Bill > HB1322

This bill addresses emergency medical services communication and ambulance service billing in North Dakota through several key provisions. First, it modifies existing law to allow emergency medical services to use secondary communication devices like cell phones while maintaining primary communication protocols established by the department of emergency services. The bill prohibits ambulance service providers from balance billing patients, meaning they can only collect the patient's standard out-of-pocket costs like deductibles and copayments. Additionally, the bill requires health care insurers to directly pay ambulance service providers for out-of-network services, with reimbursement set at 250% of the Medicare reimbursement rate or the provider's billed charges, whichever is lower. The legislation also mandates a legislative management study during the 2025-26 interim to explore the feasibility of creating a delinquent billing reimbursement grant system for ambulance service providers, and appropriates $20,000 to fund this study. Notably, the bill excludes air ambulance providers from these new regulations and aims to provide more financial predictability and protection for patients receiving emergency medical transportation services.

Government Affairs

https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1322.html