The bill amends the Code of Alabama 1975 to extend the assessment on emergency medical transport providers through the fiscal quarter ending 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 maximum assessment rate is set at 5.3 percent, with adjustments based on surplus assessments from previous quarters. Additionally, the payment timeline for assessments is modified, requiring payments by the 15th day of the month following the fiscal quarter's close, with penalties for late payments. Collected assessments will be deposited into the Alabama Health Care Trust Fund, and the bill outlines the process for handling delinquent payments.

The bill also introduces provisions for Medicaid emergency medical transport providers, stating that if a provider is delinquent in payments, the state will withhold reimbursements until the issue is resolved within 15 days. If rectified in time, the provider remains eligible for transport enhancements; otherwise, they lose eligibility for that quarter. Late payments will be treated as surplus assessments, and revenues from these assessments will fund administrative costs and enhancements to health care services, particularly non-emergency transportation. Providers are required to file quarterly statements detailing transports and gross receipts, which must be kept for three years, with confidentiality protections in place. The bill will take effect on June 1, 2025, and includes provisions for refunding any remaining assessment pool to providers under certain conditions.

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
Enrolled: 40-26B-90, 40-26B-93