Bill > HF696

This bill establishes a rural Emergency Medical Services (EMS) uncompensated care pool payment program designed to provide financial support to ambulance services in non-metropolitan areas of Minnesota. The program will provide payments to eligible licensees (ambulance services primarily operating outside metropolitan counties) for emergency medical service responses that meet specific criteria: the response was initiated by a public safety answering point, an ambulance responded but did not transport a patient, and the licensee received no payment for the response. The payment calculation involves a point system where licensees earn points based on the number of eligible responses: ten points for the first 25 responses, five points for responses 26-50, three points for responses 51-100, one point for responses 101-200, and zero points for responses over 200. The total points across all applicants will be divided by the appropriated amount to determine the per-point value, and each licensee will receive a payment based on their total points. The program is funded with a one-time appropriation of $3,000,000 from the general fund for fiscal year 2026, and payments will be certified and distributed by May 30, 2026. Applicants must apply by March 31, 2026, and the responses must have occurred between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.

Health and Social Services

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=House&f=HF0696&ssn=0&y=2025