This bill instructs the Department of Health and Human Services to submit an amendment to the state Medicaid plan to allow for reimbursement of ambulance services in specific situations where transportation is not provided. The amendment would enable Medicaid reimbursement when an emergency call results in an ambulance being dispatched and treatment is given on-site without the patient being transported elsewhere. Reimbursement is contingent upon documentation that the call was an emergency, the patient consented to evaluation and treatment, and either transportation was deemed unnecessary, the patient refused transport, or the patient was stable and had the means to seek follow-up care. Additionally, reimbursement is possible if resuscitation is attempted but the patient is deceased.

The bill also includes an appropriation of $500,000 for the biennium ending June 30, 2025, to the Department of Health and Human Services for the implementation of this act. This appropriation allows the department to accept and expend matching federal funds without further approval. The act will take effect upon the certification of the Medicaid plan amendment by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the remainder of the act will become effective upon its passage. There is a contingency that if SB 554 of the 2024 legislative session becomes law, the new paragraph will be renumbered accordingly. The bill was approved on August 2, 2024, with section 1 effective as provided in section 2, and the remainder effective on the date of approval.

Statutes affected:
As Amended by the Senate: 126-A:5
Version adopted by both bodies: 126-A:5
CHAPTERED FINAL VERSION: 126-A:5