The bill establishes a Rural EMS Uncompensated Care Pool Payment Program aimed at providing financial support to eligible ambulance service licensees operating outside metropolitan areas in Minnesota. The program, administered by the director of the Office of Emergency Medical Services, will make payments to these eligible licensees based on specific criteria related to their emergency medical service (EMS) responses. To qualify for payments, licensees must submit an application by March 31, 2026, detailing their EMS responses that meet the established eligibility criteria, which include the initiation of services by a public safety answering point and the absence of payment from any source for those responses.

Additionally, the bill appropriates $3,000,000 from the general fund for fiscal year 2026 to support the program. The payment calculations for eligible licensees will be based on a point system that awards points for the number of eligible EMS responses, with a total point amount determining the payment each licensee receives. The director is required to certify and distribute the payments by May 30, 2026. The bill also specifies that EMS responses by specialized life support will be excluded from the payment calculations.