as presented, aims to fully reimburse EMS for Medicaid transports and to track program costs.

Next steps: SF 4 will be scheduled for committee consideration in Labor, which will review fiscal impacts and stakeholder testimony before deciding whether to advance a committee report to the Senate floor.

Quote: "This bill addresses this by increasing the rate of reimbursement for emergency medical services to 100% of the costs of those services," Senator Brennan said.