Bill > H1010

This bill aims to address the reimbursement of ambulance services provided to insured individuals. The key provisions are: 1. It requires insurers to directly and promptly pay ambulance service providers when they provide emergency services to an insured individual, even if the ambulance service provider is not under contract with the insurer. This applies even if the insured's policy prohibits assignment of benefits, as long as the insured executes an assignment. 2. The payment to the ambulance service provider must be at the rate established by the municipality from which the patient was transported (the "municipally established ambulance rate"). 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 prohibited from increasing their ambulance rates by more than 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 establishes an Ambulance Service Advisory Council to advise the Secretary on requests for ambulance rate increases beyond the Cost Growth Benchmark. The overall intent is to standardize and regulate the reimbursement of ambulance services, ensuring fair and prompt payment to providers while protecting insured individuals from excessive costs.

Business and Industry, Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/193/H1010