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 clarifies the definition of "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 adjustments allowed based on surplus assessments from prior quarters. Additionally, the payment timeline for these assessments is modified, requiring payments by the 15th day of the month following the fiscal quarter's close, and penalties are established for late payments. Collected assessments will be deposited into the Alabama Health Care Trust Fund, with provisions for waiving penalties under certain circumstances.

The bill also introduces new provisions for emergency medical transport providers under the Alabama Medicaid Program, allowing them to rectify payment delinquencies within 15 days to maintain eligibility for transport enhancements. If not cured within this period, providers will lose eligibility for enhancements for that quarter. The bill allocates revenues from assessments for administrative costs and enhancements to health care services, particularly non-emergency transportation, with a designated amount of $175,000 per fiscal quarter. It modifies the calculation of transport enhancements to ensure that total enhancements do not exceed the assessment pool and changes the method for determining the enhancement rate to reflect the difference between Medicaid rates and average commercial insurer rates. The bill is set to take effect on June 1, 2025, with provisions for its cessation under specific conditions related to federal financial participation and state funding obligations.

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