The bill amends the Code of Alabama 1975 to extend the assessment on emergency medical transport providers until July 1, 2028. It redefines "emergency medical transport" to include only services billable under specific Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) emergency transport codes, explicitly excluding transportation by passenger cars, taxicabs, and other non-ambulance vehicles. The assessment rate is capped at 5.3 percent, with provisions for adjustments based on surplus assessments from prior quarters. Additionally, the bill introduces new requirements for providers to file quarterly statements detailing the number of emergency medical transports and gross receipts, starting April 1, 2023, and continuing through the assessment extension period.

Furthermore, the bill establishes penalties for late payments, with a 10 percent penalty for payments not received by the 30th day of the fiscal quarter, and stipulates that delinquent payments will impact eligibility for Medicaid transport enhancements. It also outlines the payment structure for these enhancements, which will be contingent upon federal approval and calculated based on transports reimbursed by the Alabama Medicaid Agency, ensuring that the total enhancement does not exceed the assessment pool. The bill includes provisions for the confidentiality of collected information and mandates that any remaining assessment pool be refunded to providers by December 1 of each year, starting in 2024. The act is set to take effect on June 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 40-26B-91, 40-26B-94, 40-26B-95, 40-26B-99, 40-26B-91, 40-26B-94, 40-26B-95, 40-26B-99
Engrossed: 40-26B-90, 40-26B-93