Bill > S731

This bill aims to regulate the reimbursement of ambulance service providers by insurers in Massachusetts. The key provisions are: 1. It requires insurers to directly and promptly pay ambulance service providers for emergency ambulance services rendered to their insured patients, even if the provider is not under contract with the insurer. This payment must be made regardless of any prohibition on assignment of benefits in the patient's insurance policy. 2. The payment to the ambulance service provider must be made at the rate established by the municipality from which the patient was transported (referred to as "Municipally Established Ambulance Rates"). 3. Municipalities are required to report their ambulance rates annually to the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) to be included in the CHIA Transparency Initiative. 4. Municipalities are restricted from increasing their ambulance rates by a percentage exceeding the current Health Care Cost Growth Benchmark set by the Health Policy Commission, unless approved by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 5. The bill creates an Ambulance Service Advisory Council to advise the Secretary on requests for ambulance rate increases above the Health Care Cost Benchmark, representing various stakeholders such as public safety, government, insurers, and the ambulance industry.

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https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S731